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Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the hands
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Rien - the ugly culture | by D.S.Conclusion: a small marvelBeards... Them obscure filamentous composites of the cheeks and chins that certain humanoid specimens carry, as with the burden of this quasi-daily ritual that became known as "shaving". Might they be a fabulous resting place of our friends the muses? In order to confirm this extravagant - albeit plausible - theory, and listening only to my own courage, I decided to start a meticulous inspection of the bushy population of my own face. The spoils were few: an important colony of lice, a rusty secator and the putrefied remains of a pizza from another era... Not a single trace of a muse of any kind. Elementary: Which divinity in its own right would dare distill her precious inspiration to a hygenically challenged hobo like me? Quite obviously, Devendra Banhart takes care of his beard. At least as much as Samson did of his hair. Sufficiently in any case for Euterpe to reign supreme within. And as if the precocious detention of musical genius wasn't enough to me, our man also seems to revel in necromancy; the crossed shadows of Robert Johnson, Nick Drake and John Fahey permanently float over the......
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Devendra Banhart
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Tucson Citizen | by Polly HigginsHis outsider folk is romantic, mysterious"Hands are kind of the symbol for life and creation," Devendra Banhart says, referring to the title of his latest CD, "Rejoicing in the Hands." "When the hands are open, they are rejoicing." Devendra Banhart talks fast. Very fast when he's excited about something, such as British folk singer Vashti Bunyan. The words spill out quicker than the speed of comprehension. Here's what we gathered when speaking to the singer-songwriter last week, his van pointed toward Baltimore: Bunyan is the reason Banhart is doing music. "I sent her my music a long time ago, and she told me not to stop." It's when we ask how long ago that Banhart's two other conversational anomalies show themselves. He switches verb tense without reason, and when he doesn't want to talk about something, he suddenly retreats. "It was a secret," he says. A lot about Banhart seems to be a secret, or is at least cloaked in mystery. Part of that is encouraged by Banhart's romantic lyrics that range from playful to cryptic streams of consciousness. His songs include laughing lemon trees, aches that take their time, and "saggy flesh that sweeps......
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Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands
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Tracks Magazine | by Joe GrossTotally hypnoticBanhart made an underground splash in 2002 with the nakedly surreal DIY collection Oh Me Oh My…, his spare, untutored warbling both raw and deeply sophisticated. On Rejoicing, he ditches the Tiny Tim-isms and expands his sound. Moving from country to Celtic and back again, he turns Elvis song titles into glossolalia on “Poughkeepsie,†gets boozy on “This Beard Is For Siobhan†and discovers strings on “A Sight To Behold.†Folkart fetishists may be bummed, but Banhart’s music is still totally hypnotic and, indeed, more powerful for the studio polishing....
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Banhart's life, music defies conventional analysis
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Nashville City Paper | by Ron Wynnshow previewIf someone decided to make a film or write a fictional novel based on singer/songwriter Devendra Banhart's real story it is doubtful anyone would believe it. But no one since the late Ted Hawkins, a 20th century troubadour discovered on the street who later became an international celebrity, has a life history as unique and diversified as Banhart. Though only in his early 20s, Banhart has already lived in Venezuela and Paris, as well as Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. He has attended the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute and has also lived on the streets of Paris. But what truly sets Banhart apart is his singing. His high-pitched, wavering yet also striking, sound has an innocence and beauty that are memorable, but there is also a steely, sobering undercurrent. Banhart, who appears tonight at the 5 Spot, doesn't focus on the nuts and bolts of either composition or performance, preferring instead to talk about the musicians and styles that have influenced him. "Son House, Skip James, Neil Young, Vashti Bunyan, Sandy Denny, Caetano Veloso," Banhart ripped off the names. "Anne Briggs, Shirley Collins, the first Wu-Tang album," he continued.......
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Banhart's life, music defies conventional analysis
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Nashville City Paper | by Ron Wynnshow previewIf someone decided to make a film or write a fictional novel based on singer/songwriter Devendra Banhart's real story it is doubtful anyone would believe it. But no one since the late Ted Hawkins, a 20th century troubadour discovered on the street who later became an international celebrity, has a life history as unique and diversified as Banhart. Though only in his early 20s, Banhart has already lived in Venezuela and Paris, as well as Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. He has attended the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute and has also lived on the streets of Paris. But what truly sets Banhart apart is his singing. His high-pitched, wavering yet also striking, sound has an innocence and beauty that are memorable, but there is also a steely, sobering undercurrent. Banhart, who appears tonight at the 5 Spot, doesn't focus on the nuts and bolts of either composition or performance, preferring instead to talk about the musicians and styles that have influenced him. "Son House, Skip James, Neil Young, Vashti Bunyan, Sandy Denny, Caetano Veloso," Banhart ripped off the names. "Anne Briggs, Shirley Collins, the first Wu-Tang album," he continued.......