Formed in Boston in 2000, the Dresden Dolls are a “Brechtian punk cabaret” duo consisting of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano) and Brian Viglione (drums, bass, guitar, and vocals). The group came together when Viglione saw Palmer perform solo at a Halloween party. Eschewing Goth, the Dolls embrace the aesthetic of dark cabaret instead, with Palmer and Viglione donning dramatic make-up and fancy theatrical clothing to enhance their image.
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by the idea of people making live art in small rooms for their communities,” says Palmer, a Woodstock resident. “Everything about bars and cabarets and little theaters makes me happy. When I learned about the Cabaret scenes in Europe in the 1920s, the depression, the war, the censorship and then artists and hope, I knew I had found my passion.”
The band’s dualistic name suggests horror and innocence by referencing the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, during World War II by Allied forces and the porcelain dolls made in pre-war Dresden. It also evokes destruction and delicacy as well as the cabaret culture of Weimar Germany. Sonically, they alternate between a whisper and a scream.
As to the melding of cabaret and punk, Palmer says, “When I was growing up in Lexington, Massachusetts, my older siblings, the iconic ruffians of the town, were all into punk. It was PIL [Public Image Limited], Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and all that. That was the local brand of iconoclasm and freedom. I grew up with a diet of punk, but I romance around cabaret. They felt the same to me.”
Sharing a somewhat similar approach to spectacle, the Dolls toured with Ukrainian gypsy folk punk band Gogol Bordello, whose frontman Eugene Hütz is a comrade.
“They’re old friends of ours from the early days! But their stomping ground was New York City and ours was Boston. They were Gypsy punk, we were punk cabaret. We both filled halls with sincere weirdness and unapologetic joy in a post-grunge and post-9/11 world,” Palmer says.
Their live shows have gained notoriety by inviting audiences to participate as stilt walkers, human statues, fire eaters, and other performance artists. The band’s ardent fans are known as the Dirty Business Brigade, whom Palmer calls “an integral part of our shows.”
About building rapport with her fans, Palmer says, “I connect by bringing my actual self to the stage and letting the audience into my heart. A good show is such a strange alchemical combo of factors. The room. The temperature. Whether the staff have been nice. The sound. The lights. The news of the day. A good band can make anything out of anything usually, and that’s one of the strengths of the Dresden Dolls. We’ve played in every possible condition, so we have every tool possible to deal with the weather.”
Palmer is excited for a two-night stand at the Bearsville Theater. “Come dressed for the end of the world—or the beginning,” Palmer says. “And if you come, talk to a stranger. One of my favorite things about Dresden Dolls shows is how many neighbors find each other. It’s a great place to find your people, since it’s a very specific umbrella of love, art, and family. Don’t be shy. Ask someone a question, they will answer. And don’t be afraid to dance, sing out loud, and yell. The band likes it when you do that.”
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This article appears in October 2024.
