Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

For whatever reason, I am not really a fan of female artists/vocalists, with the exception of Cat Power. So, I was skeptical when
a friend (Thanks, David!) introduced me to We Brave Bee Stings and All, the latest Thao album. However, I trust my friend's tastes in music so I checked out their myspace. And now, I am completely hooked.

A singer/songwriter from Virginia, Thao Nguyen is backed by The Get Down Stay Down, a 3-piece band. Maybe it's because they're not from Brooklyn, but Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is surprisingly refreshing. The Midwestern girl in me cannot resist the charm of the banjo. Some of the songs off We Brave Bee Stings and All are a little too poppy for my tastes (i.e. "Bag of Hammers"), but "Swimming Pools" is definitely the highlight of the album. Can you ever have too much banjo? No, you can't, and that's why I love that song.

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is currently on tour in the U.S. Check out the dates here. If I had known about them a week earlier, I could have seen them at the Knitting Factory. But, alas, I missed them. Thankfully, they're coming back on March 23 (Music Hall of Williamsburg).

So after saying I didn't really like female artists/vocalists and that Feist is completely overrated, I stumbled upon this pleasant surprise. Just enough to change my mind about female artists...but not about Feist.


***At the request of Thao's record label, Kill Rock Stars, I've taken down the posted songs. Instead, I've put up some songs from Thao's Daytrotter session. Check out Thao's myspace and my most recent post on Thao for more music.


Geography (Daytrotter) - Thao with The Get Down Stay Down


Feet Asleep (Daytrotter) - Thao with The Get Down Stay Down