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Devendra Banhart’s Dearest Friends: 60 Videos, Part 8

DEVANDRALOGOWith the release of major-label debut What Will We Be (Warner Bros.), Devendra Banhart proves once again he has the potential to be one of his generation’s major players. His voice, with its careening vibrato and fuse-blowing intensity, sounds something like Marc Bolan’s, but his repertoire may be more all over the map than anyone making records today. He combines a love of arcane folk music with hard-rocking psychedelia and an ability to sing beautifully in English or Spanish, a skill he learned growing up in Caracas, Venezuela. He refers to himself, jokingly, as a “fake hippie,” but he appears to be the real thing, a refreshing return to the revolutionary thinking that once seemed capable of changing the course of human events. Who’s to say it couldn’t happen again? Banhart is guest editing magnetmagazine.com. Read our Q&A with him. For his posts this week, Banhart will be sharing 60 videos that are dear to his heart.

Violeta Parra
One of the great poets, revolutionaries, folklorists, saints of Chile. She wrote the classic “Gracias A La Vida,” which Mercedes Sosa brought to the world. I should write so much more about her …

Atahualpa Yupanqui
My hero. The patriarch. The father of Argentine folklore. He changed his name from Hector Roberto Chavero to honor two Incan Kings. Again, I can’t say too much more than this is my hero and I love him. I don’t have the neural faculties to even begin to think about really gettin’ into what this guy means to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIkMHhDaoDo

Baby Dee
Baby is one of the best performers I’ve ever seen; truly transcendent, a spiritual experience. She’s one of the luminaries on David Tibet’s Dutro Records. Thanks for turning me on to Baby Dee, David! I wish I could play music so I could cover one of her songs.

Jim And Jimi
Just amazing, fearless, painful—a little—but think of it as a soul song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCGaU4UOTow

One reply on “Devendra Banhart’s Dearest Friends: 60 Videos, Part 8”

doesn’t get much better than a favourite artist talking about his favourite artists. thanks a lot for the blog. exited to check out the bands & people I don’t know yet!

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