Biography Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American psych folk singer-songwriter. Banhart was born in Texas and grew up in Venezuela and California. His debut album was released in 2002.
In 2002, Banhart's album Oh Me Oh My, which was made up of short fragments, was published by Young God Records and received favorable reviews. He recorded two other albums and an EP for the label: Rejoicing in the Hands, Niño Rojo, and The Black Babies; the releases had a simple acoustic sound. Banhart changed to XL Recordings in 2005 and released Cripple Crow, which was recorded in Bearsville Studios, New York and had a more elaborate sound. He recorded his second album for XL Records, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, at his home studio in Topanga, California. The album charted on the Billboard 200 at number 115. In 2006 Banhart was the first artist to contribute a t-shirt design for the Yellow Bird Project, choosing to designate all profits to the Teenage Cancer Trust. Banhart also played the Bonnaroo and Coachella music festivals, founded a record label, Gnomonsong, with Andy Cabic of Vetiver, and is a collector of music artifacts. In 2008, Banhart released an album, Surfing, in a collaboration project named Megapuss, and dated Natalie Portman for a few months.
1981 birthsAmerican folk singersAmerican musiciansEnglish-language singersLiving peopleMusicians from TexasNew Weird AmericaPeople from Houston, TexasPsych folk musiciansSan Francisco Art Institute alumniSpanish-language singersVenezuelan Americans
Devendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra Banhartדוונדרה בנהארטDevendra BanhartДевендра Банхартदेवेंद्र बॅनहार्टDevendra Banhartデヴェンドラ・バンハートDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra Banhart
Early life and career
Banhart was born May 30, 1981 in Houston, Texas to a Venezuelan mother. His given name means "king of gods" in Hindi and was a suggestion by Indian religious leader Prem Rawat, whom Banhart's parents followed. His middle name was modeled after a Star Wars character. Banhart's parents divorced two years after his birth and he moved with his mother to Caracas, Venezuela. His mother later remarried and Banhart's stepfather moved the family to Los Angeles, California, when Banhart was 14 years old. In 1998, Banhart began studying at the San Francisco Art Institute with a scholarship, and lived in The Castro. He began to busk in San Francisco instead of attending classes and played his first show at a gay wedding in a church. Banhart dropped out of art school in 2000 and left the city because of its bad economic situation following the bust of the dot-com bubble. He moved to Paris, France over the summer and opened shows for indie rock bands. Banhart returned to the United States in the fall of 2000 and played music in San Francisco and Los Angeles, until he was discovered by Michael Gira, owner of Young God Records.In 2002, Banhart's album Oh Me Oh My, which was made up of short fragments, was published by Young God Records and received favorable reviews. He recorded two other albums and an EP for the label: Rejoicing in the Hands, Niño Rojo, and The Black Babies; the releases had a simple acoustic sound. Banhart changed to XL Recordings in 2005 and released Cripple Crow, which was recorded in Bearsville Studios, New York and had a more elaborate sound. He recorded his second album for XL Records, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, at his home studio in Topanga, California. The album charted on the Billboard 200 at number 115. In 2006 Banhart was the first artist to contribute a t-shirt design for the Yellow Bird Project, choosing to designate all profits to the Teenage Cancer Trust. Banhart also played the Bonnaroo and Coachella music festivals, founded a record label, Gnomonsong, with Andy Cabic of Vetiver, and is a collector of music artifacts. In 2008, Banhart released an album, Surfing, in a collaboration project named Megapuss, and dated Natalie Portman for a few months.
Style
thumb|Banhart performs at the 2009 Valley Music and Arts Festival|Coachella Festival.]Banhart is associated with the New Weird America genre and his music was called "free associative work". His style was described as psych folk, avant-folk, freak folk, Lo-Fi, and alternative folk. Banhart calls his music "naturalismo".Discography
thumb|Banhart performs in 2005.Albums
- The Charles C. Leary (2002)
- Oh Me Oh My (2002)
- Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)
- Niño Rojo (2004)
- Cripple Crow (2005)
- Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (2007)
Singles and EPs
- The Black Babies (2003)
- Sight To Behold/Be Kind (2004)
- Little Yellow Spider (2004)
- At The Hop (2004)
- I Feel Just Like A Child (2005)
- Heard Somebody Say (2005)
Collaborations and compilations
- The Golden Apples of the Sun (2004)
- Jana Hunter / Devendra Banhart (with Jana Hunter, 2005)
- Love Above All (2007)
- Surfing (with Gregory Rogove, 2008)
References
External links
1981 birthsAmerican folk singersAmerican musiciansEnglish-language singersLiving peopleMusicians from TexasNew Weird AmericaPeople from Houston, TexasPsych folk musiciansSan Francisco Art Institute alumniSpanish-language singersVenezuelan Americans
Devendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra Banhartדוונדרה בנהארטDevendra BanhartДевендра Банхартदेवेंद्र बॅनहार्टDevendra Banhartデヴェンドラ・バンハートDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra Banhart
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devendra Banhart
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Links
http://www.sonorika.com/devendrabanhart/biographyhttp://www.bioandlyrics.com/devendrabanhart
