Songwriter Thao Nguyen performs with one of the best band names in the business: Thao And The Get Down Stay Down. Their 2013 album We The Common, marked a turning point both in Nguyen's musical career and in her life. During a hiatus from touring and recording with the band (Thao released a collaborative album with singer-songwriter Mirah in 2011), Nguyen spent time connecting with family and volunteering at a women's prison, where she met an inmate named Valerie Bolden. Bolden's story inspired the title track, one of three songs that Thao and her band played in-studio. (From the Archives, 2013.)