The Simple Beauty of Devendra Banhart's Poignant Songs
The folk songwriter, visual artist, and poet Devendra Banhart offers tenderness, introspection, and space in music, poetry, and art. Part Dylan, part Dalí, Devendra Banhart’s so-called psych-folk, (or “freak folk”) comes with what might be fantastical or surreal lyrics rooted in voice and guitar -and humble appeals to help Venezuela- the country of his mother. In fact, in naming his latest record, Ma, he addresses “the unconditional nature of maternal love, the desire to nurture, the passing down of wisdom, the longing to establish the relationship of mother to child, and the consequences of that bond being broken.” (Nonesuch Records) He also embraces “Ma” (間) as a Japanese word which might be translated as "the silence between the notes which make the music” or an “emptiness full of possibilities.” Devendra Banhart joins us to play music from Ma, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik
Watch the session here:
