Often recognized by their trademark ties—Rob (yellow tie-vocals/guitar), Zubin (blue tie-vocals/bass), Ross (silver tie-percussion), Joe (red tie-vocals/guitar), and Andrew (green tie-vocals/keys)—Tally Hall began in 2002 when Andrew met Rob through friends. Andrew, the only member not originally from Michigan, began writing songs when he was eight years old and eventually headed to the University of Michigan to study composition. There he met Rob, who attended high school with Zubin and joined Joe's film production group. When Tally Hall's original drummer left the band, they recruited Ross, who went to high school with Joe.

While Andrew was the only member to study music formally, Rob and Joe proved accomplished songwriters with similar desires to start a band. They worried less about stylistic boundaries than about fulfilling their creative potential. Joe describes it this way: "We don't like the idea of limiting ourselves to one genre because there's no point in doing that. If a certain idea requires a certain sound then why limit ourselves?" Accordingly, Mechanical Museum is spacious, intimate, hilarious, serious; disparate and seamless all at once. It's the natural result of having three songwriters, four vocalists, and five capable musicians in one band, as well as their common interests in the The Beach Boys, Queen and more recent artists like Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens. "We listen to everything and we try to take ideas from different genres and broaden the span of what people perceive as rock music," says Andrew. "The song wouldn't be the same if all of us weren't involved."

Early on, Joe filmed a surreal music video for the calypso-tinged "Banana Man." The video appeared on the internet humor site Albino Black Sheep (www.albinoblacksheep.com), drawing new fans to the band's website. "We didn't really realize what was going on outside of Ann Arbor," says Ross. "Then our website started crashing each month from the bandwidth and it became obvious that there were people outside of Ann Arbor that were listening to the music." To date, the video has been downloaded over two million times.

Andrew's song "Good Day"—the first he wrote for the band—heralded further success for Tally Hall, as it was not only featured on Fox's hit series The O.C., but also won Andrew the BMI/John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship, and a meeting with Brian Wilson. "Good Day" introduces the band by traversing their broad stylistic spectrum within a few minutes. A concise opening piano gives way to momentary rock bombast, before dropping back into a verse newly adorned with expanded instrumentation. By the end of the song we've heard an interlude that would make Freddie Mercury sweat through his body suit and a gather-round-the-piano sing-along that references the Beatles without imitating them.

Tally Hall has appeared with OK Go, Nightmare of You, World Party, and Fastball, among others. This summer will provide more opportunities to catch the band's compelling live show, though they'll also be using the time to write new songs and get a handle on their devoted and obsessive fans. "We've had people travel halfway across the country to see our shows," says Andrew. "We just assume that most bands have their fair share of loyal followers. Ours are just a little more…proactive." With so many fans mulling over everything from song lyrics to which members are single, why the modesty? "In the end, if someone likes us because we are funny, then I think we have succeeded in a way. But, if someone appreciates us because they understand us, then I think we will be truly satisfied," Zubin explains. "We're not a band that has a lot of pretenses," says Rob. "As long as people like the music, that is the main thing we're concerned with, and whatever they take from it, at least they're taking something." Whatever it is that Tally Hall is giving, they've got enough to go around.

Fresh out of the studio, the band hit the road hard amazing fans with their inimitable blend of rock & roll. Having traveled up and down both coasts and everywhere in between, WaTF have completed nation-wide tours with artists ranging from Head Automatica and Nightmare of You, to Jamison Parker and I Am The Avalanche.

Their highly anticipated debut EP Infinite Jest, produced by Tim Patalan (Lovedrug, Sponge, The Fags), hits stores in early 2006.

The Royal Highness, a Danish group formed just 10 months ago, performs "Pay." UK band Captain debuts their single, "Frontline," a thunderous ode to bloody-mindedness. Canadian rockers the Novaks, refined by three years of playing barrooms, offer "Goodbye Rock and Roll Band" as their podcast performance. Jackson, Mississippi's King Elementary, recently signed to Capitol Records, submit "Hit the Mirror" and "Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf" is the selection from Long Island natives Nightmare of You.

All five bands were also featured at the "BMI Presents..." showcase on September 15 during the CMJ Music Marathon held in New York City.

While podcasts are all the rage for music listeners seeking to escape the common path, some of the podcasts currently being distributed have not been authorized by songwriters and other copyright owners - and may be illegal. Not so with BMI podcasts. All mechanical and performance licenses are always secured by BMI prior to release, with the blessing of those who create and own the music. To ensure that its more than 300,000 songwriters and copyright owners are compensated for their work, BMI licenses distributors of podcasts.

All editions of the BMI "See It Hear First" podcast series are available for downloading at bmi.com/podcast. They may also be downloaded on iTunes as part of Apple's free podcast directory at bmi.com/itunes.

Podcast listeners can vote for their favorite artists to help them win a CD duplication package from Disc Makers, the leading CD manufacturer for the independent musician that offers special packages exclusively for BMI affiliates.]]> 2005-09-15T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/4025 Artists, Nightmare of You, Roots, The, Musical Styles, Pop, Rock, Musicworld, On The Scene If you dig up the roots of Nightmare Of You, you will find their time in the Long Island underground music scene planted firmly at the base. Frontman Brandon Reilly first cut his teeth in various local hardcore bands, but it wasn’t until he signed on for lead guitar duty for visceral pop-punk group, the Movielife, that he was able to establish himself on a national scale. After four years (and a modern day punk touchstone with” A Forty Hour Train Back To Penn"), the Movielife eventually parted ways.

This time around Reilly steps forward as lead vocalist for Nightmare Of You, a band he formed in 2003 with high school friend Joseph McCaffrey, who had begun assisting Reilly with a few solo songs between his duties in the Movielife. Along with McCaffrey, fellow Long Islander Ryan Heil eventually filled in on bass and New York hardcore veteran Sammy Siegler (Rival Schools, CIV, Glassjaw) took over on drums. Though their credentials are noteworthy, you’d be remiss to let the past color how you will eventually hear their self-titled East West debut: a stunning album full of broad shoulder hooks and poetic interludes.

Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jason Lader (protege of legendary music industry vet Rick Rubin), the record was a first for all parties involved, including Lader who, here, is making his credited production debut. It’s even being released as the inaugural disc through the band’s own label, the Bevonshire Label, named in honor of the dingy hotel they lived at during the album’s recording. Throughout Nightmare Of You, though, the band’s songs serve as a catalyst that will inevitably solidify their transformation from punk rock vets to accomplished songwriters, honing in on a more mature sound that their previous bands only seemed to hint at.

It is evident from the somber opening track “The Days Go By Oh So Slow” that the chunky guitar distortion of old has vanished in favor of clean string arrangements, creating a sound that is more reminiscent of the early 1980’s Manchester scene than any of the band members’ previous endeavors. But the emotional purging that has long been a part of hardcore’s loud-and-fast history still remains. “Writing is therapeutic,” Reilly insists. “I have [always] been dysfunctional that’s probably why my lyrics come across as dark. But you have to have a decent sense of humor about what cards you are dealt in life.”

The juxtaposition of memorable melodies and sardonic lyrics are bound to keep the listeners intrigued. The subtly haunting confessions of obsession in “I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard” finds Reilly in particularly sweet and sour mood. But, moreover, Nightmare Of You defies simple categorization, and in a musical climate where most bands adhere to a formula of sandwiching catchy but disposable choruses between standardized verses, this is a new beginning and a witty breath of fresh air.