Amanda Palmer

At 48 years old, Amanda Palmer has this physical status:

Career

Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione at a Halloween party in 2000 and then formed The Dresden Dolls. Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama roles at the Dresden Dolls' live performances in an attempt to extend the performance experience and interactivity. The Dirty Business Brigade, a group of veteran and new artists, has performed at many gigs.

The Dresden Dolls, the band's eponymous debut album, was released in 2002 by producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before signing to Roadrunner Records.

The Dresden Dolls Companion was released in 2006, with words, music, and paintings by Amanda Palmer. In it, she has written a history of the album The Dresden Dolls and of the pair, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also includes the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the collection, as well as a DVD with a 20-minute interview of Amanda about making the book.

Palmer created The Onion Cellar, a musical/performance based on a short story from Günter Grass' Onion Cellar. The Dresden Dolls performed the work from December 9, 2006, to January 13, 2007 in cooperation with the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Although Palmer was openly dissatisfied with the show's direction, fan and critical evaluations were largely encouraging.

She toured with the True Colors Tour 2007, including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall and her first appearance in The New York Times in June 2007.

Despite the fact that the Dresden Dolls broke up in 2008, Palmer and Viglione have continued to perform, and have held a few minor reunions under the band name in 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2018.

Palmer appeared in three sold-out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a new "with band" style in July 2007. Aberdeen City, Boston, was her backing band, and she and Dixie Dirt also opened together. Palmer appeared on BBC Two's The Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland in August 2007 and also appeared on BBC Two's The Edinburgh Show. In December 2007, she collaborated with Australian theatre company The Danger Ensemble; the two groups appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and other venues around Australia.

Palmer worked with Jason Webley to introduce the EP Elephant in September 2007. Eva and Lyn, two conjoined twin sisters, were born in the project, and their songs tell their fictional backstory.

The Dresden Dolls Companion, a sequel to The Dresden Dolls Companion, released in July 2008, with the music and lyrics from the Yes, Virginia... (2006) and No, Virginia... (2008) collections of Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie's.

Palmer began her solo career in June 2008 with two well-received appearances with the Boston Pops.

Amanda Palmer's debut solo studio album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on September 16, 2008. Ben Folds produced and performed on the record. The name is a play on a term that was used by fans during Twin Peaks' initial run: "Who killed Laura Palmer?" In July 2009, a companion book of photographs of Palmer as if she were murdered was published. Who Killed Amanda Palmer a Collection of Photographic Evidence. It included photography by Kyle Cassidy and stories by Neil Gaiman, as well as lyrics from the album.

She toured Europe in late 2008 with Jason Webley, Zo Keating, and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mainly from her debut solo album. She appeared in most of the performances with a fractured foot she had suffered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, when a vehicle ran over her foot as she stepped outside a street. She appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2009.

Palmer reunited with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart in 2009 to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring show. Neutral Milk Hotel's album In the Aeroplane Over The Sea and Anne Frank's Diary inspired the performance With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart. The cast of All Things Considered was interviewed by NPR's Avishay Artsy.

Palmer returned to the A.R.T. in 2010. Emcees appear in Cabaret for a two-month run. The Dresden Dolls reunited for a US tour, beginning in New York City on Halloween and concluding in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. Palmer and Webley's debut self-titled album, Evelyn Evelyn, was released on March 30, 2010. This was supplemented by a worldwide tour and graphic novel based on the sisters' tale.

Palmer first performed the ukulele at a concert as a goof, but soon it became a part of her repertoire. Amanda Palmer appears on Her Magical Ukulele, a full album with ukulele accompaniment.

Palmer revealed on her blog on April 20, 2012, that she had launched a new album pre-order on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign was ultimately funded by 24,883 backers for a grand total of $1,192,793 — the most funds ever raised for a musical project on Kickstarter. Palmer tweeted on Monday that a significant controversy emerged from her related tour when she and her band, The Grand Theft Orchestra, decided to volunteer to play a few songs with her and her band during their live shows for "exposure, fun, beer, and hugs" rather than money. Palmer retaliated openly and reformed her agenda to one of paying local musicians (instead of the aforementioned fun, beer, and hugs). Theatre Is Evil was recorded with The Grand Theft Orchestra, produced by John Congleton, and released in September 2012. Palmer's website published a music video for "Do It With a Rockstar" on November 9, 2012. Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips, co-created and directed the video. "The Killing Type" and "The Bed Song" were among the subpoenas released.

Palmer made her Lincoln Center debut on August 9, 2013.

Palmer's book The Art of Asking (ISBN 1455581089), which expands on a TED talk she gave in February 2013. The book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list. Several critical evaluations have also been written about the book, most notably from NPR.

Amanda began soliciting financial assistance on the crowdfunding website Patreon on March 3, 2015. Palmer discussed the possibility of reuniting art and motherhood at the 2015 Hay Festival. The talk was filmed for BBC Radio 4's Four Thought and broadcast on June 21, 2015. She appeared as a judge for the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards in 2015. "Machete" by Patton and a David Bowie tribute album entitled Strung Out In Heaven: A Bowie String Quartet Tribute were released in the first months of 2016. Amanda Palmer and her father, Jack Palmer, co-produced an album titled You Got Me Singing. In July 2016, they appeared at concerts to promote the album.

Amanda Palmer collaborated with Legendary Pink Dots frontman Edward Ka-Spel to produce the album "I Can Spin a Rainbow." The pair performed in May and June 2017 in favor of the album, which was funded by Legendary Pink Dots' former violin player Patrick Q. Wright.

There Will Be No Intermission, Palmer's third solo studio album and first in seven years. On Patton, an extensive world tour was filmed for her patrons.

Palmer launched The Art of Asking Everything in fall 2020. Palmer and Viglione performed "Science Fiction/Double Feature" on October 31, 2020, the Wisconsin Democrats Livestream fundraiser that brought together some original Rocky Horror Picture Show cast members to perform out the show with additional actors and singers.

Source

Awards and honors

• 2012: Artist & Manager Awards - Pioneer Award
• 2012: Twitter Feed @amandapalmer in the Boston Phoenix's Best 2012
• 2011: Actress in a local production: Cabaret – Boston's Best, Improper Bostonian
• 2010: Artist of the Year – Boston Music Awards
• 2010: Cover of "Fake Plastic Trees" (Radiohead) named 13th of Paste magazine's 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010
• 2009: No. 100 on After Ellen's Hot 100 of 2009.
• 2008: No. 6 on the Best Solo artist list in The Guardian's Readers' Poll of 2008.
• 2007: No. 6 on Spinner.com's "Women Who Rock Right Now".
• 2006: The Boston Globe named her the most stylish woman in Boston.
• 2006: Listed in Blender magazine's hottest women of rock.
• 2005: Best Female Vocalist in the WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll.