Live Review: Devendra Banhart at the Palace of Fine Arts, 09/07/07

Live Review: Devendra Banhart at the Palace of Fine Arts, 09/07/07

Live Review: Devendra Banhart at the Palace of Fine Arts: Aidin Vaziri | Wearing a hefty beard, size 26 trousers and a tie, Banhart focused almost exclusively on songs from his fifth studio album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. If you have heard it you know it sees him shaking off the minimalist folk stylings of his earlier releases in favor of something much more expansive. He sings in five languages, veers wildly from samba to psychedelic rock, and channels everyone from Dave Brubeck to the Doors, often in the same song. "If anyone wants to hear an old song just yell it out," he said at one point, pausing just long enough to let the room erupt in a chorus of titles. "And we won't play it." Continue reading.