Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All

It looks like the folks at Kill Rock Stars have another hit on their hands -- Thao Nguyen has been taking the online world by storm, and seems to be on the threshold of mainstream success. Her We Brave Bee Stings and All was released a few days ago and has been generating raves.

Lazy comparisons have been made to Cat Power and Fiona Apple, but neither seem on the mark. The charming Nguyen is from the new breed of eclectic singer-songwriters, undaunted by the prospect of experimentation but still melodic and accessible. In a marketplace that embraces the likes of St. Vincent and Sufjan Stevens, Thao should find herself quite welcome. Highly recommended.

Thao - Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)
Thao - Bag of Hammers

Thao Nguyen on tour:

2/03 Middle East, Cambridge, MA
2/04 Knitting Factory, NY, NY
2/06 Messiah College, Grantham, PA
2/09 Millers, Charlottesville, VA
2/11 The Boot, Norfolk, VA
2/22 UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Thao Nguyen with Xiu Xiu:

3/07 Someday Lounge, Portland, OR
3/08 Chop Suey, Seattle, WA
3/10 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
3/11 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO
3/13 Maintenance Shop, Ames, IA
3/14 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
3/15 Reggie's, Chicago, IL
3/16 Rubble's Bar, Mount Pleasant, MI
3/17 Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, Ontario
3/18 Babylon Nightclub, Ottawa, Ontario
3/19 La Sala Rossa, Montreal, Quebec
3/20 Bennington College, Bennington, VT
3/21 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
3/22 Smog, Bard College, Annandale, NY
3/24 Student Center, Purchase, NY
3/23 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
3/25 Fordham University, Bronx, NY
3/26 First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
3/27 Black Cat, Washington, DC
3/28 Skully's Music-Diner, Columbus, OH
3/29 Southgate House, Newport, KY
3/31 Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, St. Louis, MO
4/01 Randy Bacon Gallery, Springfield, MO
4/02 Conservatory, Oklahoma, City, OK
4/03 Lola's, Fort Worth, TX
4/04 Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, Houston, TX
4/05 Mohawk, Austin, TX
4/07 College of Santa Fe Sub, Santa Fe, NM
4/08 Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ
4/11 Echo, Los Angeles, CA
4/12 Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA

For more on Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, hit their Myspace.