Kill Rock Stars' indie-folk duo to play Asheville.

I’m thinking of checking out this show in Asheville – Thao & Mirah at the Grey Eagle on May 12^th. Both are indie singer-songwriters from the Northwest and the collaboration sounds promising. I’m not as familiar with Thao Nguyen or her band the Get Down Stay Down, but what a great band name. I've long loved Mirah's voice. She sings a couple of my favorite modern folk-rock songs.

I discovered Mirah because she was on the overnight playlist when I was a volunteer DJ at WNCW in Spindale around 2002. Her “Apples in the Trees” became a staple whenever I controlled the wee hours’ airwaves (along with the National’s first record, the Distillers' second, and Elvis Costello’s “I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea,” which I played in case my dog was listening at home). There was an intimate fragility, something beyond vulnerability in Mirah’s delicate vocals but there was also strength in the sparse, naked arrangements on that 2002 album “Advisory Committee.” She kind of fell off my radar after that, but the songs from her first two records still garner a smile and a sing-along when they pop up on shuffle, especially “Apples in the Trees.” Her album and tour with Thao seems like the right time to get reacquainted with her music.

The duo’s album is out April 26^th on Kill Rock Stars. You can pre-order a copy and find out more about the pairing here.