Devendra Banhart, iconoclastic American singer/songwriter, plays The Village on Friday, the 29th of July.
Devendra Banhart has electrified the underground American music scene with the release of his debut album, Oh My, Oh My, and created a cult audience with his two subsequent albums, Rejoicing in the Hands and Nino Rojo.
Devendra Banhart is one of the most unusual and interesting songwriting talents to emerge in the new millenium with a primitive acoustic sound, soulful angelic vocals and songs that features striking melodies and wonderfully playful lyrics.
Having befriended Bill Berkson, Devendra Banhart took his first tentative steps at songwriting and recording his efforts on four-track cassette recorders. The songs were never too long and operated as simple folk songs featuring fascinating streams-of-consciousness lyrics.
Friends persuade Banhart that the outside world needed to find out about his songs and once Young God Records founder Michael Gira heard Banhart, he was hooked. Gira flirted with the idea of recording the songs in a studio but came around to the idea of releasing the songs in their primitive state as Oh My, Oh My.
With a sound reminiscent of early Marc Bolan recordings and the music of Karen Dalton, and wildly imaginative songs like "Nice People", "Miss Cain" and "Soon Is Good", Devendra Banhart became a darling of music critics and an instant cult figure.
For his next recording, Devendra Banhart uses the recording studio of Lynn Bridge's house and laid down more than fifty tracks. Banhart weaved his own Cosmic American Music with songs that touch on everything for blues, ragtime, Appalachian songs and country.
Banhart released 32 of these songs on the Rejoicing in the Hands and Nino Rojo albums featuring the haunting "It's A Sight To Behold", the whimsical "Little Yellow Spider" the spiritual blues of "My Ships".
Creating a great deal of excitement either side of the Atlantic, Devendra Banhart's concert in The Village will be one of the music events of the year.
Time: 8.30pm
Tickets: €17.50
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.ie
The Village
26 Wexford St,
Dublin 2.
Tel: 1890 2000 78
