Amanda Palmer has teamed up with friends, including The Dresden Dolls bandmate and acclaimed drummer Brian Viglione, to release a collaborative album for charity — Forty-Five Degrees – A Bushfire Charity Flash Record. The album includes contributions from Jherek Bischoff (who was a member of Palmer’s Grand Theft Orchestra), Clare Bowditch, Fred Leone, Missy Higgins, and Montaigne.
Funded by Palmer’s supporters on her Patreon, all profits are going to an Indigenous Australian-led organization called Firesticks Alliance in response to Australia’s 2019-2020 bushfire season.
In a public post on her Patreon, Palmer says, “all the artists involved are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done – my phone is covered in texts dripping with excitement. i kinda cannot believe we pulled off a record that sounds THIS powerful THIS fast. i just got off the phone with a journalist who was like: ‘holy shit, this record is actually really amazing.’ and i was like: YEAH IT IS. do not underestimate the power of fast art.”
THE DRESDEN DOLLS RIDE AGAIN!!!!!!!! …the look on his face when he nails that last piano hit. GOD DAMMIT I LOVE Brian Viglione – this is him tracking the drums for “beds are burning”, with missy higgins on vocals with me, and jherek bischoff on bass and guitar. this song dropped yesterday as the first taste of “forty-five degrees”, our bushfire charity flash record. the whole thing comes out tomorrow – guests include brian on a ton of songs, jherek bischoff on bass and guitar, montaigne and clare bowditch singing duets with me, and fred leone on didgeridoo. the song selection is off the hook. we worked really hard on this, it’s a truly powerful record. i hope you listen and i hope you love. patrons, heads up it’ll be emailed – and all your $ is going to firesticks alliance network. non-patrons, just watch this space for links tomorrow, it’ll be available everywhere music streams. all the sales head to bushfire charity. ♥️🔥♥️ i’m on my way to sydney today for tomorrow’s show at the enmore!! SEE YOU SOON SYDNEY. also, MELBOURNE, tix for me and @neilhimself’s charity gig march 8th at the forum are almost gone!!! all the album (and melbourne show info) is HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34048106 …. video taken in jaron luksa’s studio in LA, the rattle room, where brian tracked. thanks jaron. 🙏🏼🔥
Posted by Amanda Palmer on Tuesday, February 18, 2020
The album is available to purchase on Bandcamp for minimum of $5 — pay as much as you want.
While Palmer has toured in Australia for three months in support of There Will Be No Intermission, she recorded the album in Melbourne. There, Palmer and her husband, author Neil Gaiman, will be hosting a bushfire benefit on March 8. Tickets to “Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer Present a Bushfire Recovery Event”, including 18+ VIP Meet & Greets, are available through Ticketmaster and will certainly sell out.
Artwork by Sarah Beetson