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| Understanding
the Element of a Band |
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Brilliant drudgery gives way
to uber-dynamism
Artistic License
By Michael Tern
|  Today
as I arrive in Eureka I am understanding the meaning
of what is now called “Element of a Band.”
Sitting here at the office with an idea about band I
am profiling for the upcoming issue, and the idea is
limitless.
This morning I awoke to some brilliant ear drudgery
come into the wind. It was the one and only Dirty Rotten
Imbeciles. Ah I had lots to look forward as drove down
the street. Oh, I remember this song. This shit is dope.
Memories of skateboards I broke. Infinite kick-flips
with “shut up” in my mind. Those where the
days filled with Tommy Guerrero posters of Japans over
ten stairs. “Iccch” Inspiration for guitar
licks inspired by skateboarding. Precariously, I listened,
and continued to listen…
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Fortunately, this is about a band that I was introduced to
when I arrived at the office today. Well, not really because
it was decided to be put on the back burner. I decided to
go with a Myspace I found a few months ago called the Dresden
Dolls. Combine the smoky cellars of a Weimar-era cabaret with
the rock n' roll fury of Joan Jett, PJ Harvey and The Violent
Femmes and you have a remote idea of what to expect when experiencing
The Dresden Dolls.
Ever since taking up arms in mid-2000, the uber-dynamic duo
of Amanda Palmer (vocals/piano/vox) and Brian Viglione (drums)
has been selling out clubs in Boston, New York and beyond.
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 recent release of their debut album, 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 Beck, the B-52s and Jane's Addiction,
a tour with the Legendary Pink Dots, a victory in the 2003
WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble and a quickly growing army of devoted
fans from ages 5 to 85.
Ever looking forward, The Dresden Dolls are preparing to
record new material with acclaimed local producers Sean Slade
and Paul Kolderie (Radiohead). I completely recommend going
and checking them out. I have tried numerous time to get contact
with them. Hopefully, this will pay off and more people will
listen to them. The song “Anarchism girl” is high
energy anthem to today pursuit of total disembodiment. When
I first saw this band on their video, I was taking away with
the awesome skills.
The Dresden Dolls will be playing back-to-back shows at the
Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco on New Year’s
weekend, which follows a show at the Henry Fonda Theatre in
L.A. on the 29th. A perfect way to get away from your family
if you’re down there for the holidays.
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Vol.
I No. 7
Friday,
December 16, 2005
From all corners of the
county:
NewStory
Election Officials Defend
Security Measures
Clerk/Recorder will run for re-election to redefined post
Activists Confront Gallegos
Over Police Brutality Complaints
Bike-riding protestor charged with felony assault on police officer
Pulp Mill Pollution Resolution
Put Off
Activists decry use of private negotiations
in public process
County Gives Symbolic Backing
to Marriage Equality
Supervisor John Woolley to take over as Chair in 2006
Mayor Machi Retains Post
Councilmembers Meserve and Groves blasted
by public
Eureka Delays Waterfront
Choice Eco-hostel fans outnumbered Hampton supporters
four to one
Arcata Considers Homeless
Court Participation
Council looks to disentangle City from Mainstreet's failed B.I.D.
Board Approves Slate
of Headwaters Fund Grants
Local lobbying targets for reps in Sacramento and D.C. set
Court Land:
Quarter Mike
Flipped Over Bike Charges
Political theorists' attempt to transfer to Homeless Court denied
In the Know
What's the Buzz?:
On this Road, All that Glitters
Is Not Gold
The Prophecy of Has Beans and accidental joy at Kelly O’Brien’s
Film in Focus:
A Haunting Capote
Philip Seymor Hoffman finds triumph in stillness
Artistic License:
Understanding the Element
of a Band
Brilliant drudgery gives way to uber-dynamism
DV Indeed:
Have a Merry, Swashbuckling Christmas
South Pacific, Caribbean or a World
Tour with Peter Gabriel?
Film in Focus:
The Brooding Man in Black
Phoenix gives eerily accurate portrayal of Cash
Opinion
Editorials:
Democracy Unhinged
Fatally flawed ballot measure indicative of group out of touch with
their own values
Also...
Gotterdammerung for Bush
Thompson's Pro-Occupation
Shuffle
Getting Graphic:
Cheney Seen and Unseen
Comics skewer Veep
Guest Opinion:
Choking the Internet
How much longer will your favorite sites be online?
Letters to the Editor:
How Mainstream Can You Be?
Vagabond Journalist:
Rollin Richmond's Supreme
Hubris
Since when does HSU play a role in who serves as Mayor of Arcata?
Guest Opinion:
An Empire Without Virtue
The defenders of torture
Media Review:
The Low Power FM Fiasco
National Public Radio's scare campaign against community controlled
radio
Perspective on Globalization:
Uncharted Territory
Want to get out of Iraq?
Stop suburban sprawl!
Brick Burner:
Federal Food
Politics
Organic inconsistencies
Calendar: 12/16-12/22
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