Tilly and the Wall, Tapping into Rock's Potential

Out of Omaha come Tilly and the Wall, carrying that assortment of instruments we've all come to expect from rock bands: flute, glockenspiel, cello, bells... and, of course, tap shoes for percussion.

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The members of Tilly and the Wall use tap shoes for percussion and a wide variety of musical instruments not necessarily associated with rock 'n' roll.

The members of Tilly and the Wall use tap shoes for percussion and a wide variety of musical instruments not necessarily associated with rock 'n' roll.

Their name comes from the title of a children's book about a mouse who thinks the grass is always greener on the other side, and their music is hopeful, optimistic and — at times — a little bit childlike.

The tap-dancing percussionist, Jamie Williams, and singer Derek Pressnal, dropped by NPR station KUCV in Lincoln, Neb., recently to chat with Liane Hansen about their CD Wild Like Children.

It just happens to be the very first offering in the catalogue from Team Love Records, a label created in part by Conor Oberst, the musical visionary who performs as Bright Eyes.