Thao with The Get Down Stay Down consists of Thao Nguyen or just simply Thao (vocals, guitar), Frank Stewart (lead guitar, producer), Adam Thompson (bassist), and Willis Thompson (drummer) based in San Francisco, United States. After picking up her guitar at the age of 12, Thao Nguyen began performing and recording as a pop-country duo with a high school friend. Raised in Falls Church, Virginia with her single mother, she often practiced her songs while working at her mother’s laundromat. She often cites Lilith Fair as an inspiration for her desire to become a young singer-songwriter. After recording an EP that differed from her initial style, she began performing as a soloist with her acoustic guitar. Nguyen would meet drummer Willis Thompson while studying for her degrees in Sociology and Women’s Studies at College of William and Mary and his in Environmental Studies and Music. Willis Thompson was a member of Camp Tigerclaw, Acousticore, and Murphy’s Kids. He is also a contributing member to the band The Light Footwork whose singer and guitarist Jay Underwood briefly played bass for Thao and coined the name The Get Down Stay Down during one dubious southeastern tour. Thao Nguyen and Willis Thompson met Adam Thompson (no relation) during a show at the Harrison Street Coffee Shop in Richmond, Virginia. At the time, Adam Thompson was performing as a solo jazz-influenced act under the moniker The OK Bird. Frank Stewart, member of the bands Durian and Verbal, would produce the first full-length album Like The Linen in 2005 and join the band as a lead guitarist. Although only Willis and Nguyen initially performed live on tour, the four members began touring as a group during the Kill Rock Stars’ Sound the Hare Heard tour during the summer of 2006. The name of the band was originally suggested by a former bassist of the band. Nguyen would expand the initial suggestion of “The Get Down” to “The Get Down Stay Down”. Thao Nguyen still occasionally performs as a soloist, including a European tour with Laura Veirs and the Tortured Souls in August 2006. The band is now being managed by Slim Moon, former president of the Kill Rock Stars label. In August of 2006, the group began recording in Seattle and released the album We Brave Bee Stings And All in January of 2008.
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