W&M ARTS AND CULTURE Keeping Up With the Get Down Thao, Willis and Their Three-Year “Hootenanny” ~ BEN KENNEDY ’05 here is some disagreement within the band about the true origins of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Thao Nguyen ’06 says that, during her junior year, Willis Thompson ’05, TM.Ed. ’07 approached her to say he had written drum parts for all her songs. Thompson, on the other hand, remembers being asked to help her play a Homebrew, and later started discussing recording together. Such disagreements, however, have had no audible effect on the harmonious music they create. Three years after their first collaboration, Thao and Willis are travel - ing the country to promote their new CD, We Brave Bee Stings and All (Kill Rock Stars, 2008), touring with the likes of indie-rock stars Rilo Kiley and Xiu Xiu. Along with bassist Adam Thompson (no relation to Willis), the Guitarist and vocalist Thao Nguyen ’06 (front) and the Get Down Stay Down: drummer band has helped flesh out Thao’s easygoing vocals and Willis Thompson ’05, M.Ed. ’07 and bassist Adam Thompson. intricate guitar parts into full-textured and energetic folk-pop songs . National tours and European visits are a long way from their ear - “It’s a challenge to present familiar things in a different way, and I lier days in the small campus music scene. Originally, Thao played want [the record] to be immediately accessible,” says Thao . “I just UCAB’s Homebrew shows solo while Willis went from ska-punk to wanted a bigger sound, so I started writing songs that would benefit double-duty in Camp Tigerclaw and Acousticore. S R from a full band. I wanted to leave space for their innovations.” “There are a lot of shared members and shared projects across A T S Her favorite track on Bee Stings is “Beat (Health, Life and Fire),” campus because William and Mary is so small,” Willis says. “That’s K C O National Public Radio’s Song of the Day on Jan. 4. “It shows the just the nature of the friendships here.” R L L sort of energy we’re always striving for,” she says. Another track, Thao was playing quieter venues at the time, so Willis had to I K “Feet Asleep,” features what she classifies as a “hootenanny vibe,” adjust his big rock drumming for acoustic songwriter material. In F O Y something that was only possible with a talented producer — Tuck - turn, Thao started to write new songs to adapt to his “incredibly S E T er Martine of Sufjan Stevens and Decemberists fame — and a cre - dynamic and tasteful” style, as she puts it. R U ative band. “I don’t think anyone was trying for a specific sound,” she says. O C O “She always had the artistic quality and really good song ideas,” “It so happened that we all gelled together. It’s pretty instinctual.” T O H says Willis. “Adding us in the band helped make it more forceful.” The band’s William and Mary roots have provided for memorable P 26 FALL 2008 WILLIAM & MARY ARTS & CULTURE campus shows, before and after graduation. since we were alumni,” Willis says. “Some - “The last show that Willis and I played times particular nights just work out really before I graduated was amazing,” she says. well and everyone’s into it.” “It was just really cool how many people Now that Thao with the Get Down Stay came out. It was on the UC Terrace and I Down are getting a little more promotion thought that there was an incredibly than UCAB flyers strewn around campus, it warm crowd.” would be natural to assume it’s difficult Returning for UCAB’s “Homebrewaroo” adjusting to all the increased attention. in early spring 2007 with a full band for the Thao would disagree. first time was similarly striking. “Surprisingly, there’s no adjustment,” she “That was just completely amazing to see says. “Nothing changes much except you’re how people have latched on to [the music], in the van longer.” The Get Down’s new CD. and the way they had connected with us “Feet Asleep,” indeed. Swem Exhibit Showcases Student Music he sounds of William and Mary musicians and singers past Terry in 2007 and fellow choir members G. Lindsey Florence ’67 and and present will ring out from the Earl Gregg Swem Mark ’77 and Ann Spielman Woolley ’75. The collection TLibrary when Swem’s Special Collections Research Center contains materials related to Fehr’s music professorship, his (SCRC) presents the exhibit, “Ringing Far and Near: Student direction of the choir and chorus, as well as his musical interests Music and Song at the College of William and Mary” in the Mar - beyond the College. shall Gallery and the SCRC from October 2008 through Feb. 9, What Pappy Fehr did for the choral program, Dr. Charles Varner 2009. Using recordings, posters, photographs, programs, artifacts did for the College’s bands. In 1952, when Varner arrived at the Col - and other materials, the exhibit provides an overview of students lege as the director of bands, he immediately reorganized all of the in song from the early 20th century to the present, encompassing College’s bands and ensembles. The exhibit relives the excitement the vast spectrum of campus groups, such as choirs, the band pro - of past marching band performances and offers insight into the gram, a cappella groups, nontraditional and world music ensem - preparation that goes into performances of current bands and bles, student rock bands, and many others. ensembles including the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble and S When Dr. Carl A. “Pappy” Fehr joined the faculty as an assis - Early Music Ensemble. E V I tant professor of music in 1945, he arrived on campus to a choral Also showcased in the exhibit are the a capella groups that H C R program that consisted of a glee club and a small choir of 17 mem - gained prominence in the 1990s, and the student-run bands of A M bers. By the time he retired in 1974, William and Mary enjoyed the Homebrew fame. For more information, visi t www.swem.wm.edu E W S music of a full college choir and a women’s chorus. As director of /scrc/ExhibitsatSwem.cfm. F O the choir and chorus, Fehr set high standards, often enhancing — Amy Schindler Y S E performances with such visual effects as aesthetically arranged T R U choral groupings. If you were involved in music while at the College and you have material that O C In 2003, Thomas Terry ’74 donated what would become the nucle - you would like to add to the SCRC’s collection, please contact University S O T us of the SCRC’s Fehr collection. Additional material came from Archivist Amy Schindler at [email protected] or 757.221.3094. O H P M O T T O B ; S R A T S K C O R L L I K F O Y S E T R U O C E Above: Legendary choir director Carl “Pappy” Fehr. G A Left: The W&M Marching Band in the Home- M I coming parade, circa early 1960s. P O T ALUMNI MAGAZINE FALL 2008 27 ARTS & CULTURE [BOOK NOTES ] BUSINESS ipation in World War II and the women who Wild Yankees: The Struggle for Independence With 26 years of tax law experience, Louis successfully found ways to express them - Along Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary Frontier S. Shuntich J.D. ’71 has written four books selves despite social obstacles. (Cornell University Press, 2008). In Wild on life insurance and estate and compensa - Yankees , Moyers argues that the concept tion planning. His latest, The Next Step: Suc - HISTORY and pursuit of independence was not limit - cessfully Graduating to Life Insurance Chancellor Professor of Economics William ed to actual war or Advanced Markets (The National Under - J. Hausman , along with Peter Hertner and high politics; it also writer Company, 2008), addresses law Mira Wilkins, has long studied the inter - resonated with insurance agents play between electricity and global finance. ordinary people, themselves and the Their book Global Electrification: Multina - such as the Wild benefits for them tional Enterprise Yankees (frontier going into advanced and International insurgents from markets in their field. Finance in the Histo - New England who Topics include gift ry of Light and contested state strategies, trusts, Power (Cambridge, authority and soil charities, deferred 2008) is a detailed rights in pursuit of compensation and look at the roles their own struggle for autonomy). The creditor protection. large international struggle for personal independence and Shuntich’s book aims organizations land was waged by thousands of ordinary to give life insurance agents valuable infor - played in the distri - settlers and often put them in contention mation to help them advance their careers bution of electrical with native peoples, wealthy speculators, to the next level. power throughout the world. Extensively governments and each other. As a result, researched, with detailed graphs illustrat - the Wyoming Valley later became known FICTION ing the progress and inequities of power as “a truly dark and bloody ground, the site Although Padma Venkatraman M.A. ’94, availability, Global Electrification is hailed in of murders, massacres and pitched bat - Ph.D. ’01 has written more than 20 books its preface as “the ultimate work of refer - tles.” Noted as a major contribution to the for children and adults, Climbing the Stairs ence on the electrification of our world.” study of the American Revolution and its (G.P.