Pages tagged “tilly and the wall”

Rest up, kids, because a high-energy tour is hurtling your way soon. Arguably the cutest pop quintet ever to come out of Omaha (see above), Tilly and the Wall is heading out first thing in July in support of it's new album O.

Omaha pop band comes of age on third release

Having survived the taint of novelty that accompanied using a tap-dancer percussionist instead of a drummer, Tilly and the Wall have finally reached a point where all accusations of gimmickry are afterthoughts. Now mature pop songwriters, the Omaha quintet sounds more like a conventional band on O, favoring rousing sing-along choruses, richly layered pianos and trumpets, and even standard drum kits. Whether employing a 10-person stomp to form the rhythm for White Stripes-aping riff-fest “Pot Kettle Black” or marrying a tack piano to clattering pots and pans for the junkyard psychedelia of “Aligator Skin,” the band plays with a manic energy that dovetails perfectly with Neely Jenkins and Kianna Alarid’s starry-eyed vocals and meditations on catty girls, lost youth and broken hearts. Less successful is the kitschy ’80s synth-pop of “Falling Without Knowing” and “Dust Me Off,” two tracks that prove—even though they’ve grown up as tunesmiths—Tilly and the Wall are still prone to the occasional indiscretion.

Amidst the starry stage landscape, the unicorn-embellished walls and the youthful, jam-packed, sweat-drenched crowd, Omaha, Neb., quintet Tilly and the Wall was right at home, literally (two members of the band—guitarist Derek Pressnall and keyboardist Nick White—are from Atlanta).

“It feels good to be back,” Pressnall declared. The hour-long set to follow was nothing short of a celebration—full of energetic, dance-along rhythms, colorful stage antics (as evidenced by the band’s tap dancer Jamie Williams) and spontaneous marriage proposals.

Kicking off the night with “Sing Songs Along,” a track off its latest album, Bottoms of Barrels, Tilly immediately had the crowd intrigued. Choosing a tropical-themed stage set complete with multi-colored pinwheels and flower-wrapped mic stands, the band frolicked through high-energy crowd favorites like “Fell Down the Stairs” and “Rainbows in the Dark.” After finishing the latter, and receiving overwhelming praise from the crowd, vocalist Neely Jenkins choked up. “You guys made me cry!” she said. But perhaps Jenkins was just preparing herself for what was coming.

Pausing in between songs, vocalist Kianna Alarid announced the supposed winner of a T-shirt contest. After the “winner” made his way to the stage (with girlfriend in tow), Alarid handed him his shirt which contained the message, “Tracy will you marry me?” The crowd burst into screams, Jenkins and Alarid became teary-eyed and the soon-to-be fiancé gasped as her boyfriend knelt to plant a ring on her finger.

In the moment’s spirit, the band dedicated its next track, “Love Song,” to the happy couple.

The rest of the evening proceeded at a festive high. Opening act David Dondero and his drummer, Craig D., stepped to the stage to back the band during several songs, most notably “Lost Girls” and “Urgency.”

Although the set was packed with energy, the highlight came during the encore. “This song’s about Atlanta, Ga.,” Pressnall said before blasting into the anthemic “Nights of the Living Dead.” The band invited Dondero and D. back onstage, as well as the band’s friends and family members in attendance, and—for the next three minutes and 55 seconds—the tiny Drunken Unicorn stage was where the party was at.