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Tally Hall
American rock band
Tally Hall is an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002. The band's line-up consists of guitarists Joe Hawley and Rob Cantor, bassist Zubin Sedghi, keyboardist Andrew Horowitz and drummer Ross Federman.
The band is known for its eclectic musical style, extensive use of vocal harmonies, and matching outfits featuring white button up shirts, colored neckties, and after 2008, black vests. The members originally described their musical style as "wonky rock", later redefining their sound as "fabloo", to not let any particular genres define their music after critics began defining the characteristics of "wonky rock".
members: Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley, Andrew Horowitz, Ross Federman, Zubin Sedghi
formed in: Ann Arbor
labels: Atlantic Records
genres: alternative rock, power pop
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
alternative rockindie rockindiewonky rockfabloorock
The Night Owl EditionExtra
Early years and Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (2002–2008)
Andrew Horowitz, born in Warren, New Jersey, began writing songs when he was eight years old and studied composition at the University of Michigan. There he met Rob Cantor, who had attended high school with Zubin Sedghi. Cantor and Sedghi had previously played in a band named listedBlack when both were in high school. The three soon decided to play music together, going under the name 540 and playing small shows at the university. At the same time, fellow Michigan student Joe Hawley was studying film, and had formed the sketch comedy group anonyMous. Cantor eventually joined this group, and through this connection soon invited Hawley to join 540 upon learning he could play guitar, and had some musical experience writing songs for his film...
"Hidden in the Sand" is a song by American rock band Tally Hall. It appears as a hidden track on the band's debut album, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
It has become one of the band's more recognized songs following their hiatus, mainly due to its spread on social media sites such as TikTok.
Background and composition
On May 14, 2004, Tally Hall released the EP Welcome To Tally Hall, featuring "Hidden in the Sand" as the fifth and hidden track. The demo is played acoustically with vocal harmonies provided by the band. Its origin EP and Tally Hall's previous EP Party Boobytrap were later combined into the compilation album Complete Demos. The track would be re-recorded for Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum with an extended outro featuring Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum's founder, Marvin Yagoda. "Hidden in the Sand" received a third revision with further vocal harmonies and effects after signing with Atlantic Records for the album's 2008 re-issue. The song is composed in 44 common time and in the key of F-sharp major, with a tempo of 121 beats...
Music video
A music video animated and directed by Steve Loter was released for "Hidden in the Sand" on January 19, 2009, as part of the final episode of Tally Hall's Internet Show. As of August 2024, the music video on YouTube has amassed over 40 million views.
"The Bidding" is a song by American rock band Tally Hall. It was released on October 24, 2005, as track 5 of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
The song was written by Joe Hawley with vocals led by Hawley, Rob Cantor, and Zubin Sedghi. It received generally positive reception, amassing over 171 million streams on Spotify and 32 million plays on YouTube.
Background and composition
In early 2005, "The Bidding" was released on Broadjam as a solo demo by Hawley. The demo features some different melodies and lyrics, most notably missing any lyrical outro. A demo later released on Tally Hall's third EP, The Pingry EP, features a full band recording from a University of Michigan studio with updated lyrics. The track would be re-recorded a third time with finalized details, such as the inclusion of Ross Federman's vocals in the bridge. This would be the version featured on Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
"Turn the Lights Off" is a song by American rock band Tally Hall. It was initially released as the tenth track for the band's second album, Good & Evil on June 21, 2011, and was later released as a 7" vinyl single by Needlejuice Records on August 26, 2022.
The song received a resurgence of popularity in the early 2020s due to virality on social media platforms like TikTok. This extended commercial success culminated in November 2025 when the song was officially certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Composition
"Turn the Lights Off" features lead vocals from guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Hawley along with backing vocals from bassist Zubin Sedghi and guitarist Rob Cantor.
Release and reception
The song was released as a part of the band's second studio album as the tenth track. Upon the album's release, Alex Young writing for Consequence (formerly Consequence of Sound) described the song as "playful" and noted "One can truly have fun when their creative lyrics are mashed with feverish keys and layered vocals (...)".
Music video
In October 2011, Tally Hall released the only music video in support of Good & Evil, this being "Turn the Lights Off". It was directed and animated by Drew Morkis. It has amassed over 20 million views on YouTube.
