Brian Viglione

Brian Viglione (born May 16, 1979, in Greenville, New Hampshire) is an American drummer best known for his work with The Dresden Dolls and Violent Femmes.

For a short time, he was also a member of New York City's cabaret punk orchestra The World/Inferno Friendship Society.

Known for his energetic and expressive drumming style, Viglione has often aligned himself with groups who incorporate eclectic musical styles and theatrical elements.

A multi-instrumentalist, he plays guitar, bass, percussion, and sings in several of his collaborations, and has produced records.

A pivotal moment occurred in 1990 when his father brought him to see The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine and he witnessed his first up-close exposure to the drummer who would become his principal inspiration on the instrument.

At 16 years old, he 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.

At a Halloween party in October 2000, Viglione first met Amanda Palmer, and together they formed The Dresden Dolls after their first time playing together.

They are a Boston-based keyboard/drum duo.

After signing with Roadrunner Records in early 2004, the duo re-released their self-titled debut The Dresden Dolls to worldwide acclaim and made their Billboard chart debut with the equally applauded follow-up Yes, Virginia....

In addition, the duo's live audiences continued to grow around the planet as The Dresden Dolls 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 won numerous awards ranging from multiple Boston Music Awards to topping the Boston Phoenix/FNX Best Music Poll.

In addition to playing drums, Viglione also plays guitar and bass 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 Dresden Dolls: Live in Paradise DVD.

In 2006, the band recorded their second live DVD chronicling their two sold-out shows at The Roundhouse in London.

The concert DVD captures the band with their fan base, many of whom traveled from all over the US, Australia, and Europe to attend in concert at the peak of the band's most active period.

In June 2007 they toured with the True Colors Tour, including his debut at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall, and his first review in The New York Times.

In January 2007, Viglione co-starred in the American Repertory Theater's production of The Onion Cellar, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The show was co-written by The Dresden Dolls, cast, and director, Marcus Stern, loosely based on a chapter from Günter Grass's book The Tin Drum.

The band's music was often used in unconventional ways to depict the drama and humor in a call and response with the actors on stage, and Viglione was given a featured drum solo following one actor's moving scene recalling childhood abuse.

The entire 40-show run sold out and the production garnered rave reviews.

From May 2008 to October 2009, Viglione was the drummer for Brooklyn's punk orchestra World/Inferno Friendship Society, touring 16 countries and recording a new studio album with The Dresden Dolls' production team of Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie, Adam Taylor, and Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, Massachusetts.

He also performed in the band's theatrical production, Addicted To Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre's 20th Century, in the US, Canada, Netherlands, and Finland.

Viglione recorded his parts for 12 of the 14 tracks (drums, bass & guitar) in December 2008 and January 2009, at B.C. Studio, owned by Martin Bisi, where the first Dresden Dolls album was recorded.

He also co-produced the album.

Viglione performed multiple instruments and helped shape the arrangements and sonic direction of the album.

Viglione's final performance with the group was a sold-out performance at The Grand Ball Room, NYC, for the annual HALLOWMAS 2009 gala, where amidst a sea of balloons and video projections, hundreds of fans rushed the stage during the encore.

During this period, Viglione also was heavily involved with various side projects and albums, including Black Tape for a Blue Girl's album 10 Neurotics.

The Dresden Dolls reunited for a tour in the United States in 2010, starting on Halloween in New York City and ending in San Francisco on New Year's Eve.

They performed two shows in 2011, in Australia and Mexico, and seven shows, in Australia and New Zealand, in 2012.

On July 15, 2013, it was announced that Brian joined Violent Femmes as their new drummer.

They released the EP Happy New Year for Record Store Day on April 18, 2015.

It was the first recording of original songs by the band in 15 years.

The EP was released on 12-inch, 180-gram, champagne-colored vinyl, and later made available for digital download on June 2, 2015.

Viglione went on to record the album We Can Do Anything with Violent Femmes before leaving the band in December 2015.

In addition to his various recording and touring work, he gives drumming workshops to help participants develop personal creativity on the instrument and has lectured at Harvard University, RISD, The Boston Day and Evening Academy, and other schools around the northeastern US.

They performed shows in Kingston, New York, Boston, and Brooklyn in August 2016.

In 2017, they performed a Halloween show in Washington, DC and three shows in November at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.

They announced (May 2018) two reunion shows for Halloween 2018 in the UK.

Viglione relocated from New York to Los Angeles in 2019.

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.