DEVENDRA BANHART HEADLINES THE WILBUR THEATRE ON JUNE 7TH
Boston, MA- Devendra Banhart is set to perform The Wilbur Theatre on Friday June 7th, 2013 at 8:00pm
Devendra Banhart releases his Nonesuch debut, Mala, on March 12, 2013. The singer/songwriter co-produced the record with his longtime bandmate, guitarist Noah Georgeson. Mala has been receiving critical praise, with the Boston Globe calling it “a record intoxicated by its own grooves—silken, sexy, a little aimless, and a lot of fun.” Devendra Banhart and his band—Georgeson, Fabrizio Moretti, Josiah Steinbrick, Rodrigo Amarante, and Todd Dahlhoff —will tour North America beginning in May, playing in 23 cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, among others, plus a set at the Sasquatch Festival.
Mala, Banhart’s eighth studio album, was recorded in his then-home in Los Angeles. (He now resides in New York City.) He and Georgeson played most of the instruments themselves, using borrowed equipment and a recorder they had found in a pawn shop. The recorder is a couple of decades’ old piece of gear “that a lot of early hip-hop had been made on,” says Banhart. “And knowing my songs are not hip-hop whatsoever, we thought it would be interesting to see how these kinds of songs would sound on equipment that was used to record our favorite rap. Let’s see how this technology would work for us.”
Banhart also notes how his voice has developed over the years: “I don’t really take care of my voice, but, just like with playing guitar, you get more familiar with it, and you get better at it. I’ve always said that I’m very good at not knowing how to play the guitar but, really, it’s just that I’m very comfortable with the utter uncertainty of my approach.”
Banhart’s previous release, 2009’s What Will We Be, received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone calling it “the best he’s ever made.” The Los Angeles Times said the record “found him making comfortable, laid-back folk that didn’t sound like a compromise—more like an artist growing into his own.”
Devendra Banhart was born in Houston, TX, and moved with his mother to her native Caracas, Venezuela, when his parents separated. The family relocated to Los Angeles during his teenage years; it was there that he learned to speak English, skateboard, and play music. Banhart first began to perform in public while attending the San Francisco Art Institute. He has since lived in Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco, and New York City.
Banhart first attracted international notice with his 2002 debut album, Oh Me Oh My … The Way the Day Goes By the Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit—a collection of recordings he had made for himself. Pitchfork said in its review: “Banhart’s promising debut is the sign of someone destined for great, strange things.” Subsequent albums include Rejoicing in the Hands, Niño Rojo, Cripple Crow, and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. He has collaborated with fellow musicians including Antony and the Johnsons, Beck, Vashti Bunyan, Os Mutantes, Swans, and Vetiver. He also has performed with both Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, and was part of a David Byrne–curated concert at Carnegie Hall.
Bill Blumenreich presents Devendra Banhart
Friday June 7th, 2013 at 8:00pm
The Wilbur is located at 246 Tremont St. in Boston’s Historic Theatre District
Tickets: $35
For more information on Devendra Banhart visit https://www.devendrabanhart.com/
For more information about the Wilbur and other great events visit https://wilburboston.wpengine.com
