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THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR ‘KNOW BETTER LEARN FASTER’ OUT OCTOBER 13, 2009 ON KILL ROCK STARS PRE-ORDER ALBUM NOW, CD/ LP + TICKET PACKAGES AVAILABLE

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THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR ‘KNOW BETTER LEARN FASTER’ OUT OCTOBER 13, 2009 ON KILL ROCK STARS PRE-ORDER ALBUM NOW, CD/ LP + TICKET PACKAGES AVAILABLE

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down will be touring North America this fall in support of their second full-length album, Know Better Learn Faster. Thao Nguyen and the ever-versatile Get Down Stay Down (Adam Thompson on bass, keys and additional guitar, and Willis Thompson on drums and percussion), with super-producer and friend Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Bill Frisell, Jim James) again at the helm, present an album that perfectly captures the band as their more mature, tastefully raucous, subdued and musically adventurous selves. It is the follow up to their critically lauded and riotously applauded previous album, We Brave Bee Stings and All, the breakout success and best-selling record of 2008 for Kill Rock Stars.

Honed, trimmed and tightened over the last year and a half of constant touring, the now-trio delivers Thao’s cleverly crafted and emotionally evocative songs with vibrant, innovative instrumentation, incredible energy and a still-acutely-solid sense of what sounds good. The new batch of songs spans all genres and influences, all the while staying faithful to their distinct style, sharp wit, and the infectious and enamoring exuberance of their renowned live shows. But the band can be serious too. Know Better Learn Faster is in many ways a boisterous, frenzied, and resigned break-up record, and with that territory comes a few songs wherein Thao does not employ her trademark method of juxtaposing brighter melodies with melancholic content. “A few of these are just straightforwardly sad. Sometimes there’s not much room to mince words and music when you feel like shit,” she says.

The diverse and wide-ranging songwriting only helps to showcase the trio’s formidable musicianship: all members have stepped up and expanded their repertoires to fill out the trio’s sound. To further help the cause, the band was thrilled and humbled to enlist album guests Andrew Bird, Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper, Laura Veirs, Horse Feathers, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, Jenny Conlee of The Decemberists, and close friend and new 4AD artist Tune-Yards.

PRE-ORDER INFORMATION

Kill Rock Stars is currently offering the option to purchase a CD or LP and a ticket to one of the upcoming Thao and the Get Down Stay Down’s shows in a town near you. If you purchase these together it will be cheaper than if you had bought them separately plus it ensures that you will get into the show. One ticket per CD or LP.

http://www.buyolympia.com/killrockstars/Item=KRS500

THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN TOUR DATES

10.15 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Club Mercy

10.16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex

10.17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place

10.18 – San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival

10.21 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

10.22 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey

10.23 – Vancouver BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret

10.24 – Spokane, WA @ Empyrean Coffee

10.27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center

10.28 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall

10.29 – Urbana, IL @ The Canopy Club

10.30 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

10.31 – Detroit, MI @ The Cafe at the Majestic Theater

11.01 – Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo

11.02 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore

11.03 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs

11.04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

11.05 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church

11.06 – Washington DC @ Black Cat

11.07 – Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club Downstairs Lounge

11.09 – Atlanta, GA @ EARL

11.11 – Houston, TX @ The Studio at Warehouse Live

11.12 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk

11.13 – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s

11.14 – Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s

11.17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room

11.18 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush

11.19 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah

11.20 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House

All shows except 10.18 with Portland Cello Project and David Schultz