Tilly and the Wall is an American indie rock band consisting of Derek Pressnall (guitar vocals), his wife Jamie Pressnall (tap dancer), Neely Jenkins (vocals bass) Kianna Alarid (vocals, bass recorder) and Nick White (keyboards) the band has gained notoriety for having a tap dancer give percussion instead of a drummer (also drums and drum machines are sometimes used on some of their recordings and Pressnall usually accompanied by Alarid and Jenkins stomping on the floor) So far, they released three albums: Wild Like Children bottoms of the barrels and O
Tilly and the Wall sprang out of Omaha, Nebraska, USA in 2001 - a Midwestern band of like-minded friends with pockets full of melodies and a lot of pockets, the serendipitous result of five Omaha residents with a penchant out sameclassic 60's pop boy / girl harmonies and Americana records public Tilly and the Wall celebrates the petulant determined feisty nature of youth They rejoice in tales of dreams followed mistakes and hearts broken
Tilly and the Wall released their debut album Wild Like Children in June 2004 on Conor Oberst's label Team Love Neely and Jamie were once in a band with Conor before he became known worldwide as Bright Eyes Derek and Nick moved to Omaha from Atlanta, Georgia After the meeting, it was as if long-lost friends had found each other: without a doubt the Tilly born when the songs were written Conor agreed to helm the production duties and thereby Wild Like Children was unleashed on the world market as one of the first album was released on the team loveplay Tilly and the Wall SETA precedent for the label's identity: original smart exciting and above all easy to sing along to register consisted of 11 perfectly formed songs brilliant enthusiastic hyperactivity, while accruing a bittersweet melancholy of long lost summers and misguided first loves front of a backdrop of sunshine, rain and snow, Tilly and the Wall sang songs of love and kisses, dancing and drinking to stay and leave the driving and talking sleep and dream all set to TAP-tap-tapping of Jamie's toes The press from sea to shining sea fell in love directly
And so Tilly went to meet his fans at shows throughout America with artists such as Bright Eyes Rilo Kiley The Go! Pedro the Lion Team of Montreal, and more when you're not on the road band began workungon follow-up to Wild Like Children only title Bottoms barrel recorded over three weeks in October and November 2005 the album was recorded by AJ Mogis brother and mixed by studio co-hort to Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis bottoms Barrels Tilly's look with his signature sound to the next level choruses are more rousing the tapping more intense instrumentation fuller, each sound painting broad strokes over loudspeakers old friend Nate Walcott contributes a bit trumpet while other friends have added drums, accordion and cello a couple of tracks even feature the vocal styling of the University of Nebraska's own choir Trip the Light Fantastic strengthen Neely and Kianna's sweet harmonies bottoms Barrels fully demonstrated the Importance of Tilly's "we" perspective - with a gang full of voices librarymade strong statements on love freedom and their own place in the world album, the band went on trips they had only dreamed of, resulting in extensive tours throughout Europe, Australia, Japan and even Iceland They also played their first ever sets at major music festivals including Reading / Leeds Festival Coachella and Japan's Summer Sonic By mid-2007 returned home to Omaha to begin work on their next long in the post single legions of fans as well as frequent flyer miles across the world
Their new disc, which has no title but is represented by the shape o (the cut-out shape design of the hand-made covers for the record) was produced by acclaimed producer Mike Mogis through harsh Nebraska winter 2007 o sees Tilly and the Wall redefinetheir sound with more daring measures experiments, while the elements that have always made them who they are o based on everything from nature to magic, from six to astrology with a greater focus on harmonies, percussion rhythms and kaleidoscopic melodies, but ultimately fail anyway as our five musical friends from Omaha
