Thao and Mirah with The Most Of All
with These United States
Thao and Mirah mix and match voices, songs and dear friends to conjure a superband collaboration as accidentally intentional and charmed as a real-life love child.
As a teenager, Thao Nguyen spent hours in her mother's laundromat, working the counter while simultaneously writing songs and tinkering on her guitar. Years later, Nguyen's capacity for multi-tasking is paying off: after recruiting drummer Willis Thompson and bassist Adam Thompson (not related, but both from Nguyen's home state of Virginia) to serve as her backing band, the Get Down Stay Down, Thao has spent the past six years performing, touring and recording, as both a solo artist and a band. Along the way, her earnest, gritty voice and bluesy brand of guitar-driven indie folk have attracted an impressive list of collaborators and admirers, including Laura Veirs, Andrew Bird, and the Portland Cello Project. Two years ago, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down moved to San Francisco, where they received a warm welcome from fellow West Coast musicians (and touring partners) like Xiu Xiu and Rilo Kiley. More recently, Thao converted a messy breakup into ample fodder for her fourth album, Know Better Learn Faster, released this past October. Packed with Thao's signature growl and a more rock-oriented set of jams, Know Better Learn Faster propelled Thao and her band to a spot at this year's Treasure Island Festival, a terrific show at The Cedar, and touring stints in Japan and Europe. Thao gives her solo act a new spin on this special return visit to The Cedar, sharing the stage with her co-headliner Mirah. "Our good friend Lauren Ross, who works with Kill Rock Stars, told me Mirah would be moving to SF and she put us in touch with each other because she thought it would be a fun musical pairing," explains Thao. "Also, we both like macrobiotic food," she adds. "We have been listening to each other's songs and choosing ones we'd like to cover, so there will be some swapping. Also, I want to play the banjo and drums and Mirah wants to play piano and loop pedal, so I hope those will be making an appearance. I have loved Mirah's music for a long time, and it is quite an excitement and privilege to be working with her. I can't believe she's letting me sing some of her songs."
Tickets are on sale now from the Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets (Electric Fetus, Depth of Field, Homestead Pickin' Parlor, and Irish on Grand), and online on Ticketweb.
"The album is named 'Know Better Learn Faster' because you can't," explains Thao. "By the time you realize you should, it's too late. And I enjoy the predicament and the totally devastating, unfunny humor of that."
Thao and the ever-versatile Get Down...
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