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Thao and the Get Down Stay Down

By Andy Hahn

Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down are coming to Milo on Saturday, July 19, and bringing their indie pop sound with them. They combine a raw indie style with a combination of acoustics, jazz, country and brass. They will be performing songs from their new album, "We Brave Bee Stings and All," including the YouTube favorite, "Bag of Hammers." Thao and The Get Down Stay Down have been on tour in the U.S. and Europe since March of this year. I interviewed Thao about their music, band, tour, and her beat boxing skills.

UW: Is there a message behind, "We Brave Bee Stings and All?"

"No, it's more of an observation. It is a lyric in one of the songs. The concept of it is both literal and figurative. The literal part was when we were moving in and I got stung by a bee in the bathroom. I had to take off my pants because it was stuck and it stung me on the ass. For the figurative part, I think we all overcome a lot of challenges like bee stings that come from the outside and ourselves. The braving part is more of enduring, but there's really no message."

UW: How does this album differ from the first album, "Like the Linen"?

"This album is a lot more band oriented and a lot more collaboration. The first album was more of a typical singer/songwriter thing that was more country. I wanted a bigger sound, and the songs that I was writing were more rhythmic and called for more dynamics. Also, as far as the subject matter of the first and second album, on the first album I relied more on other people, and on the second album I relied more on myself. It's just a sign of maturity."

UW: Do the tracks on this album refer to experiences that you have had in the past?

"Yeah, I think all of it is fairly autobiographical. The track "Feet Asleep" was written for my mom. That's actually written from her standpoint. It is about how she worked very hard and raised two kids on her own. It is a tribute song to her."

UW: Have you seen your video on YouTube, and what do you think of it?

"I have not seen it. I think it's cool, I guess. Things like that make me really nervous. I'm uncomfortable with that kind of senseless exposure. From what I recall, people get brave and leave comments. I make it a rule not to go on the internet and look for anything with myself involved. I'm pretty sensitive. It's — whatever, it's kind of embarrassing. I'm glad it's up there, I guess, but I don't need to see it."

UW: What musician do you compare yourself to, or would you want to be compared to?

"No one; I think we all need a reference point from one artist to another. There are people that I respect a lot, and I would feel inappropriate saying that I was among them. I don't want to be arrogant, so I would say no one really."

UW: How did you meet your band, "The Get Down Stay Down?"

"The drummer Willis Thompson and I went to the same college, and we started playing together. Frank Stewart played on the first record, "Like the Linen." We played a show in Richmond, Virginia, and Adam Thompson was doing his own thing the same night under the nickname, "The O.K. Bird." We decided Adam was awesome, and asked him to come on as our bassist.

UW: How does the tour in Europe differ from America?

"I've been to Europe a few times now. It depends; when it's good, it's really good, but when it's bad it's worse than America. I think the U.K is generally a very difficult place to tour, but places like Germany and Italy are really supportive. The difference is that Europe is more artist-friendly; they will feed you and they will pay you well and pay you before you play, which never happens in the U.S. I feel a lot more comfortable in the states, though."

UW: How does your singing style relate to your personality?

"I think it's lazy, and I'm lazy, pretty much."

UW: I hear you beat box a little bit; what's up with that?

"A little bit, definitely. It started out as a joke, and then we put it on the record. Then I started doing it in the live shows. Now it's pretty funny. I don't think I'm good at all. It's like a party trick."

Originally Published: July 16, 2008

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