Drew Feinerman March 10th, 2020 - 1:42 PM
San Fransisco based folk group Thao & The Get Down Stay Down have announced their new album titled Temple; the project is set on May 15th of this year, and have released the title track alongside visuals. The visuals capture the Vietnamese influence that exists in the band through lead singer, Thao Ngyuen.
In addition to the album release, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down has also announced the Temple summer tour, set to take place from June to August following the release of the album. The tour will start on June 17th at the Alma Mater in Tacoma, Washington and conclude on August 11th at The State Room in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will include stops at Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom (June 25-26) and New York’s Webster Hall (July 28). The band was supposed to appear at SXSW festival, but the festival was recently cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.
This album will be Thao’s most honest and open project she has done, as the album reflects on her queer identity and the pain she faced hiding her true identity throughout most of her life. Although she fears her traditionally-forward family may reject her identity, she believes she must be true to herself through her music.
“I have divided myself into so many selves,” Thao states. “I am nervous, but hopeful that in belonging to myself, I can still belong to my family, and my Vietnamese community, especially the elders.” She continues, “I believe that shame has made my work more general, when I’ve always wanted to be specific. This record is about me finally being specific. If you listen to my music, I want you to know who you are dealing with.”
Check out the Temple cover art and track list, as well as the Temple summer tour dates, below:
THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN LIVE:
04/08 — Eugene, OR —Sessions Music Hall
06/17 — Tacoma, WA — Alma Mater
06/18 — Vancouver, BC — Imperial
06/19 — Seattle, WA — Neptune Theatre
06/20 — Portland, OR — Crystal Ballroom
06/22 — Sacramento, CA — Harlow’s
06/24 — Solana Beach, CA — Belly Up Tavern
06/25 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom
06/26 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom
06/27 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore
07/18 — St Louis, MO — Ready Room
07/15 — Minneapolis, MN — Fine Line
07/16 — Chicago, IL — Thalia Hall
07/19 — Nashville, TN — Mercy Lounge
07/21 — Cincinnati, OH — The Woodward Theater
07/22 — Millvale, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre
07/23 — Toronto, ON — Longboat Hall
07/24 — South Burlington, VT — Higher Ground Ballroom
07/25 — Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club
07/28 — New York, NY — Webster Hall
07/29 — Philadelphia, PA — Underground Arts
07/30 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club
07/31 — Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle
08/01 — Atlanta, GA — Terminal West
08/02 — Birmingham, AL — Saturn
08/04 — Houston, TX — Studio at Warehouse Live
08/ 05 — Austin, TX — Emo’s
08/06 — Dallas, TX — Trees
08/07 — Oklahoma City, OK — Tower Theatre
08/08 — Kansas City, MO — Grinders at XRDS
08/10 — Denver, CO — Bluebird Theater
08/11 — Salt Lake City, UT — The State Room
