So how do you like Boston?
Nick: I love playing Boston! We've done Middle East upstairs and downstairs a couple times and TT and the Bears...that name always cracks me up!
Adriana: TT and the bears? Yea it sounds like a little kids toy company or something.
Nick: Yea it does! but Boston has always been super, super nice to us. I think they were one of the first cities where I would see a couple of the same faces come back to the shows.
Like me! Sorry, so how would you say this album differs from the last two?
Nick: Well, I think we were a lot more comfortable in the studio this time around. This time in the studio we were more at ease and willing to try new things. We had talked about a few new ideas like different percussive sounds that we wanted. Everyone was just more comfortable and ready to experiment.
Can you elaborate on those experiments?
Nick: For me personally it was just using lots of different keyboards… really nice mechanical keyboards like fender roads, wurlitzers, organs, and we built this tack piano where we put little metal tacks on the hammers in the piano. it sounded very saloon-y.
We recorded some at this elementary school actually. We did all the stomping there with a group of about ten people doing this stomp dance routine. Its the back beat of a couple songs.
So you guys write together or individually?
Nick: In the beginning stages it’s individual. I don’t think we've ever sat together and started something from the very beginning and actually written a song that way. But we all finish each others songs.
Having five songwriters together is pretty unusual. Is there any conflict?
Nick: I think at this point everyone trusts what everyone else is going to bring to the song.
Lyrically is there anything you want to touch upon on this album? Or is there anything you really wanted to put out there?
Nick: We wanted a range and I was really happy with the way it turned out. The way it ended up with the flow of the album, I think it went well with the lyrics. There is a couple more aggressive songs, and again, I think everyone was juts interested in trying new things and maybe taking it a little farther.
So what’s next for Tilly and the Wall?
Well you can check them out on tour with Cansei De Ser Sexy in the fall, plus a few side projects like Derek's Flowers Forever, and even a guest spot on the 39th season of Sesame Street. Seriously!
