Amanda Palmer

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Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born 4/30/76) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duo Evelyn Evelyn, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained a cult fan base throughout her career.

Early Life:
Palmer was born Amanda MacKinnon Palmer in New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and as a child she rarely saw her father.

She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department, and later attended Wesleyan University where she studied theater and was a member of the Eclectic Society. In 1999, Palmer founded the Shadowbox Collective, a performance group devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc, which she directed).

Palmer graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in 1998. Palmer then spent several years busking as a living statue called “The Eight Foot Bride” in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Edinburgh, Scotland; Berlin, Germany and Melbourne, Australia (where she met future collaborator Jason Webley); and many other locations. She refers to her street performance work in The Dresden Dolls song “The Perfect Fit”, as well as on the A is for Accident track “Glass Slipper”.

Musical Beginnings:
At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at the Dresden Dolls’ live shows. This evolved to The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performing at many gigs.

In 2002, after developing a cult following, the band recorded their eponymous debut album, The Dresden Dolls, with producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before signing with the label Roadrunner Records.

Discography:
As a solo artist:

Filmography:
4 credits

Podcasts:
“The Art of Asking Everything” 9 episodes

Bibliography:
6 credits

One thing to share: Palmer briefly studied under Marcel Marceau in 2000. She was one of the first musical artists to popularize the use of crowdfunding websites.

Official website: here

Source: wikipedia