Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart

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About Devendra Banhart

Singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart’s earliest musical influences included merengue and cumbia, which he heard while growing up in Caracas, Venezuela. ∙ He credits skateboarding videos—including one made by pro skater Keenan Milton that featured “King of Ska” Desmond Dekker—for making him want to pursue a career in music. ∙ Banhart started performing around San Francisco bars and clubs while in art school, although his first gig was playing two songs at his roommates’ wedding. ∙ His 2002 debut, oh me oh My...., was released via Michael Gira’s Young God Records after Gira’s then-wife heard Banhart’s self-released album, The Charles C. Leary. ∙ In the 2000s, Banhart became a major figure in the freak-folk movement, later collaborating with one of his inspirations, British folk singer Vashti Bunyan. ∙ In 2009, Banhart sang on and coproduced “Life During Wartime,” the theme song of director Todd Solondz’s movie of the same name.

HOMETOWN
Houston, TX, United States
BORN
May 30, 1981
GENRE
Alternative

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