Tilly and the Wall
with The Ruby Suns, Big Digits
July 31, 8pm, 18+, $15
The Paradise
[Tix]

Tilly and the Wall may be infamous for having a tap dancer instead of drums, but there's much more to this band than that gimmick. The members create truly fun, danceable indie-pop enhanced by multiple instruments and extensive harmonizing. Even the most unhip individual can't help but "tap" (har har) a foot to the beat. Named after a Leo Lionni book, the band is from hipster hotbed Omaha, and pals around with Conor Oberst. We caught Tilly and the Wall at SXSW 2007 and are looking forward to the band's performance in town next week. We checked in with keyboardist Nick White to get his thoughts about the the band's new semi-untitled album, O (named for the shape on the album cover), the relationship between music and visual art, and getting lost in Boston.

I definitely read Frederick as a kid, but didn't know about Tillie, so thanks for bringing that to my attention! On that note--why the spelling change from Tillie to Tilly? Any plans for Frederick-related songs?

Ha that's awesome. At the time it seemed appropriate to change the name slightly just to set ourselves apart. Also, we didn't want anyone to think we were a book on tape and we were paranoid about getting sued. Frederick is a favorite of ours as well though.

Is having a tap dancer for percussion more about the sound or the performance? You seem to have expanded your percussion recently--how has that affected the band as a while?

Having a tap dancer fit with what we envisioned both visually and sonically. When we started as a band, we really wanted to have a fun live show, and we also were interested in shuffling traditional band line-ups a little. It's been really fun to start with the taps and add more traditional percussion as we go, and we found a drummer who really worked well, Craig Dee. It's nice having a few electronic beats as well, they give Jamie a second to rest during the shows.

More with Tilly (and the Wall) after the jump!

Do you have a favorite artist working right now? A favorite group that you've toured with?

I feel so lucky that we've toured with some of my favorite bands, CSS, Of Montreal, Bright Eyes. We pick up the Ruby Suns [soon] and I'm glad we'll have partners in crime for the rest of tour.

Why "o" or no name for the new album? What do you see as the relationship between music and visual art? I understand some of you are visual artists as well... how does that affect your music?

It was strange that none of us had ideas when it came to naming the album. It felt appropriate to leave it untitled. It felt like a community project that took so many people to create. When we decided on the frames being the unifying theme of the album art, "o" was a practical way of talking about the album, and it stuck.

We wrote both our last two albums at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. We wanted to feel connected to artists in general, not jut musicians, and being there really made that happen. Writing and recording music are very much like making visual art to me. You ride the line between creative flow and executing something imagined.

Do you ever feel "lumped in" with other Saddle Creek / Team Love bands? Does that make it harder to do your own thing, or is it more like you're part of a positive creative movement?

I never feel lumped in, but we are obviously very connected to both Saddle Creek and Team Love bands. Being the first band on Team Love, we felt a lot of freedom to play music however we wanted. They are extremely artist friendly and have always encouraged us to get whatever we want out of this project, which has always led us back to them. More than a movement, it feels like a community.

You've been to Boston before--any thoughts on the music scene or what it's like to play here?

I love to play Boston, but I do not trust mapquest or any directions not given by the club. We've gotten lost so many times! The audiences we've played for in the past have been fantastic, and we're hoping for the same again.