Queer as fl
‘SNAILS ARE MYSTERIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL AND I'M IN AWE OF THEM'
You don’t have to be mad to be DEVENDRA BANHART but, as David Pollock finds out, there are few fish in the sea quite as weird, or as wonderful.
ow are you today I" I ask musician. poet and
artist-at-large l)e\endra Banhart as an
opening gambit. it being the polite thing to do and all. 'Well.’ he replies. 'l‘m naked. I've got a show in Stockholm tonight. but there‘s only one towel in this hotel and it's wet.‘ Like a fool. I make a crack about being sure it‘s all quite innocent. ‘No. not really. Now I'm rubbing sashimi all over my body. pouring on the soy sauce. It's all a hit of a mess. So how are you. Dave."
:\s I'll soon discover. this throwaway comment sllliis up Banhart as a person as well as a songwriter. (’olourful. contrary. playful. definitely not normal.
‘Most of me and my friends' parents are gay. We all grew tip around San Francisco. and just having lots of gay friends and gay family members must‘ve connected us. y‘know, growing tip around a lot of gromy. gay hippies. It certainly made us uninterested in shitty innsic.‘ As he elaborates. Banhart's circle of childhood friends included the likes of (‘ocoRosie. .loanna Newsom and Andy (‘abic of Vetiver. all of whom join him as being the hottest properties in Americana and transatlantic folk today.
'We find the folk thing weird because we always thought of ollt'scl\ es as New Age.’ he says. 'Anyway. the connection isn‘t folk. The connection is friendship. We just supported each other and dug each othcr‘s music. it was all very natural. It was like. come let's play some music then go out together. )‘ktiow'r
linioying something of a first among equals status among the above list of artists. Texas-born.
64 THE LIST.‘ .. .2 A .i Bit ‘:
Venezuela-raised California resident Banhart has received acclaim both from folk insiders and those more eclectic souls who divine beauty from his willfully obscure lyrics and trembling falsetto. It’s no small feat for the young Banhart. who's not long into his 20s and is about to release album number four. 'lt's called Crippled Crow and it's about present day South America and pre-Columbus North America. We recorded it in wintertime in the snow. in this place called Bearsville. We decided to do it there because it was so beautiful and because it was wintertime. as we were trying to make a warm South America record. Really rubbing those sticks together. y‘know'.”
As far as his future goes. Banhan's grand plans are predictably unpredictable. ‘l’m trying to make a documentary about snails. They’re mysterious and beautiful and I'm in awe of them. A real documentary. narrated and everything. although it‘ll be a long one because they're pretty slow. But I think it‘ll be good. [I’ll be scored by long guitar improvisations and stuff like that. And fishing. I‘m gonna start fishing a lot and try to eat only fish. There’s a tribe of nomadic Brazilian fisherwoman. and I want to join their tribe. 1'” tuck my dick in between my legs. see if] can get some fishing done.‘
I get it. So that's where the stishi comes in.
‘Exactly. And I‘m going to start wearing nice clothes as well.‘
Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Mon 1 Aug. A new album, Cripple Crow, is out in September on XL Recordings.
Don Paterson Quintet Award winning poet and gurtarist Don Paterson leads his recently formed quintet in a set of his own music. Henry '5 Jazz Cellar. Edinburgh, Thu 27 Jul. if: The Wickerman Festival After the pop frenzy of T in the Park. this festival is an altogether ditterent. more intimate. more family affair. The Stranglers. Alabama 3 and Dreadzone are among the acts on the bill, With the aim of havrng a more Glasto Vibe. Kirkcubright. Ayrshire. Fri 22 8 Sat 23 Jul.
Train and the River Recreating the feel of clarinettist Jimmy Giuffre‘s classrc drummer less trio. wrth Brian Motley (sax and clarinet). Ross Milligan (guitar) and Roy Percy (bass). Henry '3 Jazz Cellar. Edinburgh. Wed 27 Jul.
ldlewild, The Subways and Dogs ldlewild (pictured) are doing their acoustic thing on this occasion as they head up a clutch of strident indie bOdS unafraid to put their chorus where their hearts are as part of the Coca Cola Centrestage season. Carling Academy. Glasgow, Thu 28 Jul.
Lucinda Williams and Laura Cantrell Good country feelings with a bit of edge to bring people closer together Cantrell is probably the better of the two but is less tamed a name. Get in early. Carling Academy, Glasgow. Wed 2/ Jul.
Release: The Free Tibet Music Festival Alfonzo. Eastbom 8. MC Swrtch. Bouchereau, Hobotalk and Sans 'l'rauma are among the local sonic luminaries gathering together to raise funds for the Free ‘libet campaign. The Bongo Club. Edinburgh, Fri 29 Jul.