{"key":"27477","name":"The Dresden Dolls","bio":"The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2001, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano, ukulele, toy piano, harmonica) and Brian Viglione (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals). They describe their heavily art-damaged and theatrical style as \"Brechtian punk cabaret\", a phrase invented by Palmer because she was \"terrified\" that the press would invent a name that \"would involve the word 'gothic',\" and are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 1990s. Palmer accompanies her confessional story-songs with a thunderous and shimmering piano style that rests on the shoulders of Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone. Viglione's jazz and hardcore-influenced drumming and creative percussion are the perfect foil, providing in turns a delicate cradle of rhythm and a piercing bed of nails onto which Palmer lays her raw, tragicomic lyrics. The release of their debut album The Dresden Dolls, produced by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth), has won the band accolades from both mainstream and underground media, and it appears that the Dolls are poised to transcend cult status and smash all commonly held ideas about what a rock band is supposed to be. Their awe-striking live energy and singular look has earned them opening slots for Nine Inch Nails, Beck, the B-52s, Jane's Addiction, OK Go and Panic! At the Disco, a tour with the Legendary Pink Dots, and a victory in the 2003 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble.Their second album Yes, Virginia was released in 2006, eventually followed by a companion record No, Virginia in 2008, which features b-sides and out-takes from the \"Yes, Virginia\" sessions, as well as a smattering of new tracks.At the end of summer 2008 they announced a hiatus. The band has made further announcements saying they will reunite when the time is right for both of them, and have stressed they have not broken up. In September 2008, rumors began to circulate about the future of the whole band. Viglione confirmed that the band is currently on hiatus but emphasized that he and Palmer are on good terms and that they will get together again when it feels right for both of them. In late July and early August 2009, a rumor began to spread that the band was \"reuniting for performances in 2010\" but Palmer clarified in her blog on August 7: \"There's been a ton of press lately re-printing an old quote from an old interview that's now blown up into a full-fledged press rumour that Brian and I have planned Dresden Dolls' shows for 2010. Not true. We aren't planning any shows. Sorry about that, blame the gossip whores.\"In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Years Eve.The Dresden Dolls played a show in Mexico City on 9 December 2011. They had a tour of New Zealand and Australia in early 2012, supported by The Jane Austen Argument and The Bedroom Philosopher.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/27477_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"27482","name":"The Tiger Lillies","bio":"The Tiger Lillies are a three-piece band, formed in 1989 by singer-songwriter Martyn Jacques and based in London. Currently Martyn Jacques, Adrian Stout, Adrian Huge (Past member Phil Butcher)Their surreal style has been described as dark, darkly humorous, strangely humorous, Brechtian, and gypsy cabaret. They are also notorious for singing controversial songs involving bestiality, prostitution and blasphemy.The Tiger Lillies were originally buskers, playing songs about the criminals, pimps and whores of Soho, London, England. Over time, the band became involved in several theatrical productions around the world, including the critically acclaimed Shockheaded Peter. Known for their intense, outlandish, and dark performances, they have garnered both controversy and critical acclaim.Also \"The Tiger Lillies\", \"The Tigerlilies\" and \"The Tigerlillies\" may refer to Indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio that formed in 1989.Bio: Cincinnati's power pop stalwarts the Tigerlillies formed in 1989 and set out to fuse glam rock, roots rock, and post-punk into an aesthetic they called \"More Pop than Jesus.\" Led by vocalist\/guitarist Pat Hennessy, the band also included former members of the Chrome Cranks, the Candy Snatchers, and G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies before settling on the lineup of Hennessy, guitarist\/vocalist William Weber, bassist Brian Driscoll, and drummer\/vocalist Steve Hennessy.Discography:Deep (1992)Space Age Love Songs (1997)Ceci N'est Ces Pop (2003)https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheTigerliliesUSA\/https:\/\/myspace.com\/tigerliliesusa","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/27482_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"10866","name":"Katzenjammer","bio":"There are, at least, three bands named Katzenjammer:1. A folk group from Oslo, Norway2. A British piano musical comedy duo3. The original name of Kyuss1) A folk group from Oslo, Norway. Mixing a variety of musical styles with multi-instrumentalism, the band consists of Anne Marit Bergheim, Solveig Heilo, Marianne Sveen and Turid J\u00f8rgensen. Most of their material is written by their friend Mats Ryb\u00f8; however, the band also contribute songs written by themselves. The band is easily recognizable by their signature custom Balalaika bass with the face of a cat painted on it, echoing the true meaning of the band's name: \"Katzenjammer\" is a German word for \"cat's wail\" (and also a dated term for \"hangover.\")Katzenjammer was formed by the four girls in 2005. They came to prominence NRK's \"Ur\u00f8rt\" project; a platform for up-and-coming bands and artists to showcase their material and win national exposure. They were also contestants on \"Kjempesjansen\", a Norwegian talent show. With their unique sound and exceptional live shows, Katzenjammer slowly but surely gained a reputation as an act to watch. In 2007, they held a concert at Norwegian Wood, a famous Norwegian music festival, as part of their Underwood line-up. The band eventually scored an underground hit with \"A Bar in Amsterdam\" and made it as far as the finals in Ur\u00f8rt's \"Artist of the Year\" awards. Early in 2008, Katzenjammer served as support acts for various other Norwegian bands including Kaizers Orchestra, who had openly supported the band. Throughout their career, they have often been referred to by the media as a female Kaizers Orchestra, as both bands are famous for their eclectic musical style and energetic live shows. They also made several TV appearances. In October of that year, they released their first studio album, Le Pop. The album received many good reviews and the subsequent tour helped build a fanbase. The album was released in international markets with an altered tracklist in 2009.Their second studio album, A Kiss Before You Go, is scheduled for official release on 9 September 2011. In anticipation of the album, the singles \"When the Laughter's Gone\" and \"I Will Dance (When I Walk Away)\" were released earlier that year..2) A British piano musical comedy duo, since summer 2003, comprising two Royal College of Music graduates: Steven Worbey & Kevin Farrell. See: Katzenjammer.biz.3) The original name of Kyuss.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/10866_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"11667","name":"The World\/Inferno Friendship Society","bio":"The World\/Inferno Friendship Society is a cabaret punk band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merges punk, klezmer, and gospel, while its collective membership features horns, piano, guitar, a number of percussionists, as well as a variety of other instruments such as accordion, xylophone and orchestra bells.This musical collective has historically had over 30 members, including former members of Dexys Midnight Runners. Usually one can expect to see about nine or ten members on-stage when they perform. The group is led by singer Jack Terricloth and guitarist Lucky Strano, who have been the most constant members throughout the group's history. Terricloth is known for his pointed commentary during shows: his monologues have touched on politics, his transformation from the \"old school,\" and baiting of bouncers which usually end up with the band buying drinks for the whole staff.Members have also played in Sticks and Stones, Guignol, The Hold Steady, Nanuchka, Kid Casanova, Anti-Social Music, Morning Glory, Planned Collapse, Star Fucking Hipsters, The Dresden Dolls, and have been guests on Mischief Brew, stellastarr*, Public Radio International and Left\u00f6ver Crack recordings, as well as having The Casualties, along with Paul Maroon of Jonathan Fire*Eater on guitar, make a guest appearance on the recording of \"Our Candidate\".Their lyrics often concern historical and\/or biographical subject matter, such as Weimar-era Germany, Peter Lorre, Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, Paul Robeson, Leni Riefenstahl, Dante Alighieri, Jonathan Fire*Eater and other personages deemed to be of historical significance. Other songs deal with the terrifying, exulting, magical, and awful aspects of life that \"make it more than waking up and going to work every day\". One notable composition is a three-song cycle about love and loss in a temporary autonomous zone which appears on the 2002 album Just the Best Party. The lyric pattern and subject matter of the song cycle are similar to The Wild Party.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11667_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"980","name":"Nellie McKay","bio":"Official artist website www.nelliemckay.comNellie McKay is hard to categorize. She\u2019s done Brecht on Broadway, opened for Lou Reed at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, performed on A Prairie Home Companion, duetted with Eartha Kitt and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, played Hilary Swank\u2019s sister on the big screen, paid tribute to Doris Day, and released four wildly acclaimed albums of original music.Her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook-part cabaret, part sparkly pop. But beneath the charming melodic surface is a wit that cuts, and a sharply tuned social conscience.Home Sweet Mobile Home is McKay\u2019s latest and first album of all-original material since 2007\u2032s Obligatory Villagers, and features the musical wanderlust, lyrical playfulness and unique point of view that has characterized her music since her breakthrough debut Get Away From Me. Songs from the new project were recently debuted at her NYC engagement at Feinstein\u2019s, and The New York Post noted that \u201csongs like \u2018Bodega\u2019 and \u2018Caribbean Time\u2019\u2026 feature a blend of whimsical humor and social commentary that blended in beautifully alongside the Doris Day standards from the Blueberry Pie album.\u201dThe new album, produced by McKay and Robin Pappas, was recorded in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, New York, Jamaica, the Pocono Mountains, and even more than her previous albums, combines diverse musical moods and cultures. Reviewing a recent McKay show, Stephen Holden from The New York Times described her as a \u201cvocal chameleon,\u201d and that varied musical palette is used to great effect on the 13 songs of Home Sweet Mobile Home.Nellie began playing her own songs (and lovingly chosen covers) in clubs in downtown New York City in 2003, soon catching the attention of music writers and a number of record labels \u2013 this gal was a gifted entertainer, an impressive musician, with songs unlike anything people were hearing around town.Her first album was produced by Geoff Emerick, the man who had engineered The Beatles\u2019 albums from Revolver through Abbey Road. McKay signed on as co-producer.She and Emerick recorded eighteen songs (including such live McKay favorites as \u201cDavid,\u201d \u201cThe Dog Song\u201d and \u201cI Wanna Get Married,\u201d and that double-CD Get Away From Me was let loose upon the world. The project was greeted with critical raves and placement on many Top 10 lists.The Washington Post wrote, \u201cMcKay\u2019s music evokes the lost elegance of pre-Elvis pop music because she recognizes that such stylishness and wit are worth pursuing. But those goals inevitably collide with the realities of money, sex and politics, and she documents those collisions in her tongue-in-cheek lyrics, emphatic beats and bubbly melodies.\u201dFollowing the splash of Get Away From Me, Nellie recorded Pretty Little Head, of which the Los Angeles Times said, \u201cMcKay comes on as a Harlem Holly Golightly, a social activist with a disarming mastery of pop vernacular.\u201d Spin noted, \u201cthat she succeeds on a record as sophisticated as the self-produced Pretty Little Head is not only a testament to McKay\u2019s talent, it\u2019s also a tribute to her artistic sense.\u201dIn 2007, she recorded Obligatory Villagers, described by Spin as \u201ca brisk nine-song set that plays like the breathless first act of a stage musical decrying American fascism.\u201d Recently, the Chase Brock Experience premiered a ballet,Whoa, Nellie!, based on the entire album.Meanwhile, Broadway and Hollywood beckoned. McKay appeared on Broadway (winning a Theatre World Award for her Polly in a revival of The Threepenny Opera) and on film (acting and singing in P.S. I Love You). She also wrote and performed the song score for the Rob Reiner film Rumor Has It. In addition, her writing has appeared in The Onion, Interview magazine, and The New York Times Book Review, where she delivered an incisive and knowledgeable review of a Doris Day biography.\u201cWhat she possessed,\u201d McKay wrote, \u201cbeyond her beauty, physical grace, and natural acting ability, was a resplendent voice that conveyed enormous warmth and feeling.\u201dIt seemed inevitable that Nellie should record an album of songs associated with Ms. Day, and she was given the opportunity to do so when approached by Verve Records. The result features 12 songs handpicked from over 600 recordings by Ms. Day, with an original by McKay. Hailed as \u201camong the killer overhauls of American standards\u201d (The New York Times), Normal As Blueberry Pie covers the scope of Day\u2019s music from the big bands through the McCarthy era. The album wound up on a variety of Top 10 lists of 2009\u2032s best albums, including The New York Times and The Village Voice.Recently, McKay completed filming her first starring role, opposite violin prodigy Philippe Quint, in the independent film Downtown Express; recorded (along with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks) for the soundtrack of the upcoming Martin Scorsese HBO series Boardwalk Empire; and contributed two songs to the award-winning documentary Gasland. She is currently participating in Dear New Orleans, a benefit album to aid the ravaged city, along with such artists as Jill Sobule, My Morning Jacket, and OK GO.Home Sweet Mobile Home arrives three years after her last self-composed album, and as ever her songs are a study in contrasts: some of the moods are dark (\u201cwe\u2019re marching through the madness \/ with not a soul about to see \/ we\u2019re moving through the fortress \/ chasin\u2019 the ghost of anarchy\u201d and \u201cthere\u2019s no equality here \/ there\u2019s no equality anywhere \/ & every fear you can face \/ is quickly replaced by one you can\u2019t lose\u201d), but there is also joy and gentleness. Sometimes all at once. Her gift is in mingling the pure pleasure of all kinds and all eras of pop music, twisting the dials, writing upbeat melodies with subversive undercurrents.As critic Robert Christgau wrote, Nellie McKay is \u201cebullient, funny and political. Her future looks brave and free to me.\u201d","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/980_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"32361","name":"Gaba Kulka","bio":"Gaba Kulka is a Polish singer, songwriter, and pianist.Her music is progressive pop: a motley mixture of styles, from jazz to piano rock to Weillesque cabaret music. She has written and recorded two albums. She has received a number of awards, including a Polish 'Grammy' (Fryderyk) as vocalist of the year 2009, a Polish Radio 3 Award (Mateusz), a Trans Vocale Award, and a Polityka's 'Passport' nomination. She continues to play live and partake in numerous genre-bending projects ranging from electronica to heavy-metal-covers.Formerly scrobbled as Gabriela Kulka.* Official site* Gaba Kulka music site","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/32361_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"36598","name":"Cinema Strange","bio":"Cinema Strange is a deathrock group based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Their performances also incorporate film, dance, and visual art.The band is infamous in the North American gothic scene for their unique and theatrical stage shows, sometimes involving up to a dozen or more actors and performance artists. Their music, while originating humbly in 1994 as a high-tempo post-punk expression, has evolved into a bizarre and exciting species of musical storytelling, breaking new ground and taking over where bands like the Virgin Prunes left off.After two self-released records and two albums with the German label Trisol, they have left an unidentifiable but very real mark on the world gothic scene.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/36598_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"21122","name":"Marc Almond","bio":"Marc Almond (born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond on 9 July 1957 in Southport, Lancashire, (now in the county of Merseyside, England) is a popular English singer, songwriter and recording artist, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop\/New Wave duo Soft Cell.Marc Almond has had a long and varied career spanning almost 30 years. During this time, after a career with Soft Cell and Marc and the Mambas, he has collaborated with an extremely wide range of artists including Antony and The Johnsons, Jools Holland, Siouxsie Sioux, Nick Cave, P.J. Proby, Nico, Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps, Neal X (on the albums Fantastic Star and Open All Night), Marie France, Agnes Bernelle, Lydia Lunch, Gene Pitney on the #1 UK single \"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart\", Foetus (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell), Jimmy Somerville of The Communards and Bronski Beat, Psychic TV, Coil, Sally Timms of Mekons, King Roc, John Cale and David Johansen of The New York Dolls and German band Rosenstolz.Almond initially shot to fame in the early 1980s as one half of synth duo Soft Cell, whose combination of drama and peep show sleaze set to an electronic beat gave them hits such as \"Tainted Love\" (UK #1), \"Bedsitter\" (UK #3), \"Torch\" (UK #2), \"Say Hello Wave Goodbye\" (UK #3), \"Soul Inside\" (UK # 16), \"What?\" (UK #3) and the club hit \"Memorabilia\". They were first spotted by David Oddie, boss of Wakefield based Ambergris Records in a Bradford club, who passed his enthusiasm onto Dead Good Records in Lincoln, famous for their Hicks From The Sticks compilation, who in turn approached Polygram, the newly formed amalgam of Polydor and Phonogram. Although Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of fourth album, This Last Night In Sodom, the duo reunited in 2001 for live shows and in 2002 released a new album entitled Cruelty Without Beauty, from which the single \"The Night\" (UK #39) was taken.His biggest UK hits as a solo artist have been cover versions; the aforementioned 1989 number one duet with Gene Pitney and another near chart-topper in 1991 with David McWilliams' \"The Days of Pearly Spencer\", which peaked at #4. In 1985, he duetted with Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat on a cover of Donna Summer's \"I Feel Love (Medley)\" and it hit #3. The highest UK positions his self-penned singles have reached so far have been \"Stories of Johnny\" (#23 in 1985), \"Tears Run Rings\" (#28 in 1988) and \"Adored and Explored\" (#25 in 1995).Almond's work runs the gamut from electronica and dance music to French chanson, traditional piano ballads, and Russian romance songs, as exhibited on his 2003 album Heart on Snow. Influences include David Bowie, a childhood hero of his, as well as early 1960s Northern Soul and disco. Other major influences have been Scott Walker from Walker Brothers and Jacques Brel, 12 of whose songs Almond reworked in English for his 1989 album Jacques. Almond's own lyrics are a creative expression of what he sees and are not to be confused with his own life. He also operates a record label, Blue Star Music, on which he has released many of his solo and collaborative records in the UK.Almond currently lives in the Bermondsey area of south east London. In his autobiography he describes previously living in Earl's Court, in a converted church in Fulham and most memorably in Soho's Berwick Street, where he lived in a flat overlooking the Raymond Revuebar.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21122_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"27526","name":"The Real Tuesday Weld","bio":"The Real Tuesday Weld is a British band from London, fronted by lead singer and founder Stephen Coates. They are known for producing jazzy cabaret-style music with subtle electronica influences, a style dubbed \"antique beat\" by Coates.The band is named after American film actress Tuesday Weld. Coates once had a dream involving Weld and 30s vocalist Al Bowlly. Coates and others often cite the dream as inspiration for the band and its particular style.Sites: YouTube","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/27526_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}