Probably deep within an Appalachian forest, Thao Nguyen stumbled upon the elements of a captivating folk song: innocent melody, intimate lyrics, nimbly picked guitar. Wandering back into the Washington, D.C., metro area, she recruited the Get Down Stay Down to give some swagger and rhythm to her acoustic blues and bittersweet yelp. Her new album, We Brave Bee Stings and All is a peek into the diary of a hip-swiveling indie kid. Live, Thao and her band groove to unselfconscious introspection and sharp social observation.
