Not getting enough of that Amanda Palmer? It’s been a little while since the Dresden Dolls began their hiatus, but with Amanda’s ongoing solo act and her new project, “Evelyn Evelyn”, you can get your daily dose of good old fashioned piano pounding back to normal!
Describing her style as, “heartfelt and sometimes aggressive piano music”, Amanda’s primary career goal is to make music with a smile. “I just want to be happy is all. I want to be happy and I want to make people happy who happen to be listening.”
Exposed to the piano at a young age, Amanda fell in love with music early. “I had a piano in my house growing up, and my mother sat me in her lap while she played classical pieces,” says the 33 year old singer. “Growing up, I listened to the Beach Boys, The Beatles…but then I started to get into more culty bands when I got to high school and college.”
Kick starting her career just before the new millennium, Amanda’s
musical arrival coincided with that of the internet. “The amount of work I can get done [online] is totally unfathomable. The emergence of the internet is something that artists have never had before. I came right around the changing of the guard,” says Palmer. “But with that comes the competition for attention because it’s just as available for everyone else. So your music better be good!”
On tour now with her new project “Evelyn Evelyn,” Amanda teams up with Jason Webley to deliver a one of a kind concept act–centered around a singing duo of conjoined twins. “It’s astonishingly beautiful music,” says Palmer, “and we’re happy to be a part of it. We are really excited to be producing something like this.”
Life as a working musician and performer has its ups and downs, according to Amanda. With hectic schedules and constant touring, it’s difficult to get two feet on the ground. “Not to mention being stuck backstage for hours without a bathroom and having to go in a beer cup,” she mentions.
But the artistic payoff for Palmer makes it all worthwhile. Saying that dedication is an artist’s best friend, Amanda makes a point to not have alternatives if you want a career in music. “Don’t have a plan B. If you have a backup plan, it will ultimately take over…and there’s always a world full of more dedicated musicians.”
Seeking little more than a stage to play on (and ears to play for), Amanda’s future looks pretty bright and chock full of that almighty unknown that artists love so much. But if one thing is certain, it’s that the transitional phase of the music business gives Amanda Palmer the chance to say to those in charge of the industry: “You’re not in charge of the industry anymore. Ha, ha, ha!”
Check out Amanda Palmer’s website at www.amandapalmer.net for music, news, and Evelyn Evelyn tour dates.