Post-War Trade is the Democratic Future of Merchandising. Brought to you by The Dresden Dolls.
Post-War Trade is a unique merchandising concept using the talent of fans and artists the world over. From toothbrushes to pillowcases, coats to ukeleles, Post-War Trade is the modern answer to band merchandising. Every item is designed and handmade by a talented artist, who shares in the profits from their sale. This creative model supports the designers and creators that help make Punk Cabaret a reality and insures that The Dresden Dolls can offer merch as unique as their music.
Best known for her role as front woman, songwriter, and keyboardist for the Boston based Punk Cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer has been branching upward and outward in recent months. 2007 has found Amanda not only collaborating with world-renowned musicians but also returning to her first passion, theater.
After finishing multiple world tours in support of The Dresden Dolls’ critically acclaimed second album, Yes, Virginia, Ms. Palmer began work on an original piece of theatre for The American Repertory Theater entitled, The Onion Cellar. The play, based on Gunter Grass’s The Tin Drum, featured several songs performed by The Dresden Dolls, sold out the 40-show run and closed to rave reviews.
Most recently Palmer has been working diligently on a solo LP, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. The recording process is taking place in fellow pianist and songwriter Ben Folds’ Nashville studio, with Folds producing as well as contributing on percussion and keys. Palmer also recently lent vocals to …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s newest release So Divided. This spring, Palmer has been tapped by The Boston Pops to showcase her solo material performing with the orchestra at Boston’s legendary Symphony Hall.
The Dresden Dolls are a Boston based keyboard/drum duo now famous around the globe. After signing with Roadrunner Records in early 2004, the band 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 band’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, Leeds, Coachella, Fuji Rock, Roskilde and Glastonbury.
Katie Kay has a dance background starting with ballet at the age of three. In high school the local music scene became her focus, but dance was never too far out of sight. She attended college in San Francisco and upon completion of her degree in fashion returned to her native Ventura County, California and began taking classes in tribal bellydance. Within two years it became an obsession, she began performing with Sundara Varna Bellydance Fusion and soon thereafter had found a career.
In late 2004, Katie left her first troupe and formed Danger Sassy Pants, alongside dancer Monica Fernandez. In 2005, with her dedicated students, she began The Sisterhood Dance Collective, a group of woman dedicated to the art of bellydance in a supportive and non-competitive environment. The idea spawned a troupe that performed festivals with as many as 23 dancers on stage. There are currently 3 chapters active in the area.
Katie toured much of 2006 with the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque, performing 60+ shows with Panic! at the Disco in 3 countries with shows in the U.S, Canada, the U.K. and Lollapalooza. Using her bellydance training along with character work and a lifetime of dance training, she most recently formed The Ladybird Cabaret with Erin Maxick. The duo toured with Boston’s Dresden Dolls in the U.S and UK in October 2006. DVD’s of both collaborations are in the works.
Outside of performance, Katie enjoys record collecting, vegan food, yoga and costuming. She also has a clothing line, “Laughter of the Dead” and teaches at workshops throughout the US.
Beth Hommel is a photographer, art-maker, writer, fighter, lover, blogger, wanderer, and impulsive optimist. she is a non-native new yorker who made her living as an administrator and special events planner in the non-profit world until she decided to run away and join the circus. she regrets nothing about her choice, as it has allowed her to make out with hot chicks, get lots of tattoos and stop hating her life. once described as “totally punk rock” by the legendary michael pope, beth approaches all situations with the attitude that she will either find a way or make one.
www.myspace.com/bethofalltrades
SuperKate has been surrounded and involved with music and theatre her entire life. After falling in love with stage management in college, she moved to Chicago and worked as a stage manager at world-renown theatres, Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and Chicago Shakespeare. She was very fortunate to work with many amazing people and tour a premiere opera to New York and London.
After a life-changing trip to Kentucky in the fall of 2001, SuperKate decided to pack up and move to Lexington and immerse herself in the study of tribal bellydance. Teresa Tomb, Julie Lively, and the beautiful ladies of Rakadu Gypsy Dance inspired her to make this art form a prominent part of her life.
SuperKate moved to Los Angeles in 2004 despite her aversion to the weather in Southern California. She’s worked for MTV, Titmouse Inc., and ShadowMachine, holding a variety of job titles. Currently she’s the recording engineer for several shows on Cartoon Network, including Robot Chicken and Metalocalypse.
The love of theatre, dance, and music pushes SuperKate to higher levels of creativity. She teaches tribal bellydance classes and private lessons around the Los Angeles area. She hopes others will be inspired by her passion to find their own voice and energy to give back to the world.
Keep an eye out for upcoming artistic collaborations and performances from SuperKate.
Leslie grew up in the dusty, desert town of Tucson, AZ where her parents, sister, and niece still reside. She has lived and worked in Los Angeles for the last four and a half years and is proud to call L.A. her second home.
She is a writer, artist, and soon-to-be filmmaker. She is in the process of finishing her first short film, which she wrote and directed without any formal training. She will be submitting it to indie film festivals in the year 2008. She has dreamt of working in the music and film business for as long as she can remember and continues to be astonished as she witnesses her dreams unfolding before her every day, one by one.
Leslie would like to thank her incredibly large support system made up of her loving family and countless extraordinary friends. She would have given up long ago if not for you.
post-war trade… it’s finally here. we hope you like the functional,
hand-crafted ART that’s for sale on our site. we have limited
quantities of some items but if y’all buy us out, we will have our
fabulous artists make more. new items are on their way too (including
the infamous text me t-shirt).
the democratic future of merchandising has no blueprint, so we welcome
your feedback at :katiekay@postwartrade.com
love,
A
