The Interview: Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

I am sad to say that I only recently discovered Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. As soon as I heard their latest album Know Better Learn Faster however, I fell in love almost immediately. A catchy, upbeat album with relatable, sometimes melancholy lyrics, it has definitely become one of my favorites from 2009. You can imagine my excitement when I found out just a little while later that Thao was coming to town. This tour is a collaboration between her and Mirah, in which they have combined forces to share a stage while alternating between their songs. Luckily, I had the chance to talk to Thao before the show in Detroit, Michigan.

You're about halfway through your tour, how's it going so far?

It's been really great. It's been a lot of fun. It's been significantly warmer than anyone could ever imagine. We went through the Southwest and then through Texas for the first week, and then through New Orleans and up the coast. We were in Florida as well. I know we named it the Heat Tour, but there's no way we could have known. The rest has been great though.

So, obviously you're doing this tour with Mirah. How did you meet her, and what made you decide to team up on this tour?

Mirah and I met through a mutual colleague. We have the same licensing person at Terrorbird and KillRockStars – a mutual friend really. Mirah moved to San Francisco and I live there. Lauren put us in touch and suggested that we work together. I had this invitation to do Noise Pop, which is a festival in San Francisco and they asked if I wanted to do anything special this year, as a sort of collaboration, so I asked Mirah to collaborate with me. We talked about it for months, but we were never in town at the same time because of our schedules. So it wasn't until the week before Noise Pop that we actually got together and started trying to hammer out a set. We had a great time, and within those rehearsals that we decided that it'd be fun if we smashed our bands together and went on tour.

You've actually worked with a lot of fantastic people lately. You worked with Andrew Bird and Laura Veirs on your record and actress Dianna Agron on your video. What is your next dream collaboration?

I don't know if I have one. I think that we have been incredibly fortunate. Things just come up in the weirdest ways. Like the thing with Dianna, she's fantastic and I would say that we're friends now, and it just sort of happened. I love country blues music and old country, and I really love Dolly Parton. If I ever got to play guitar for her, that would be amazing.

So let's talk about your newest album, Know Better Learn Faster. Tell me a little bit about it.

A lot of it was about the end of a relationship. That was the primary engine, but a lot of it is also about the failure of human relationships in general. Not romantic, just things that disappoint or just the end of things.

Personally, I got a higher-energy feel from this album. How do you think you've evolved since We Brave Bee Stings and All?

I think the imperative element here is that when we recorded that record, we were barely a band and we toured it to death. We grew a lot as a group of musicians that collaborate together and so for Know Better Learn Faster my intention was to better convey that energy. On a good night we have really good energy, I hope. I think that is one of our strengths as a live band, and so to have that better represented was a priority. I think that's the main difference. And I'm more of an emotional performer now, and I wanted that.

I love the track arrangement on this album. I really feel like it's very rare to find a story within the tracks layout itself. Did you feel like you had to work really hard to fit the songs together that way, or did they fall into place naturally?

For the most part, they fell in place. Basically, most of the album was written in a month, and it was really intense. Just scheduling-wise I didn't have time to write the songs until we were due in the studio. It was in tandem with the end of this thing, and as the songs were coming they were pretty much reflecting. They were sort of earmarks of what was going on and I thought it would be cool to have the sequencing reflect that. So there are pockets of that throughout the sequencing. "The Clap" is how it started, which is awesome because it was one of the first songs that I wrote for the record. No, it wasn't too hard. It was a collaboration between Tucker, our producer and myself and Slim, my manager. We all had ideas and sort of meshed them together.

You're incredibly active in a variety of causes, including Oxfam. Can you tell me some causes you've worked with and what you've done with them?

We've worked closely with them [Oxfam] for over three years, and I have such respect for them as an international aid organization – and domestically as well. I work really closely with 826 Valencia and 826 National. That is a program started by Dave Eggers, who is a good friend of mine and a really great guy. He started this years ago, and it's to promote literacy and creative writing in kids, and takes special effort towards kids who are in under-served communities. The first one was started in the Mission, which is really close to where I live in San Francisco, and I tutor there when I'm off tour. It's one of my favorite parts of living in the city to go home and to be able to that. I just do homework tutoring and writing workshops with kids and summer writing camps. It's a lot of fun, they're incredible. A lot of my friends are activists and I get a lot of initiative from them, because they're incredible, the work they do. I've gotten involved with stuff in New Orleans, and rebuilding after Katrina and lately the gulf restoration with all the terrible things that are going on in the coast. And domestic violence issues and some women's prison issues.

That's really remarkable. So, to bring it back a little – what do you like to do in your free time on tour?

On tour? I don't even know. I like to sit and stare, because there's a lot less time to do that with all the running around. Catching up on reading is really hard because we're in the van a lot and I get motion sickness. I would like to say that I can read but I can't, I'll throw up. I listen to podcasts and I try to write things in complete sentences. I used to watch the Food Network a lot, but this tour we don't even have time to watch television. It's been a really busy tour. But we all like to eat well, so fine cuisine tasting is good.

Did you already try out Detroit's offerings?

No, not yet! We're trying to get time tomorrow morning to go to a Coney Island in Hamtramck. The first time we came through Detroit – and I love this city, I really do. I think it's so fascinating. I think it's this amazing microcosm of what's happened in America, just modern American history. Pretty much everything that happened to America happened here, and you can see it. Anyway, we can talk more about that later, because I really love your city. But, we went to a Coney Island the next morning. A friend of ours who lives here took us there and it was amazing. All these old men in zoot suits, calling everyone baby. It felt amazing, this really awesome community spirit that I've only ever seen in New Orleans. It seems the places that endure the most have the strongest spirit.

Do you remember the first album you ever bought?

Salt-N-Pepa Blacks' Magic. But I bought the wrong record. I was looking for whatever had "Push It" on it, but it's not on that record. Yeah, that was the first one. It was on cassette tape.

What's on your playlist these days?

I'm not good at keeping up with what's going on because it just stresses me out. I think it's really stressful, new music. Because I think, I don't know – should we be trying that? But in the car, I was listening to De La Soul, and Karen Dalton – who is one of my favorite folk blues singers. And I love 60's pop music and old country. Specifically today, I was listening to Karen Dalton, De La Soul and The Byrds.

Just to wrap up, a few random questions. What would you title your memoirs?

The Turtle is My Spirit Animal.

What's your favorite dessert?

Something with salt in it.

Something with salt in it?

Yeah, I don't really like sweet things! Maybe something with fruit – and salt.

What's your guilty pleasure?

I really like the Ellen Show. I never get to see it. But all the guys in the band know, so if we're in the hotel and it's on, they'll text me.

Last question: what is your favorite bar and your drink of choice?

I had to lay off the drinking a little bit, so it's been a while. I like anything that is really quiet, and it has large wooden tables and it's dark. The last time I really liked a bar we were in Europe, but I can't remember where it was. My favorite drink is a whiskey neat. Jameson or Maker's.

Thao was incredibly friendly, down-to-earth and put on one heck of a show. I had a blast both talking with her and watching her perform. I highly recommend checking out the latest album Know Better Learn Faster, and if you're able to catch her on tour, I guarantee a great time will be had.