With songs reminiscent of Kurt Weill infused with the rock n’ roll energy of Patti Smith, Nick Cave and The Violent Femmes, this Boston-based duo’s home lies somewhere between a Weimar-era cabaret and CBGB’s.  Just as their name suggests both the utter devastation of a firebombed German city and the delicate femininity and innocence of a porcelain figure, The Dolls’ sound ranges from seductive whisper to full-on assault.

 

Consisting of songwriter Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano) and Brian Viglione (drums, guitar), The Dresden Dolls’ confessional story-songs offer listeners the bruised intimacy of a torch singer with all the fury and grit of rock.  Palmer’s thunderous and shimmering piano style rests on the shoulders of Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone.  Viglione’s drumming is sophisticated yet primal, providing in turns a delicate cradle of rhythm and a piercing bed of nails onto which Palmer lays her raw, tragic-comic lyrics.

 

The star-crossed duo met on Halloween night of 2000 when Viglione saw Palmer playing solo at a Boston loft party.  Amazed by the open-wound honesty and intensity of Palmer’s songs and delivery, Viglione knew that he had found his musical soulmate.