Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Battle of the High School Bands: The Winner

In our Battle of the High School Bands contest, we ended up with 350 submissions spanning six decades of adolescence – from psychedelic pop to soulful hip-hop. (For a handful of the very best, check out our two volumes of mixtapes.) Our rock star judges, Andrew W.K. and Thao Nguyen, had the challenging task of […]

What’s in a High School Band Name?

Battle of the High School Bands: Meet the Judges

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A Half-Century of High School Bands

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A Trip Home with Thao Nguyen

Arts, Culture & Media
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Road Music: Thao Nguyen

Arts, Culture & Media

Summer is touring season for musicians, and Studio 360 is asking what they like to listen to on the road. Thao Nguyen, of the band Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, relies on the Zombies song “This Will Be Our Year.” It’s a tune about starting fresh, and Thao explains that’s necessary when living […]

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Thao Nguyen

Arts, Culture & Media

At just 24, she put out one of 2008’s best indie rock records, We Brave Bee Stings and All and she’s touring the country now with her band. She grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where her mother owns a coin laundromat and dry cleaning business. We sent Jesse Dukes to meet up with Thao and her mother at the laundromat to find out how she grew into a rock star.

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