Tyler Tholl is one of the local musicians behind up-and-coming power pop group Maple & Beech<\/a>. In quite the departure from M&B’s seven members, Tholl also fronts a project called Sister Castle Theater in which he partners with just his piano and drums (also an occasional pedal steel courtesy of\u00a0 Zack Warpinski).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his solo work Tholl displays a real talent for simple and effective melodies, lean songwriting, and a warm and engaging sound. He conjures the spirits of Nilsson to Newman, amongst others, and even sounds a bit “Bowie-esque” in more upbeat tunes like “My House.<\/a>” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an uncomplicated sound that’s been done by countless others, so the real trick is doing it in a way that stands out. Tholl excels at his own brand of unadorned balladry, easily hurdling over the ranks of piano pop mediocrity through the sheer ingenuity of his spare-yet-effective melodies.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tholl released his most recent work, a five song Ep entitled Piano Songs<\/em>. You can stream\/purchase it below or at the Bandcamp site.<\/a> Also worth checking out: a cool claymation video for single “Rome” here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Jon <\/p>\n\n\n\n