KEY POINTS:
Having a hot tap-dancer keeping the beat in your band instead of a drummer stinks of a gimmick, but for American indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall it just happened - honest.
You can see Jamie Pressnall's unique time-keeping methods when Tilly play the Kings Arms next Thursday.
"In the beginning," explains singer Neely Jenkins, on the phone from her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, "Jamie played guitar and we were wondering what to do as far as a drummer.
"She said, 'I'll just tap dance', and it was like, 'Yeah, let's do it', and it stuck. It just made sense."
The tap-dancing came about when Jenkins and Pressnall were in a band together in college. Tilly and the Wall formed in 2001 from a handful of other groups, most notably Park Ave, a band fronted by Conor Oberst (better known now as Bright Eyes) of which Jenkins and Pressnall were members. Oberst and Jenkins were also childhood sweethearts.
Now, the Tilly line-up is Jenkins, Pressnall, singer Kianna Alarid, keyboard player Nick White, and guitarist/singer Derek Pressnall.
"We all have that bond and love of music, and love of being with friends and somehow it clicked. We've talked about it before - how lucky we are and we've got to do so many neat things together now and we're super happy with how things have gone. But I think it's just the love of music that brought us together."
The music is a weird and wonderful mix of 60s pop, hints of down-home Americana, boy-girl vocal harmonies, and hand-claps provided by Jenkins and Alarid. Pressnall's tap-dancing propels the songs along.
The tap element is a great spectacle in concert but recording is a challenge and involves a lot of trial and error.
"It's interesting because it's not something that's usually done," laughs Jenkins. "But we just have to play around in the studio a little bit to give it that energy."
They released their debut album Wild Like Children in 2004 and last year followed it up with Bottoms of Barrels.
Their songs often remind you of Sunday morning story-telling for children, only more bratty and rebellious.
On Nights of the Living Dead, from Wild Like Children, they're out on the town singing "got a bottle of wine, a fresh pack of smokes, just tryin' to get to the club ... to shake our arses".
Even though they're in their late 20s to early 30s they have no plans to grow up too soon.
"I think in some weird way when we get together and write, we're the kids who haven't completely grown up yet and that comes through in our music.
"Obviously, we aren't that young any more, but I feel like with us being together for so long now that there's been some growth in our songwriting and I think we'll keep growing it."
Coming from a mid-west American city that is predominantly conservative, you might expect more of a country influence to Tilly's music. But Jenkins laughs that she's "probably only been on a farm twice in my life".
"I'm sure coming from Omaha has influenced our music, but in what way exactly, I don't know. If we were really influenced by our surroundings we'd end up playing some sort of country music, or something," she scoffs.
Along with Bright Eyes, Tilly and the Wall are one of the leaders of Omaha's healthy music scene. "So many bands have gone from practising in basements to going all around the world.
"We know a lot of the people who are in these bands and we've watched them go from something so small to something way bigger than anybody ever expected."
They can count themselves among them. Although this is their first visit here they've been touring the world for a few years, including a tour with Brazilian band CSS, who did one of the best live shows in New Zealand last year.
"Man, watching their show - the life, the excitement, and the energy - is a total inspiration for us," says Jenkins.
"The tour was so cool too. We were on their bus. So you pull up at a new place. You sound-check, they sound-check, then you watch each other play and then you hang out all night long, party on the bus and say good night to everybody like a big slumber party, then get up in the morning and do the next new place," she says, excitedly.
"Being able to see the things that we've seen and meet the people we've met has been outrageously amazing."
Who would've thought you could tap dance your way around the world?
Lowdown
Who: Tilly and the Wall
What: Mid-west indie pop band with tap-dancing beat keeper
Where & when: Kings Arms, Thursday, August 9
Albums: Wild Like Children (2004); Bottoms of Barrels (2006)
