Band of the Week - Tilly and the Wall

I learned of this band the way everyone learns about new bands...on Sesame Street.

After discovering their Conor Oberst connection (and we all know how much I love him), and that their percussion is provided by tap dancing, I had to listen to more!

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. They are particularly noted for having a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, instead of a drummer.

History
The group formed in 2001 after the demise of several Omaha groups, including Conor Oberst's Park Ave., of which Neely Jenkins and Jamie Pressnall (then Jamie Williams) were members. Jamie brought along Kianna Alarid from another band that broke up called Magic Kiss. Derek Pressnall and Nick White, natives of Dunwoody, Georgia were drawn to the music scene in Omaha, Nebraska and moved. Nick White was also one of the few constants for Bright Eyes in 2005, appearing on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, as well as touring worldwide with the band.
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 the 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.
Bottoms of Barrels, the band's follow-up to Wild Like Children, was released on May 23, 2006. Tilly and the Wall appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 27, 2006, to perform "Bad Education". The band toured with Jenny Lewis in support of her album featuring The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. They then went on their first headlining tour to promote Bottoms of Barrels, with acts such as David Dondero, Now It's Overhead, and Wolf Colonel supporting them. They played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 27, 2007.
Band members Jamie Williams and Derek Pressnall were married shortly after the album's release, on August 12, 2006.
o,Tilly and the Wall's third album, was released on June 17, 2008. Two songs they performed on their 2007 tour, "Too Excited" and "Chandelier Lake", appear on the album. The songs were played at their Daytrotter show.
Tilly have recorded their own version of the ABC song on Sesame Street.
The first single from the album is "Pot Kettle Black". It was featured in the pilot episode of 90210, TV spots for the Seth Rogan film Observe and Report, the film Whip It and its soundtrack album, and in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
Tilly and the Wall released a new album entitled "Heavy Mood" on October 2, 2012, available in CD and vinyl formats.

Band Members

• Kianna Alarid – vocals, shakers, tambourine, recorder, bass guitar
• Neely Jenkins – vocals, shakers, bells, bass guitar
• Derek Presnalll – vocals, guitar
• Jamie Pressnall – vocals, tap dancer
• Nick White – keyboards, piano

Songs I Like

Heavy Mood

Pot Kettle Black

Fell Down the Stairs

Other Bands "Like" Tilly and the Wall

Feist

Mates of State

Rilo Kiley

Bright Eyes

Teegan and Sara

Architecture in Helsinki

The Kills

The Postal Service