THE WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER STAGE SHOW: AN INTRODUCTION
**this mass mailing is also being cross-posted as a blog. i’m not in the habit of doing this, so don’t unsubscribe from either. x afp**
Hola Comrades!
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to the touring party for this coming year.
this show is beyond a rock show: it is a theatrical experience. and hard to explain. just come. and be awed.
we opened in dublin to a sold-out house and a crazy-positive reaction.
i was sort of scared. the show is weird. we’re experimenting. but people Freaked Out.
i got a lot of “this is the best live show i’ve ever seen” from a lot of folks. our hearts sang.
some of my best, best friends are on the road with me; it really is a dream come true. i’ve wanted to do something like this forever.
so, without further ado, introducing…..
(((((((((((((((((drum roll))))))))))))))))))))))))
THE DANGER ENSEMBLE, via brisbane, australia!!!!
in the center, from left to right:
steven mitchell wright, tora hylands, kat cornwell, and mark hill.
(photo by morgan roberts)
how did these guys come into my life?
well:
i originally saw the physical theater company zen zen zo when I was in adelaide, australia, in 2000 – before the dresden dolls were born.
i had flown myself over there to try to make money as a street performer (back when i was a living statue) at the adelaide fringe festival.
so one day i was performing in rundle mall, making NO money, and i caught sight of this inSANE accordion player on the next corner.
he was playing a song about music that tears itself apart.
i sat (in full white-face, i’d just finished working), and watched him, and when he was finished i introduced myself.
that insane man’s name was jason webley. we made instant friends.
that day, he had found a piece of paper amongst the dollars in his hat that said: “if you want to see theater that tears itself apart, come see our show tonight -zen zen zo”.
so, that night, we went. and i saw theater that turned my insides out.
my mind was stretched and my heart was blown. and i emailed that theater company five years later, when the dolls were about to tour australia for the first time, to ask them if they would DO something at our show in brisbane.
they did. and it was amazing. so, on the spot, i invited them to the roundhouse show in london (you can see them performing on the DVD).
one of the company members of zen zen zo was the associate director steven mitchell wright, and steven was ready to tour the world.
so he left zen zen zo, started the danger ensemble, and brought three more performers with him to meet me in edinburgh (last summer, for the fringe).
once there, we started to piece together the moments of what would end up becoming the WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER stage show.
(we developed things further when we toured this past winter in australia….and steven also directed the stage show at the boston pops).
in short:
steven and the ensemble and i have been working together towards fulfilling our common fantasy of merging rock shows with theater.
and it’s working. and it’s AMAZING. i’m in heaven.
WHAT they do is hard to describe, but i’ve been describing it to journalists as “not unlike a live surround sound music video on acid”.
here’s a photo of us (tora and kat weren’t with us…..that’s katie and peta from the last leg of tour) last winter behind the spiegeltent in melbourne (special guest to my left, krin haglund…!):
(photo by kisha bari)
you may notice that, to the far right, there is a very attractive and skinny man with a funny-looking instrument.
THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is lyndon, who will also be touring with us this year.
i present to you…..(((((((((((((((((((((drum roll)))))))))))))))))))))))))))
violinist lyndon chester from brsibane, australia!!!!!!
(photo by kisha bari)
ouch. we don’t know why he does that with his thumbs. but he plays a SICK violin and he will be joining us on stage to make wonderful sounds, along with this fine lady…
(((((((((((((((((((drum roll)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
miss zoë keating, of san francisco, CA!!!!!!!!!
(photo by jane woodman)
this woman RIPS it up on cello. RIPS it. SLAYS it. KILLS it.
she’ll also be playing her own (incredible) compositions at the start of the night. so, as usual, COME ON TIME.
her new album, “One Cello x 16”, was the top classical iTunes record last week. she’s serious as shit, folks.
here’s a zoë & me shot, from a few months ago….
also joining us on stage, and opening up with his usual crowd-pleasing fury, is, yes………
(((((((((!!!!!!!!!!!!))))))))))))))
Mr. Jason Webley HIMSELF, shown in this photograph with several humans of the female persuasion on the set of the “shores of california” video:
(photo by pixie)
he plays accordion, guitar, and i’ve never seen him not whip an audience into an ecstatic frenzy.
SO. that’s it for us on-stage types. and now, to the crew.
we all must sell merchandise to stay alive and to make sure you have exciting clothes for the coming winter.
to aid us in this department, is our trusty merch girl,
miss laura keating, of chaffee, NY!!!!!!!!!!!
if the last name sounds familiar from earlier, it is….she’s zoë’s sister.
here she is, wearing our exciting post-war trade skirt, with sister zoë.
in the lighting department, the infamous jeff maker, AKA
jeffmaker.com!!!!!!!!!!!
is helming the board. he illuminates us with his mind-bending techniques. he makes us all look big and beautiful.
notorious for his bad-ass dance moves and fondness for redbull and vodka, jeff has been with me for over three years and is a high-class human being….
yay jeff.
in the audio department, i will be joined by my favorite soundman: mr. dave “psycho” hughes. he’s been touring with me for even longer than jeff, and is the world’s best enabler. and soundman. dave also tour managed my summer tour, so we’ve been spending a lot of time bonding in airports
i love me some psycho. here’s psycho with me & the gorgeous dancers from the boston pops. he’s very happy.
and last but not least, here’s a little picturorial and story about truly, ms. AFP.
i had a little accident on sunday.
i was crossing the street in belfast and forgot about that whole cars-driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-street thing that they do.
a car ran over my foot. it was scary. it hurt. a lot. the driver was a 20-year old irish girl. her mum was with her. they were wonderful, they took me to the hospital.
tora stayed with me and squeezed my hand. for that, i love her.
thank you tora. here’s tora with her “worried” face:
contrary to the weird UK tabloid newses, i was NOT on my iPhone at the time of the accident. fucking.
i was walking with tora on the way to get breakfast, and my iPhone was in my pocket.
i might text and walk, but i NEVER text and cross, hear that kids? and i NEVER, EVER would text and cross in the company of a hot australian chick.
ever.
one broken big toe.
three broken metatarsals.
one big-ass plaster cast.
two packages of codeine (!)
two crutches.
four weeks.
(photo by tora, on my “evil” iphone)
(one little side note: thank god for universal health coverage in northern ireland. in and out, no questions asked. FREE.
CAN WE PLEASE, PLEASE, for the love of GOD, GET OUR SHIT TOGETHER IN THE STATES? political tirade over…please make sure you vote on november 4th.)
i still played the gig that night in belfast (after doing an awesome all-ages convergence in front of city hall….i basically went there straight from the hospital in a state of delirium).
we stripped it down and i played in my jeans. the danger ensemble took the night off and drank guinesses.
it was druggy, but amazing…..and the crutches “fit the palette” of our stage-color scheme….
(photo by ohjustgonameless on the shadowbox)
and THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER touring party. this circus-family combination of mad-love wonderfulness may never happen again. buy tickets now.
we’re hoping to keep the show as unchanged as possible given my gimpy state, but it might be hard to pull off a few of the numbers….
like this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad9c4bMD3lM&fmt=18
…but we’ll do our best. we’re thinking about getting me a litter and an antique wheelchair. anyone in europe care to donate?
speaking of which….
there’s a lot of ways we can ACTUALLY USE YOUR HELP on tour.
times are tough, money is tight, europe is cold, and we’re trying very hard to make sure we are doing everything we can do to stay sane, connected and human on the road.
with that in mind:
THE BRIGADE (STATES AND EUROPE):
We still need funerary volunteer performing superstars for the both tours (US and europe).
If you want to be involved in anyway in any of the cities we are hitting, email steven@amandapalmer.net – hit him up with your ideas and let’s collaborate. in addition to usual brigade performers, the danger ensemble needs back-stage/onstage help with a few things.
don’t want to give anything away, so just email us if you’re a theater-type and we’ll get you more info. please format your email subject to him like this: BRIGADE: CITY so that he can sort accordingly.
THE GAS, FOOD AND LODGING dept:
GAS: well, you probably can’t help us with gas. it’s expensive, the world is ending, etc.
next topic:
FOOD: you CAN help us with THIS.
we have had lots of generous offers in the past for people to cook/buy/bring food to the shows and we’re ready to take you up on it in a more organized fashion.
nathan in dublin brought us DIVINE lasagna (and a veggie one, too, the saint). THANK YOU, nathan. we love you.
if you work in a restaurant or cafe, or if you want to cook up dinner for twelve starving people, get in touch with steven. the way this works: you bring food for us, we’ll keep it backstage, we’ll all perform, then we’ll eat (with you, of course) after the show. obviously we’ll hook you up with tickets and merch if you do this. and cover you with love, and probably give you some beer, and toast to the health of you and your progeny.
veggie options a huge plus, but most of the crew are carnivorous.
jason and i are both pescetarians (aka vegaquarians, aka fish-eating) kat from the danger ensemble will be your point person, but steven will be fielding the emails.
send to steven@amandapalmer.net and format your email like this:
FOOD: CITY. he’ll pass it along to kat.
LODGING (only EUROPE for now):
a.k.a. HOT PEOPLE WILL SLEEP WITH YOU (or at least…in your house)!
Jason, Lyndon and The Danger Ensemble (Steven, Tora, Kat and Mark) and MySelf are looking for places to crash in select cities.
we hate staying in soulless hotels – so if you’ve got space to house us….comfy couches, beds, spare loft apartments, your family’s vineyard villa…let us know – we would love to kick it with real people.
Ideally, you’ll have wifi, heat and a good kettle for tea and or coffee. We love to cook and will cook for you if possible.
We can hook you up with tickets for our show in your city, merchandise with which to decorate your life with … and we will kiss you all over.
These are the cities and dates where we’re looking for crash space:
London – 9th Oct.
Heidelberg – 14th Oct.
Worgl – 18th Oct.
Paris – 22nd Oct.
let us know. we will be very grateful.
please email, yes….steven. god bless steven, at steven@amandapalmer.net and he’ll get back to you with joy and ecstasy!
format like this: LODGING: CITY.
when we know where we’re stopping for rest in the states, we’ll send out smoke signals.
AMANDA w/ THE DANGER ENSEMBLE – TOUR DATES & APPEARANCES
Sep 30 2008 / Cabaret Voltaire Edinburgh, Scotland
Oct 2 2008 / King Tuts Wah Wah Hut / Glasgow, Scotland
Oct 4 2008 / Concorde 2 Brighton, South
Oct 6 2008 / Club Academy Manchester, Northwest
Oct 7 2008 / Thekla Bristol, Southwest
Oct 8 2008 / Academy 2 Sheffield, Midlands
Oct 10 2008 / Koko London, London and South East
Oct 12 2008 / Knaack Klub Berlin, Berlin
Oct 13 2008 / Star Club Dresden, Sachsen
Oct 14 2008 / Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg
Oct 16 2008 / Abart Zurich, Zurich
Oct 17 2008 / Music Drome (fka Transilvania) Milan, Milano
Oct 18 2008 / Komma Worgl, Tirol
Oct 20 2008 / Szene Vienna Vienna, Wien
Oct 21 2008 / 59:1 Munich, Bayern
Oct 23 2008 / La Boule Noire Paris, Ile-de-France
Oct 24 2008 / Handelsbeurs Ghent, East Flanders
Oct 26 2008 / Melkweg Amsterdam, Noord-Holland
Oct 27 2008 / Helling Utrecht, Utrecht
Oct 29 2008 / 13 Tilburg, Noord-Brabant
NEW N. AMERICA SHOWS w/ THE DANGER ENSEMBLE – HOT OFF THE PRESSES!
Nov 12 2008 / Mercy Lounge / Nashville, TN
Nov 14 2008 / The Orange Peel / Asheville, NC
Nov 15 2008 / Lincoln Theatre / Raleigh, NC
Nov 16 2008 / Variety Playhouse / Atlanta, GA
Nov 18 2008 / 9:30 Club / Washington, DC (EARLY SHOW)
Nov 19 2008 / New Haven, CT / Toad’s Place
Nov 21 2008 / Webster Hall / New York, NY
Nov 22 2008 / Theatre Of Living Arts / Philadelphia, PA
Nov 24 2008 / Paradise Rock Club / Boston, MA (NIGHT 1 of 2)
Nov 25 2008 / Paradise Rock Club / Boston, MA (NIGHT 2 of 2)
Nov 29 2008 / Mr. Small’s Theatre / Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 30 2008 / Mod Club Theatre / Toronto, ONT
Dec 2 2008 / Magic Bag / Detroit, MI
Dec 3 2008 / Cabaret Metro / Chicago, IL
Dec 5 2008 / First Ave Nightclub / Minneapolis, MN
Dec 6 2008 / Bluebird Theatre / Denver, CO
Dec 8 2008 / Murray Theatre / Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 10 2008 / VENUE TBA / Vancouver, BC
Dec 11 2008 / Showbox Theatre / Seattle, WA
Dec 12 2008 / Wonder Ballroom / Portland, OR
Dec 13 2008 / Harlow’s / Sacramento, CA
Dec 15 2008 / Bimbo’s 365 Club / San Francisco, CA
Dec 16 2008 / Henry Fonda Theatre / Los Angeles, CA
be sure to check out one of the brand new AFP websites — amandapalmer.net/tour.html to be exact — for additional info on tickets, opening acts, directions, and more. New shows will be coming your way all year long, so please stay tuned…
please help us spread the word about these shows. forward this email.
some of the cities are sold out, but not all by a long shot.
and of course, dress for the occasion.
see you out there, my friends. i am living the dream.
love, ACFP
(Amanda Crippled Fucking Palmer)
P.S. STREET TEAM HELP NEEDED!! We are looking for creative and performative types to get down and dirty in your local cities to help us promote the upcoming tour, so if you live in or near any of the cities listed above (ESPECIALLY NORTH AMERICAN CITIES) and want help out in a unique, performative way, this is it! As official street team members, we will supply you with downloads to print flyers/handbills and possibly even mail you a box of stuff to help promote the upcoming shows. Also, as a sign of our appreciation, everyone who participates and works with us on this will receive a free ticket to a show of their choice. “What do we need to do?” you ask…We want YOU to be living statues – we need teams of 2 or 3 to get together and become street installations. You’ll be posing as our dearly departed Amanda Palmer (may she rest in peace) and her umbrella garnished mourners outside of music venues just as like minded artists’ shows are finishing inside. You’ll give out flyers to the brave and simple make our world more beautiful for the meek. We will give you information on which shows to target at what time and also be wide open to your ideas.
What to wear? Think funeral – classy, stylish and demure.
The Amanda should definitely wear a dress with some classy stockings and shoes – her face should be mostly obscured (perhaps with hair, hat, scarf.. ) and perhaps there should be a hint of blood somewhere (don’t go over the top – it’s ART, not a schlock horror movie.) Her mourners should be similarly stylish but reserved – perhaps there is an anachronistic or antique quality to them… one of them is definitely holding an umbrella or parasol and neither of them are wearing stripey socks (they died when Amanda did).
There should be writing on the ground ‘WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER’ and the date of the show and name of the venue.
Everything else is all up to your creativity and ideas – flowers, a gospel choir, a string quartet, a snow machine… anything – just keep it stylish and legal!
How? Email me steven@amandapalmer.net with the subject line: STREET TEAM : and the name of the city you want to get your art on in. Give me as many details and ideas you have – pictures are great too — and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
