Amanda Palmer

Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer, known professionally as Amanda F***ing Palmer, is the vocalist and pianist of The Dresden Dolls. Born in 1976, she grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts and received her B.A. from Wesleyan University. She attended Lexington High School, where she was very involved in the drama department. Amanda sometimes has Lexington High School students perform drama pieces at her shows. Before she was in the Dresden Dolls she was in a band called “Amanda Palmer and the Void”. In October of 2000 she met Brian Viglione, a drummer; together they formed the Dresden Dolls. In the 2005 WNFX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll Amanda Palmer won Best Female Vocalist. Amanda has performed as a living statue called “The Eight Foot Bride” in Harvard Square as well as in many other locations. Her solo album entitled “Who Killed Amanda Palmer” was released in September 2008, and was produced by Ben Folds, who also appears on the album. Zoë Keating also appears on several tracks. In 2009 she pleaded with her label, Roadrunner Records, to drop her from their roster. She has been vocal about this in interviews and in concert even dedicated a song called “Please Drop Me” that is sung to the tune of “Moon River.” On January 15th 2010 writer Neil Gaiman announced on his official blog that he and Palmer were engaged to be married. On March 30th, 2010, the album “Evelyn Evelyn” was released, as a collaborative work with Jason Webley.