Devendra Obi Banhart Born May 30 1981 Is A Venezuelan American Singer-Songwriter And Visual Artist. Banhart Was Born In Houston Texas And Was Raised By His Mother In Venezuela Until He Moved To California As A Teenager. His First Few Records Were Released On The Young God Records Label From New York City. His Most Recent CD Was Released By Nonesuch. He Is One Of The Most Popular Artists To Come Out Of The "New Weird America" Movement Which Includes Performers Such As Faun Fables Viking Moses Jack Rose Jana Hunter Arborea The MV & EE Medicine Show Currituck Co. Six Organs Of Admittance And The Royal We Among Others. He Also Often Joins The Band Known As Vetiver. Banhart Is Considered To Have An Eclectic Style With Many Of His Songs Seemingly Following A Stream-Of-Consciousness Vein Being Hard To Decipher And Non-Literal. His Music Tends To Consist Of Fairly Simple Guitar Melodies With Minimal Other Instrumentation And His Lyrical Themes Are Often Surreal And Naturalistic. His Involvement In The Los Angeles Artist Community Is Reflected In Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon Released In September 2007. He Gained Some Underground Notoriety In New York For Performing Several Of His Early Shows With Underwear On His Head For The Duration Of The Performance. Banhart's Most Recent Tour Of The United States Saw Him Perform With His Full Band Which Is Currently Known As Power Mineral. Power Mineral Included Andy Cabic Vetiver Greg Rogove Priestbird Noah Georgeson Luckey Remington Pete Newsom Otto Hauser Vetiver Currituck Co. Espers Nick Castro Kevin Barker Currituck Co. And Others. The Band Claims To Rechristen Itself When A Name Comes To Them And Has Previously Been Known As Fried Hummingbird Vagina Burglars Hairy Fairy Band Las Putas Locas Stoner Boner Spiritual Boner Bummer Hummer Brain Taint Love Fart Bathhouse Of The Winds And First Woman Millionaire Among Other Names. Banhart Was Discovered By Michael Gira Of Swans Who Released His Oh Me Oh My... The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming… Album On His Own Young God Records Label In 2002. In 2005 Banhart Along With Andy Cabic And Revolver USA Created The Gnomonsong Record Label. In 2006 He Helped To Curate An Edition Of The British All Tomorrow's Parties Festival. Banhart Also Was One Of The Younger Musicians Responsible For "rediscovering" The Music Of Folksinger Vashti Bunyan. Bunyan Is A Guest Vocalist On His Album Rejoicing In The Hands.
Now That I Know The Way It Goes You Gotta Pay Back Every Penny That You Owe Twelve Years Old In Your Mama's Clothes Shut The Blinds And Lock Up Every Door And If You Hear Someone's Coming Near Just Close Your Eyes And Make Them Disappear Now Years Away Finds Me Here Today On My Own And Knowless Of My Way Now So I Send My Friends Gifts From Where I've Been Something For The Hand That Never There To Lend Better Keep Those Eyes Climbing Paradise And Don't Pretend You Won't Reach It In The End Now Dearest Dear I Know You've Been Near Why'd You Run Tell Me Why'd You Disappear Now That You're Not Here With Me Seems To Be The Only Time I Can See You Clearly I May Not Know How To Treat Or Give You What You Need But I Am A Gentleman Who Says What He Means Now And Now I Sing Upon My Knees And Praise The Kindness Of A Gentle Breeze I See It Swell Like A Story In Me To Tell Told Years Away And Past My Day Of Dying So You Raise Them Up To Heaven Always Hell There Are Nowhere To Share Give A Hand To Help Some Oh You Give Them Away But They'll Come Back To You Someday What I Know I Know Nobody's Ever There To Help Him And I Know It Ain't Fair And If God Forbid You Care It's Enough To Get You In A Whole Lot Of Trouble I Realize It Ain't Wise To Idealize Or Put Your Life In The Hands Of Any Struggle And Every Nights Or Ever Claim To Be Never Buy That Freedom Just Ain't Free Now Ella Said Sifting In The Sand Like A Hymn Within To Help Us Understand Heaven Awaits We're Making Our Last Stand Glory Bound And Sparrow In Our Hand