Tilly & the Wall
Tuesday, July 3 / 8pm
but tickets now
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.
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. [1]
Their first show was an open-mic night at the now defunct Ranch Bowl. 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 recently been touring with Jenny Lewis in support of her album featuring The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat.
Bottoms of Barrels, the band's follow-up to Wild Like Children was released on May 23, 2006. They have recently finished their first headlining tour to promote their new album alongside David Dondero, Now It's Overhead, Wolf Colonel, and many other bands.
The members have all been involved with other projects in the Saddle Creek extended family, most notably Jamie 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.