Based in San Francisco, Thao Nguyen first picked up a guitar at age 12. Since then, she has released three studio albums with her alternative folk-rock backing band, The Get Down Stay Down, and has collaborated with such artists as Andrew Bird, Laura Veirs, and Joanna Newsom. Thao’s 2009 release, Know Better Learn Faster, was praised by Pitchfork for its “warm exuberance that keeps the music spry,” while SPIN noted that Thao’s “lazily smoky voice has its bitterly harsh moments, but her coolly analytical self-awareness stings the most.” Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s latest album, We the Common, was released on February 5, 2013.
