Saturday, December 31, 2011

Tally Hall


Tally Hall is an alternative rock band from Ann Arbor, Mich., known for its colorful ties and expressive music. The band’s latest album, “Good & Evil,” was released in June of 2011 with Quack! Media, featuring “You & Me” and “&.”

“’Good & Evil’ seemed to encapsulate the batch of songs we had for the album,” singer and keyboardist Andrew Horowitz said. “We recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer.”

The band’s expressive style is unique.

“A giant cloud made of cotton candy wherein a circus of magical creatures speak in poetry,” Horowitz said.

Tally Hall got its start during college.

“Sophomore year of college, I was introduced to Rob (Cantor, guitarist and vocalist) through a mutual friend,” Horowitz said. “From there, we added members one by one. It grew from a two-person jam session to a band within a couple months.”

With its unique style, the band felt the name Tally Hall suited it well.

“Tally Hall is named after a defunct mini-mall in the suburbs of Detroit,” Horowitz said. “It’s a place of nostalgia for the rest of my Michigan-based band. In Tally Hall, there were arcade oddities sprinkled throughout.”

The band started an internet show a couple years ago called THIS, which featured 10 mini episodes of sketch-comedy.

“The Tally Hall Internet Show was a natural progression from the short clips we were posting online,” Horowitz said. “The short films spilled over to Tally Hall, and we consciously opened up Tally Hall to all forms of creative expression.”

The most important thing that keeps Tally Hall’s music going is themselves and to make something worthwhile.

 “Our hope to create an alternative to the plethora of crap shoved into the public’s minds.”

 


Band members include:

Rob Cantor - Guitar, vocals
Joe Hawley - Guitar, vocals
Ross Federman - Drums
Zubin Sedghi - Bass, vocals
Andrew Horowitz - Keyboards, vocals


 
 

How did you get your start in music?

I've always been obsessed with music. I started playing piano at five and writing at eight.

When and where did you find the members of your band?

Sophomore year of college, I was introduced to Rob through a mutual friend. From there, we added members one by one. It grew from a two-person jam session to a band within a couple of months.
 
How did you come up with the name Tally Hall?

Tally Hall is named after a defunct mini-mall in the suburbs of Detroit. It's a place of nostalgia for the rest of my Michigan-based band. From my understanding, in Tally Hall, there were arcade oddities sprinkled throughout. The ecclectic nature of the place seemed fitting for our band namesake.
 
Who are some of your influences?

Our influences are everything/anything. Musically, I grew up listening to classical, jazz, rock... everything from Bill Evans to JS Bach to the Rolling Stones.

If you could describe your music, what would it be like?

A giant cloud made of cotton candy wherein a circus of magical creatures speak in poetry.

How did you come across your latest record label and what was it like to switch from Atlantic Records to Quack! Media?

Quack! is run by our friend Al McWilliams. Al's been a believer and a supporter from the beginning. He put up the money for our debut, "Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum." When we parted ways with Atlantic, Quack! was a natural place to turn. We trust Al's intentions and he knows the group dynamics better than anyone.

What made you decide to wear colorful ties?

We wanted to stand out from the other bands on campus. The uniformity also added a degree of professionalism to our operation.

I heard you have an internet show? Tell me a little bit about it and what the story is behind it.

The Tally Hall Internet Show (THIS) was a natural progression from the short clips we were posting online. Joe was a film student and had a sketch-comedy film group called Anonymous. The short films spilled over to Tally Hall, and we consciously opened up Tally Hall to all forms of creative expression. THIS was a way to organize our videos, and Atlantic got on board and financed the operation. This consists of ten ten-minute episodes and was released a couple of years ago.

Who writes your music and how do you come about the songs you write?

Four of us share writing duties. Writing songs is just what we do, so it's hard to say where they come from.

What is the story behind your latest album “Good & Evil” and how did you come about its recording process?

"Good & Evil" seemed to encapsulate the batch of songs we had for the album. The concept was presented somewhere in the writing process, so it stirred in the back of our minds while writing. We recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Depeche Mode). Hoffer was a good fit for the material; our first album was eclectic and celebratory, while this material was more focused and contemplative.


What is your favorite song to perform and why?

Depends on the night and the crowd. On our last tour, I particularly enjoyed playing "Welcome to Tally Hall," "You," and The Beatles' "Because." "WTTH" gets the crowd moving, "You" is a moment of personal meditation, and "Because" was challenging and beautiful. We performed "Because" with our tour compatriots Casey Shea and the band Speak.

What has been the weirdest thing that has happened to you in your career?

Everything in our career is weird. It's weird that we have a career. The fact that people even care is a strange concept to internalize.

How did you create your latest music video?

Our latest music video for "Turn the Lights Off" was created and directed by our friend Drew Mokris (http://www.spinnerdisc.com/). We've always mutually admired each others' work. He asked us if he could create a video, and we were thrilled that he did.

What has been the driving force of your music?

Ourselves, our fans, our desire to create something good and meaningful. Our hope to create an alternative to the plethora of crap shoved into the public's minds.

What are your future plans?

I'm working on a few projects. I just released my first solo track under the name edu (pronounced: ee doo). It's available for free: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/edu/152719221491762

What do you do on your free time?

I never have free time. Too much to do, too little time. But I try to catch an occasional show or movie and do other normal-people stuff.

What would you like to say to your current and future fans?

THANK YOU.




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