Tilly and the Wall

Tilly and the Wall is an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called "Tillie and the Wall," written by Leo Lionni.

Overview

The group formed in 2001 after the demise of several Omaha groups, including Conor Oberst's Park Ave., of which Neely Jenkins and Jamie Williams were members. With leading vocals (and handclaps) from Kianna Alarid and guitarist Derek Pressnall and keyboards from Nick White, the band gained notoriety for substituting Williams' tap shoes for traditional drums.

Their first release, Woo!, was recorded in Conor Oberst's garage, self-published, and distributed at shows around the Omaha area. The group released a limited-pressing eponymous 7" on Rue Royale Records, followed by their debut LP, Wild Like Children in 2004. It was flagship release on Oberst's Team Love label and made with the help of Presto studios. Wild Like Children garnered the band a substantial amount of critical acclaim and propelled them to national tours with Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and Of Montreal. In early 2005, Tilly and the Wall became the first "band in residence" at Omaha's Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, using the Bemis Underground's Studio T to develop their follow-up album to Wild Like Children.

In September of that year, they released You and I Misbehaving as a limited-pressing 7" in the UK through indie label Trash Aesthetics. This release picked up further critical acclaim as well as support from BBC radio broadcaster Steve Lamacq.

They have been recently seen touring with Jenny Lewis in support of her solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat.

Bottoms of Barrels, the band's follow-up to Wild Like Children was released on May 23, 2006. They are currently on their first headlining tour to promote their new album alongside David Dondero, Now It's Overhead, Wolf Colonel, and many other bands.

For their studio album, Wild Like Children, they worked with Presto Studios and found distribution on Conor's new upstart record label, Team Love.

The members have all been involved with other projects in the Saddle Creek extended family, most notably Jaime and Neely as members of Park Ave. (with Clark Baechle from The Faint and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, and Nick White as one of the few constants on recent Bright Eyes records and tours.

The band is known for an exciting and collaborative live performance, creative fashion choices, cute and lighthearted music videos, and a healthy dose of optimism in every thing they do.

Band members

Jamie Williams - tap dancer
Derek Pressnall - vocals, guitar
Neely Jenkins - vocals, shakers, bells, bass
Nick White - keyboard
Kianna Alarid - vocals, shakers, tambourine, recorder, bass

Discography

Albums

Wild Like Children (2004 · Team Love Records) - CD/LP
Bottoms of Barrels (2006 · Team Love Records) - CD/LP

Singles & EPs

Woo! (2003 · self-released) - EP
Tilly and the Wall (2003 · Rue Royale Records) - 7"
You and I Misbehaving (2005 · Trash Aesthetics) - 7"
Reckless (2006 · Trash Aesthetics) - 7"
Bad Education (2006 · Team Love Records) - 7"

Videography

"Reckless"
"You and I Misbehaving" (directed by Nik Fackler)
"The Ice Storm, Big Gust, and You"
"Bad Education" (2006, directed by Nik Fackler)

Trivia

They have covered OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by Journey.
Three members contributed to the Rilo Kiley song, "The Absence of God" on More Adventurous.
They were the first band on Team Love Records.

External links

Interviews

2000s music groups | American musical groups | Nebraska musical groups | Indie pop groups | Team Love Records

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