Freak folk, folk rock, psychedelic folk – call it what you will, but Devendra Banhart isn’t interested in being put in a box. Over the course of his nine albums, the unconventional shapeshifter has remained a mystery, having created his own indefinable style. Though if you ask him, he’d dub it “unpopular pop.”
Banhart is a man of many crafts. Aside from music, he’s created his own album art and released two art books showcasing his illustrations, one amusingly titled I Left My Noodle on Ramen Street. He’s even dabbled in acting, having had a few minor roles in films like Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Still, music remains his primary passion, though he’s not opposed to the idea of some more big screen action.
“Perhaps if there was the right role or something really wild, [like if I had to] gain 300 pounds and speak in a Papua New Guinean accent or something,” Banhart says. “I would be into it.”
Visual art and acting aside, the singer-songwriter is a genre-bending master who plays by his own rules. He’s casually eccentric and delightfully unpredictable, crooning in English one minute and Spanish the next – even German at times. He quotes some of his influences as dynamic alt-indie duo DRINKS, Japanese bossa nova rocker Shintaro Sakamoto, and Tang Liangxing, Shanghai’s own connoisseur of traditional Chinese pipa music.
As for the term ‘freak folk,’ loosely defined by avant garde sounds and oftentimes bizarre, frenzied vocals – think Joanna Newsom and CocoRosie – Banhart doesn’t care for it much.
“I’m not sure if [‘freak folk’] really ever existed. Even though all of the people that were initially lumped under that odd blanket are still friends and making music, they have all gone in vastly different musical directions, making the term hopefully somewhat obsolete,” he says. “Geez, do I sound bitter?”
Banhart is anything but. His music presents raw emotions in a playful way, making them more delicate and palatable. His optimism beams through in whimsical tracks like ‘Never Seen Such Good Things’ from his most-celebrated album Mala and ‘Fig in Leather’ from his latest release Ape in Pink Marble.
The Texas-born artist was raised in Venezuela and moved back stateside in his early teens, when he was inspired to start his music career. His background often finds its way into endearing ballads like ‘Mi Negrita’ and ‘Carmensita,’ though Banhart has no regrets about where life has taken him since. “Any other outcome might not have led to me soon visiting China for the first time, so I’m quite happy with how things unraveled.”
"You can expect a relaxed and gentle mood. That and some very, very bad jokes. From both of us, but mostly me."
His shows on June 8 at the Shanghai Symphony Hall and June 9 at Beijing's Yugong Yishan mark his China debut, and he looks forward to some temple-hopping while on tour. “I’m overwhelmed with how many I must visit,” he says. “[I’m] definitely bringing my walking shoes.”
Also, he’s just really excited about lotuses, China’s precious symbols of perfection and purity. “Seeds, stems, leaves – everything!” (Nature is a constant inspiration behind Banhart’s music – just listen to one of his earlier albums, Cripple Crow, which features odes to animals and scenery in several tracks.)
His six-city tour around Asia is with Grammy-winning musician Noah Georgeson, a fellow folk artist and Banhart’s longtime friend, who has produced several of his albums and co-written a few songs as well.
“[It’s] a treat for me as we’ve known each other for about 20 years now. I hope to create a very relaxed and gentle mood given how intimate and simple our set-up will be,” Banhart says, when asked what viewers can expect from the show.
“That and some very, very bad jokes. From both of us, but mostly me.”
Shanghai: Fri Jun 8, 8pm; RMB280-680; Shanghai Symphony Hall, see event listing. Buy tickets here.
Beijing: Sat Jun 9, 8.30pm; RMB180 (presale), RMB240
(door); Yugong Yishan, see event listing. Buy tickets here.
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