Dresden Dolls’ Palmer For Tour, Blurt Interview

Supporting her new solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer.

By Blurt Staff

This week sees the release of Dresden Dolls singer/pianist Amanda Palmer's solo debut, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, on Roadrunner Records. Sharp-eyed BLURT readers are already noticing that we have an exclusive feature on Palmer in our new digital issue - go HERE to read it.

Titled as a tongue-in-cheek homage to David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was co-produced by acclaimed artist Ben Folds. In addition to multiple appearances by Folds himself, the album features collaborations with the likes of East Bay Ray (of Dead Kennedys), St. Vincent's Annie Clark, cellist Zoë Keating, string arrangements by master composer Paul Buckmaster.

Palmer has also  recently been at work with acclaimed graphic novelist Neil Gaiman on a companion Who Killed Amanda Palmer book (Gaiman also contributed to the liner notes for WKAP).

Fun Facts: Obsessive Dresden Dolls fans crashed not one, but three websites dedicated to pre-ordering the debut. With various price points featuring an assortment of extra album-related material, Palmer's fans, who had been tracking Palmer's every move through a series of eight DIY videos of songs from the album, littered forums and blogs with their unbridled excitement about the album's release.  These posts, coupled with a contest wherein the first prize is a performance by Palmer in the winner's living room, helped traffic reach critical mass. According to Palmer's blog, "We're all sort of in shock. According to [the massive online retailer hosting the pre-order], we outdid AC/DC." 

Palmer will tour this fall in support of WKAP.  It was The Dresden Dolls' encapsulating live show, carefully crafted to perfection through years of relentless tour, which helped to amass many of the band's rabid following and Palmer's handlers predict that "things will be no different with Amanda's tour in support of Who Killed Amanda Palmer."

 Palmer will be assisted by longtime friends and collaborators, The Danger Ensemble, a butoh-based physical theater troupe from Australia that's been working with her over the course of the year to guarantee that these shows are unique. Says the Palmer camp, "This tour will definitely prove to be the sort of gut-wrenching, laughter-inducing, sing-along cathartic affairs her fans have come to know and love."

Tour dates:

11/12/08          Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge

11/14/08          Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel

11/15/08          Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre

11/16/08          Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

11/18/08          Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

11/19/08          New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place

11/21/08          New York, NY @ Webster Hall

11/22/08          Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts

11/24/08          Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

11/25/08          Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

11/29/08          Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre

11/30/08          Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club Theatre

12/2/08            Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag                                              

12/3/08            Chicago, IL @ Cabaret Metro

12/5/08            Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Nightclub

12/6/08            Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre

12/8/08            Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theatre

12/10/08          Vancouver, BC @ TBA

12/11/08          Seattle, WA @ Showbox Theatre

12/12/08          Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

12/13/08          Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's

12/15/08          San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club

12/16/08          Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre

[Photo Credit: Dennis Kleiman]