If you’re planning to spend next Monday at the Orpheum Theater listening to The Head and The Heart’s sold-out and much anticipated show, it might be wise to get there early. Any sober, experienced concertgoer knows the front is the best place to truly appreciate all a band has to offer but this is not why skipping class Monday afternoon might be necessary. More so, it’s because Thao Nguyen, the eccentric front woman of opener Thao & The Get Down Stay Down just may be out and about.
“Not often do you like to walk around before a show,” Nguyen said. “But Madison’s a great town to feel like you’re in a place you’d like to see.”
Previously attending the College of William and Mary, Thao studied sociology and women’s studies before working with a multitude of artists such as Laura Veirs and Mirah. After a few years of touring and creating music, however, Thao altruistically took a break to settle down in San Francisco and offer her time to the community. Most specifically, Thao found a connection with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.
“We … had no idea the kind of role it would play,” Nguyen said. “It was only to be a better part of my community, to help out and for my friends who were amazing activists at the organization. Initially just because they asked me to fill in on an advocacy visit… I had no idea what it would become.”
These experiences and the unusual amount of time between this album and the last tour offered Nguyen a completely different environment for writing and resulted in a new sound for We The Common.
“I think my songwriting became a lot more outward looking,” Nguyen said. “I wasn’t interested in writing songs about my personal life or development and the way that I had written in the past. There was a lot more about how I could be a better citizen.”
As openers for The Head and the Heart, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down coincides with indie-folk sound. These elements in lyrics, vocals and the rhythms and sound of the band are rooted in Thao’s Virginia upbringing.
“Growing up in Falls Church, Virginia, there was a lot of old-time, Appalachian, bluegrass and country influences that played a large part in my guitar playing and sound writing,” Nguyen said. “[With] lyric writing I am influenced by a lot of my favorite writers—prose writers and short story writers in particular.”
With the new album, the core of the band did not change, however this time around a few things are new. For one, emotions are unrestrained and more intense, which is most clearly heard in “Move” and “Age of Ice.”
“We The Common is our best effort yet at capturing the energy of a live show, which I think is one of the strengths of this band,” Nguyen said. “It’s more raw and more reliant on rhythm … There’s just a looser feel to it that is more representative of who we are.”
After spending time away from the touring life, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down is more ready than ever to play for their fans.
“The reason we go on tour is to play music for people and when that works out, when the show is good and the energy is there, that’s the only justification you need to live your life on the highway,” Nguyen said. “That’s why we do it and it can’t be recreated in any other sense.”
