Go ahead, just try to find someone who has uttered a discouraging word about Tilly and the Wall, an indie-pop band from Omaha that often uses a tap dancer in place of a drummer. Comb through review after review — nothing.
During an interview from her home in Omaha, bassist-singer Neely Jenkins is asked if she can think of someone who dislikes Tilly and the Wall. After uncorking a booming belly laugh, she said: “We played in Amsterdam last summer, and after the show we were hanging out and somebody yelled, ‘Tilly and the Wall suck!’ and then ran away. We laughed so hard.”
The buzz around the band is likely to build in the coming months, when Jenkins and her bandmates — singer-tap dancer Jamie Pressnall, singer-percussionist Kianna Alarid, guitarist-singer Derek Pressnall and keyboardist Nick White — release “Tilly and the Wall,” their third album, on June 17.
“Energetic” is the adjective most often used to describe the band’s live shows, which feature colorful costuming (teal leggings, yellow tutus, flowered tap shoes, a gold lame prom dress, etc.), glow sticks, glitter, balloons and neon lights. The band brings its show to Chicago on Tuesday.
In the mid-1990s, while attending University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jenkins was introduced to Conor Oberst, before he became Bright Eyes.
“All of his friends were going to school in Lincoln, and at that point, he was in Commander Venus,” said Jenkins, referring to the indie-rock band that recorded two CDs between 1995 and 1997. “Conor had heard that I played bass.”
After Jenkins graduated with a degree in education, Oberst talked her into moving to his hometown. There, among other things, she played with Oberst, Alarid and Jamie Pressnall (then known as Jamie Williams) in Park Ave.
“Jamie tap-danced a little bit in Park Ave.,” said Jenkins, who along with Alarid added hand percussion to the mix. “At one point she just said, ‘I think I’m gonna tap dance on that song,’ and it started happening.”
After Park Ave., the three women joined with Derek Pressnall and White in Tilly and the Wall (the name derives from Leo Lionni’s children’s book “Tillie and the Wall”).
Before Tilly and the Wall was ready to record its first CD, 2004’s “Wild Like Children,” opportunity knocked again. Oberst had decided to start a label that would be a sister imprint to Saddle Creek.
“Conor had all these ideas, so many bands he wanted to sign,” Jenkins said. “He took us out to dinner and said, ‘We want to put your records out.’ So we became the label’s flagship band.”
Tilly and the Wall
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave.
Sold out.
