Fans of Tally Hall would probably agree that there is a humorous side to this band with a diverse style of music. Tally Hall now offers the opportunity to see more of this variety. To answer the question, T.H.I.S. (Tally Hall’s Internet Show) is the band’s latest project, a variety show displaying their combination of music and humor. The first episode is now available online, and there will be more to come.
Previously, Tally Hall, a unique five man band from Michigan, accomplished much of what many bands from the Midwest may aspire to do. They have played at Lollapalooza. They have appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. They also acquired something many bands would not mind having—the support of Atlantic Records.
When Atlantic Records agreed to the variety show, Tally Hall broke new ground. According to manager Patrice Fehlen, “This is the first time a major label has executive produced a variety show on the Internet.”
Drummer Ross Federman elaborates. “It was designed from the ground up to be specifically viewed on the Internet. It’s really made to be watched on a computer screen where your focus is a little shorter term, unlike a television or couch situation where the viewer is often in it for the long haul.”
Federman thinks viewers will appreciate the availability that comes with this medium. “One of the great benefits of airing a show on the internet is that it is available on demand any time of day,” he says. “Each new episode will be released on a bi-weekly basis.”
Unlike many variety shows, the band is the cast. Their comedy allows viewers to get to know them better as a band, but it also ventures into other areas. “T.H.I.S. offers more skits or ideas that are more removed from Tally Hall as a band,” Federman says. “Many of them feature unrelated characters, animations, or claymations.”
One such character is a clown. Federman elaborates. “The skit entertains the idea that the red noses clowns usually sport may actually be parts of their bodies and not merely plastic props.”
Federman thinks that even people, who are afraid of clowns, can enjoy this skit. “It reveals a major weakness of them that many may be unfamiliar with.”
Another character is a mysterious man in a gorilla suit. “He is one of the recurring characters on the show,” Federman says. “As a viewer, you get to watch his attempts to fit into human society.”
As for the claymation, Wisconsin viewers may appreciate these characters. “You’ll find that these cows are more sophisticated than your average ones,” previewed Federman. “Maybe they’ll make the Wisconsin bovine community proud.”
The subject matter also ranges to this skit about natural ketchup: http://www.TALLYHALL.tv.
Even though Tally Hall’s subject matter and style are diverse, Federman thinks this skit is a good representation of their humor. “Often times, our ideas have come from things we experience in our daily lives,” Federman points out. “There’s a lot going on around you that’s easy to find humor in, and it takes little thought as to what it is that’s making it seem funny. A good example of that would be the natural ketchup skit where a simple line of questioning became a game of twenty questions. Though in reality, I’m sad to say that we didn’t celebrate with confetti or anything.”
Federman acknowledges the few similarities of the natural ketchup skit to Seinfeld, but he prefers to think of their comedy as a different approach. “Their show was about nothing, and we set out to make a show about everything.”
In making a show about everything, Federman thinks there are benefits. “It’s the little something for everyone approach which offers a lot for all viewers with varying tastes to enjoy.”
More of this something for everyone includes short humorous clips, of which Federman is particularly proud. “We asked out friend Bora to come up with all sorts of things he could do with a short, fifteen second window, and the results couldn’t have been better.”
Rounding out this show about everything is music videos. “There are a few incorporated into the season of the show,” Federman points out. The entire season is based around our album (Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum), so it made sense to include music videos here and there.”
Artistically, Tally Hall appreciates how they have had this opportunity to perform this show. “We’ve always liked to consider our art to be a little more than just music,” Federman says. “It sounds sort of pompous to say that it’s more an ‘idea’ than a collection of songs, but I guess that’s hard to avoid. T.H.I.S. presents an opportunity to see a lot more of that ‘idea,’ whatever it may be, than just the words and melodies provided through our music.”
To view T.H.I.S., go to http://www.tallyhall.com.
To learn more about Tally Hall, go to http://www.myspace.com/tallyhall.