Tilly and the Wall may not be the first band to glean a band name from a children's book (Belle & Sebastian, anyone?) but one thing the band can probably take credit for is turning the indie rock world onto tap dancing.
Replacing an actual drummer, dancer Jamie Williams taps out the catchy beats as her best friends, who also happen to be her bandmates, gush out some of the happiest, hopeful and energetic pop songs since the love-is-all-you-need, flower-power optimism of the '60s.
But really, what else would you expect from the first band to sign on to Conor Oberst label initiative, Team Love Records?
Two years after the band's full length debut "Wild Like Children" reminded everyone how sneaking out of your parents house with beer and making out in the woods was, like, the best thing ever, Omaha's B.F.F.s are back with "Bottoms of Barrels," which feels just as sinfully playful, though perhaps packs a high school diploma.
Life in the real world can get tough, but just remember that Tilly and the Wall has your back, so close your eyes, take that shot of whiskey and dance, dance, dance.
Tilly and the Wall plays a $10 show at the Pabst Theater on Monday, June 5. The poetically cynical singer/songwriter David Dondero, whose sixth solo release, "South of the South," was released in October '05 on Team Love, and Scarring Party open the 8 p.m. show.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
