Tilly and the Wall: Omaha ingenuity on tap

In small rock clubs, it can be difficult to see a band's feet, which is why it takes a while for those unfamiliar with Tilly and the Wall to make the connection — that Jamie Williams, the dancer in this five-piece from Omaha, Neb., isn't just dancing, she's also tapping out the beat.

Fronted by two female singers and rounded out with the sounds of what seems like the entire inventory of an instrument shop, Tilly and the Wall is making some of the most imaginative and uplifting indie rock to come along recently.

Inventive music making isn't without its risks, however. As attractive as new sounds are to more adventurous listeners, they also hold the potential to alienate, which is why the ability to sample music before buying is so important, especially for potential fans who may not have much discretionary income.

Tilly and the Wall is signed to a label that does exactly that. "Bottoms of Barrels," the group's second album, released on Team Love, is available for sale on CD, but its songs are also offered as free downloads through the record label's Web site (www.team-love.com).

Omaha golden boy Conor Oberst co-founded Team Love two years ago as a means of giving more exposure and artistic control to bands that are signed to single-record deals. Tilly and the Wall was the first act he added to his label, which, most recently, released the critically acclaimed debut of Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins.

The strategy of offering free downloads, one not widely favored by major labels, seems to be paying off for Tilly — if not in record sales, then in merchandise sales and show attendance.

"It's definitely helped our band," said guitarist Derek Pressnall, 26. "We were unheard of, basically, and it's just gotten our name out there."

The band's 2004 debut, "Wild Like Children," sold about 18,000 copies, but some songs on the album were downloaded more than 100,000 times.

Tilly and the Wall is part of the Omaha indie-rock scene — a scene that consists of only 50 or so musicians, despite its Saddle Creek Records-inspired high profile. Being so small, it's enjoyed an unusually high success-to-failure ratio, winning national attention for local acts such as Oberst (aka Bright Eyes), the Faint and Cursive. Its size has also led to an unusually high incidence of crossover between bands. Many musicians in the scene have played with multiple acts, and Tilly is no different.

Neely Jenkins, one of two vocalists in the band, and tap dancer Williams both used to play in a group with Oberst and the Faint's Clark Baechle. Williams had moved on to a different band with vocalist Kianna Alarid when the two met Pressnall and keyboardist Nick White (who had their own group) and decided to form Tilly and the Wall.

Tap dancing aside, Tilly's setup is fairly conventional. Its core consists of bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals, but "Bottoms of Barrels" also features artful touches of violin, sax, cello, accordion, drums, Mellotron, bells, trumpet and even a children's choir.

Live, the group doesn't even attempt to replicate its recorded sound. The members just sing and play their instruments and let Williams' feet fly.

"She's doing some serious work up there [tap dancing]," Alarid said. "She definitely has final say in the set list."