Devendra Banhart gets plenty of praise already from the indie world. The man combines quick wit, a delicate sense of humor, intellectual lyrics, and well-crafted vibrant music. Banhart is a post-modern hippie in all the right sense of the word. As enthralling as his songs may be, it doesn’t compare to what he does on stage. Devendra Banhart captivated and held the audience in the plam of his hand the entire time on stage at Town Hall this Sunday (11/22).
The set started right around 9pm, the crowd settled in after a great set by Little Joy. Devendra Banhart comes in to a huge round of applause, a true rock star to his fans. The band backing him was called The Grogs although, according to stage banter during the night, the choices boiled down to Doomfister 3D or The Grogs and what would look best on the marquee. “Long Haired Child” started the night off right.A perfect introduction for the fans; the song is a mid-tempo song that focuses on the strengths of Banhart’s lyrics. There’s a humor and carefree joy to them, about the beautifully mundane experience of a cold head on a winter’s day.
“Baby” follows it up, off of his just released What Will Be. It’s effortless, a quirky little story and a groovy little tune. The song makes you tap your feet or dance in your seat. The mannerisms of Banhart are also interesting to watch. There were a lot of hand gestures, extended notes mixed with vibrato, slinking/dancing around the stage, the bantering and smiles from the members of his band.
Speaking of the Grogs, the band is amazingly tight and included Little Joy’s Rodrigo Amarante. The intricate simplicity of the songs sounded rich and full at Town Hall. The lilting guitar lines, or the jazz precision of the rhythm section (a true highlight was the drummer on several songs) all had their time in the spolight and truly shined.
“Shabop Shalom” with spoken word introduction,”Angelika” and using the GRE word “stentorian” before “Can’t Help but Smiling” followed next, mixing whimsy and storytelling with understated arrangements. It really is interesting watching Banhart weave this sort of theatrical performance and stripping it down to its bare essence. Where it might seem difficult to pull off, or at worst just awkward, Banhart does it effortlessly. It is a ramshackle virtuosity.
More of Banhart’s set, as well as a review of Little Joy after the jump.
Things settled down as Banhart sat down and played a couple of tunes on an acoustic guitar. Taking off his overcoat, which was met with catcalls, one band member replied “What, you’ve never seen arms before?”. “16th and Valencia Roxy Music” was played offering a slowed down melody that picks up at the end with the lyrics “I know I look high/but I’m just free dancing/I Know I look hypnotized/but I’m just table tapping”.
According to Banhart, he was on Yo Gabba Gabba the day before and played “Little Yellow Spider”. He thought the new version was sort of cool and decided to play that special version, even stopping in the middle to correct himself. “Sight to Behold” and “I Remember” followed next. The latter song was beautifully spun, the lyrics hang in the air as Banhart sings “Please don’t let what was get in the way of what’s next/don’t forget/that what’s to come hasn’t come yet”.
The night continued on with several peaks of music and many twists of the sonic landscape. The songs were timeless, helplessly retro but completely modern. The many diverse sounds were incorporated together perfectly. As the night progressed it was evident just how prolific the man is. Seven studio albums among other collaborations, provides for a wealth of material. The eclectic nature also aided in the timeless feel of the set. Nearly all moods, styles, and eras were covered.
Further proof came with an emphatic cover of Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”, where Banhart’s shouting at the end shocked the audience to attention. The light hearted “How’s About Tellin a Story”, furthering the jovial mood of the night.
The night was slowly wrapping up before Banhart pulled out another trick. The dynamic and heavy “Diamond” came crashing forth. The song was drenched in reverb and feedback, fuzzy and stomping, it was a psychadelic classic rock track that came out of nowhere, shocking and awing the crowd. The crashing drum work was a sight behold, moving around with plenty of fills.
The next treat was hearing the crowd favorite “Carmencita” being played. The song was met with plenty of cheers and dancing. Capping off the night for the time being was another heavy tune with a killer riff “Rats”. It was the perfect uptempo song that was anthemic and carthartic. The band left and everyone cheered, but there was still one more moment for Devendra Banhart and the Grogs.
If that was not enough, the encore included “Chinese Children” segueing into “I Feel Like a Child”. A perfect song to end a great night.
Before Banhart even had a chance to charm the crowd, Little Joy did a solid of entertaining the crowd. Starting off with”The Next Time Around”, the song was a lush slice of California sun. The song melted away any fear about a slow night for music. The vocals of Amarante were earnest and that rasping edge to it only enhanced the emotional tone. This was another band who feels right at home in the past, mining some great influences and turning them into something new.
The songs had a great rock backbone, the three guitars worked well together, each having a different tone and fulfilling a different purpose. The band loved to be on stage, at home in the setting, the band seemed at ease although Town Hall was not the ideal place for the band. “If you enjoy it, you can stand up and dance, if not just give us a thumbs up”, Amarante commented due to restraining seats that limited the crowd who wanted to participate fully.
Highlights of the set included “With Strangers”, “Shoulder to Shoulder”, and the Bikini Shapiro sung “Unattainable”. Despite Fabrizio Moretti getting the most attention, the band has a full sound and stands completely outside of The Strokes’ shadow.
I had a lot of fun with Little Joy and most of that was due to the simplicity. The music was just so easy to get into, it was hard to not enjoy the set. They sounded tight and with everyone being great friends on stage, there was clearly no pressure on the performance. I think there were more smiles and banter on stage in this one set than a year’s worth of shows in Brooklyn. The short but sweet set ended with the tender “Don’t Watch Me Dancing” followed by “Brand New Start”.
Little Joy Photos
