Thao and Mirah with The Most of All

Mon., June 21, 8 p.m., $13-$14, with These United States, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.

by M.J. Fine

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Published: Jun 16, 2010

[rock/pop]

Here's something really special: Following a successful pairing at San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival earlier this year, two of indie rock's most captivating performers are taking the show on the road. Thao is all restless energy and bleeding-heart tenderness; with her band The Get Down Stay Down, she drowns out all distractions. Mirah's all effortless calm and perfectly placed phrases; on her own, she'll physically wrest the room from talkers if she has to, but you'll swear she never raised her voice. Both women are seasoned collaborators; Thao's reworked her songs with the Portland Cello Project, while Mirah's consistently conquered new territory with fellow Philly transplant Ginger Brooks Takahashi, various Portland luminaries and a series of unlikely remixers. On tour together, they're co-fronting a band (The Most of All) and doing whatever it takes to best serve the material — sharing songs, trading them or making up new ones, adding harmonies, percussion and verve. If you love Thao's "Bag of Hammers" or Mirah's "The Garden," just wait until you hear them with the teamed-up treatment.

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