Last night, after checking out Thurston Moore’s perfunctory set and stomaching as much of Girl Talk’s mash-up madness as we could at the Wonder Ballroom (where, incidentally, we also stomached a couple $4 Pabsts—which just ain’t right), we decided to jump ship and cruise on over to the Someday Lounge to see Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. This was the right decision: The corporate Nike party started to feel like the wedding of someone you barely remember from college, complete with crazy DJ and awkward onstage dancing. I wasn’t nearly drunk on super-expensive Pabsts to begin to enjoy it.

So, onward and upward, and Thao was the perfect antidote. She’s a remarkably charming live performer, modest and gracious, especially when the music gets the best of her and she starts kicking to the beat. “Geography” and “Feet Asleep” were definitely highlights, as was set opener “Big Kid Table” and single “Bag of Hammers.”

As announced, it was just Thao and drummer Willis Thompson. Regarding the two absent members of the Get Down Stay Down, she kidded, “Well, we’ve reached the end of a very long tour, and we just got sick of them. I think we left them in Nebraska somewhere.” The stripped-down line up really let the songs breathe, and Thompson was given the opportunity to fill up more space with his strong, swinging drumming. He’s a very melodic drummer, and a perfect counterpoint to Thao’s breezy style. They’ve been playing together since college, and their chemistry was evident. Thao was in incredible voice, too. She has been on the road with Xiu Xiu for a while, and her singing has definitely been toned by the experience, sounding stronger and clearer than on record. While her voice is always appealing, it can sometimes sound a little puckered (as she notes in the lyrics to “Bag of Hammers”: “As sharp as I sing…”). Last night she sounded marvelous.

If you missed Thao, she’s off to do a large tour of Europe, so you can either jump on a plane OR you can check her out, along with the complete Get Down Stay Down, at the Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater on Monday May 26th.