Brian Viglione

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Brian Viglione

Background information
Birth name Brian Viglione
Born May 16, 1979 (1979-05-16) (age 29)
Origin Greenville, New Hampshire, United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock, punk cabaret, heavy metal, dark cabaret
Occupation(s) Performer, Musician
Instrument(s) Drums, percussion, bass guitar, guitar, vocals
Associated acts The Dresden Dolls
Nine Inch Nails
HUMANWINE
The Gil Aharon Trio
Jesse Malin
Faun Fables
Franz Nicolay & Major General
Reverend Glasseye / The Insect Fable
Steve Smith

Brian Viglione (born May 16, 1979) is the drummer for the Brechtian punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls.[1] Viglione was born and grew up in Greenville, New Hampshire.

Contents

[edit] Career

Brian Viglione was introduced to the drums by his father on Christmas Day at age five with his interest quickly deepening at age nine when rock music became a primary focus and passion. A pivotal moment occurred in 1990 when Brian’s father brought him to see The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine and Brian witnessed his first up-close exposure to the drummer who would become his principal inspiration on the instrument. At sixteen years old, Brian began playing gigs in clubs with bands around New England before moving from New Hampshire to Boston in 1999. There, he played with several Boston punk bands on both drums and bass guitar.

In January 1996, Viglione joined his first band, Green Eggs and Ham. They performed around southern New Hampshire for two years before breaking up.

[edit] The Dresden Dolls

At a halloween party in October 2000, Brian first met Amanda Palmer, and together they formed The Dresden Dolls. They are a Boston based keyboard/drum duo, now famous around the globe.

In addition to playing drums, Viglione also plays guitar on several Dresden Dolls songs including the first single, "Sing", from their 2006 album Yes, Virginia and sings back-up vocals, most notably on their version of "Pierre" from the The Dresden Dolls: Live in Paradise DVD. His range allows him to cover backing vocals on stage for songs such as "Delilah".

After signing with Roadrunner Records in early 2004, the duo re-released their self-titled debut The Dresden Dolls to worldwide acclaim and recently made their Billboard chart debut with the equally applauded follow-up Yes, Virginia.... In addition, the duo’s live audiences continue to grow exponentially around the planet as The Dresden Dolls have completed sold-out tours on four continents, supported Nine Inch Nails, and performed at prestigious world festivals including Reading, Bonnaroo, Leeds, Coachella, Fuji Rock, Roskilde, Glastonbury, and Download. Locally they have won numerous awards ranging from multiple Boston Music Awards to topping the Boston Phoenix/FNX Best Music Poll.

As half of The Dresden Dolls, Viglione starred and played drums and guitar in the American Repertory Theatre’s production of The Onion Cellar, in Cambridge, Massachusetts which ran from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007.[2][3]

In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, he toured with the True Colors Tour 2007[4], including his debut at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall,[5] and his first review in the New York Times.[5]

[edit] Solo career

Brian played drums on Fighting Naked, the debut album from his childhood friend Holly Brewer's band, HUMANWINE released through Warner Music Group's Cordless Recordings. Through March and April of 2007 he went on a US national tour to support this release.

Brian also gives drum lessons and collaborates with many other Boston musicians including the Gill Aharon Trio, Neovoxer Ensemble and Reverend Glasseye. More recently, he performed drums for the new Nine Inch Nails album Ghosts I-IV. He has also worked with Helicopter Helicopter, Star* Matters, the Nanette Perrotte Jazz Combo, Franz Nicolay and Jesse Malin.

[edit] Personal life

Brian is an active supporter of the LGBT community, and has been a crossdresser since he was twelve. [6][7]

[edit] Discography

[edit] As part of 'The Dresden Dolls'

[edit] Collaborations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Band Tries to Make It Big Without Going Broke". interview by Chris Arnold. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. 2007-01-17. The web page has audio and a transcript of the interview, and links to several of their songs.
  2. ^ THE ONION CELLAR. Web site of the American Repertory Theatre. American Repertory Theatre. Retrieved on 3 Dec 2007. “Inside the small confines of the mysterious club The Onion Cellar, the internationally renowned rock duo The Dresden Dolls provides nightly entertainment while a series of stories unfold around them. As singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione play their songs, the Onion Cellar becomes a space where rock and roll meets cabaret with humor and humanity.” World Premiere.
  3. ^ On The Download editors; photo by Kelly Davidson (2005-04-20). Dresden Dolls take the ART. On The Download. The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Retrieved on 21 Aug 2006. “The Dresden Dolls are taking the world by storm. This punk cabaret duo from Boston are incredible musicians whose smart, personal, intricate songs and mesmerizing live performance have earned them a cult following. Now don’t tell anyone, but there’s a rumor that the Dolls may be appearing at a bizarre underground club somewhere in Cambridge – an Onion Cellar, where the audience peel onions for emotional release, where you never quite know who’s sitting next to you, where your life could change forever.”
  4. ^ True Colors Tour web site
  5. ^ a b Chinen, Nate; photos by Hiroyuki Ito. "Power to the People (and Some Pop Too)", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, June 20, 2007, pp. B1,B5. 
  6. ^ [biography|Viglione, Brian]. Voices: Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls. Matthew's Place. The Matthew Shephard Foundation. Retrieved on 1 Dec 2007. “I have always felt a strong support for the LGBT community, ... As I grew up and began to explore my own sexuality and discovered that I loved to wear women's clothing as a way to express my sexuality, ...”
  7. ^ Interview: Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer. 247Gay.com. GayWired.com (17 July 2006). Retrieved on 07 Dec 2007. “I think Brian found out he was an actual textbook cross-dresser when he was like twelve. And I've never met a more completely straight guy who is so passionate about cross-dressing than Brian. He does it occasionally on stage. He has a whole collection of clothes that he calls his Brian Boitano Collection. He's really into gaudy, sequined dresses and tops. You should check out the gallery on our site. There are some great shots of Brian in drag.”

[edit] External links

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