Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Dresden Dolls

Kick Off Fall US Tour With Special 10th Anniversary Halloween Show in NYC!


photo by Kelly Davidson

Tickets On Sale Today (9/9) Starting at Noon EST at www.dresdendolls.com

After a long hiatus, The Dresden Dolls are thrilled to announce their first live tour in 3 years! The pioneering and influential "punk cabaret" duo comprised of Amanda Palmer (piano, vocals) and Brian Viglione (drums, guitar, bass) will be kicking off a few weeks of dates starting on Halloween at Irving Plaza in NYC. The date marks the exact 10th anniversary of the birth of the band (Viglione met Palmer on Halloween night of 2000, at an art/salon party at Palmer's house, at which she was playing her solo songs on piano.) "Amanda's songwriting was so brilliant and raw, I couldn't have designed a more perfectly suited counterpart. I knew then I'd found my musical accomplice.", says Viglione. They will also make a stop in New Orleans for a special gulf oil spill relief-benefit for BTNEP, an organization that is working to preserve, protect, and restore the Barataria and Terrebonne estuaries of Louisiana.

Since The Dolls' last performance (which was at Rock The Vote in DC on the Inauguration Day of President Obama), Palmer has been tirelessly busy building her solo career and online empire, centered around the 2008 release of her Ben Folds-Produced solo album "Who Killed Amanda Palmer". The album was accompanied by a hardback-book of the same name and included a collection of dead photographs of Palmer and short stores by author Neil Gaiman (to whom Palmer recently became engaged). Palmer also recently released a donation-based Radiohead covers ukulele EP titled "Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele", setting the tech community abuzz about how a donation-based model can earn a mid-level artist a living wage. Before they embark on tour, Palmer will be starring as the Emcee in the American Repertory Theater’s production of Kander & Ebb's dark weimar musical "Cabaret". The production opened August 31, 2010 and runs through October 29. Many of the dates are already sold out. More information can be found HERE on A.R.T.'s site.

"The time apart has done nothing but given both of us an appreciation of how incredibly special and powerful our band is," says Palmer. "Our live musical chemistry is completely unique, almost magical, and we don't take that for granted. I can't wait to get on a stage with Brian again. Nobody hits the drums like that man - he's in a class all his own. And when we play together live, we create an entire world we can't otherwise create."

Meanwhile, drummer/producer and talented musical jack-of-all-trades Brian Viglione has appeared on 30 albums since 2008, most notably, Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I–IV". Viglione's latest hard-hitting album, "Face Of The Sun", which he produced and co-wrote, is available digitally via Bandcamp and will be featured on his new website , www.brianviglione.com. Amidst the busy recording and teaching schedule, he's toured internationally with The World/Inferno Friendship Society, Franz Nicolay, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Martin Bisi, Botanica, and The Cliks. "A great strength of the band has always been that we've always given each other time to explore creative areas outside The Dresden Dolls, then bring what we've learned back to the table. Our love for the music and playing together is mirrored by the continual support of our fans, and we're more than ready to deliver the goods to them. "

The current wave of theatrical artists are citing The Dolls and their flamboyant emotional and theatrical antics as an inspiration, from up-and-coming theatrical-pop artist and Dolls’ fan Marina & The Diamonds to Lady Gaga (who lists The Dresden Dolls as an influence on her MySpace).

"It's been really inspiring to see an evolution towards theatrical freedom among indie bands over the last ten years", says Palmer. "When we were starting out in 2000, we were surrounded by the likes of The Vines and The Strokes. People often wrote us off as a gimmick because of our weird theatrical bent. Now we're surrounded by comrades...Antony, The Scissor Sisters, The Decembrists, Arcade Fire, CocoRosie, the list goes on and on. People aren't as afraid take risks onstage. It's inspiring, and I'm proud we've played our little part in the continuum of empowered freaky people."

Dates Are As Follows:

Oct 31 - NEW YORK CITY, NY@ Irving Plaza (w/ Surprise Guests)
Nov 12 - NEW ORLEANS, LA@ Tipitina's (w/ Jason Webley)
Nov 13 - ATLANTA, GA@ The Buckhead Theatre (w/ Lille)
Nov 14 - LEXINGTON, KY@ Buster's Billiards & Backroom (w/ Chico Fellini)
Nov 16 - ST. LOUIS, MO@ The Pageant (w/ Sleepy Kitty)
Nov 17 - CHICAGO, IL@ The Vic Theatre (w/ Mucca Pazza)
Nov 19th - DALLAS, TX@ Granada Theatre (w/ Girl In A Coma)
Nov 20 - HOUSTON, TX@ Fitzgerald's (w/ Girl In A Coma)
Nov 21 - AUSTIN, TX@ La Zona Rosa (w/ Girl In A Coma)

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