Devendra Banhart and Adam Green and the Grogs at Terminal 5 ...
Eric Shapiro - NY Press - 8/21/2010
Seeing the Grogs and Adam Green and Devendra Banhart back to back (well, ok, with a half-hour gap between sets) should be a study in contrasts. The former is raucous, straightforward and predictable while the latter is subdued, nuanced and willfully different. Or you can just chalk it up to borderline awful and great. The Grogs and Adam Green, with their uncreative parroting of musical clichés (particularly classic rock), are pretty unbearable to watch. The frontman, who Banhart inexplicably described as a genius, could barely hold a tune and his boozy Jim Morrison-dressed-as-a-pirate impersonation got old fast. Even at his most ridiculous he could not provoke much enthusiasm from the crowd and both his attempts at stage diving ended badly. The other band members, although clearly good musicians, lacked charisma. Their only hint of emotion was thinly veiled embarrassment when their leader forgot lyrics and made a general ass of himself.
After a grueling 50 minutes set, I was bored and restless. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Devendra to stoke everyone’s enthusiasm. He kicked off his set with “Long Haired Child” off of 2005’s Cripple Crow, ironic given his conspicuous lack of it. The Grogs accompanied Banhart for the first few songs. Both benefited from the collaboration; the presence of a capable backing band lent Devendra’s songs a punch that they lacked on record, while an engaging frontman allowed the band to just focus on playing their instruments, which is what they do best.
The Grogs stepped aside after a few songs so Devendra could play some songs solo; highlights included “the Body Breaks,” “Little Yellow Spider” and “A Sight to Behold.” It was sometimes difficult to hear the acoustic guitar, but technical problems aside these performances were top notch.
The rest of Banhart’s set consisted of more favorites as well as several unlikely covers (Luckey Remington’s “To Be Alone,” Johnny Thunders’ “You Can’t Put Your Arm Around a Memory, Rodrigo Ramirez’ Diamond Eyes) that displayed Banhart’s oft-overlooked diversity as a performer and musician. Clearly he is capable of more than just the bluesy acoustic folk found on albums like Rejoicing in the Hands. I won’t soon forget the novelty of seeing Devendra dance surprisingly well to Taylor Dayne’s “Tell it to my Heart.” Unusual versions of originals like a surprisingly hard-rocking “Seahorse” spoke to the breadth of his capabilities in a less comical fashion. By the time Banhart finished his set with a 3-song encore, beginning with “This Beard for Siobhun,” the crowd was putty in his hands.
Seeing the Grogs and Adam Green and Devendra Banhart back to back (well, ok, with a half-hour gap between sets) should be a study in contrasts. The former is raucous, straightforward and predictable while the latter is subdued, nuanced and willfully different. Or you can just chalk it up to borderline awful and great. The Grogs and Adam Green, with their uncreative parroting of musical clichés (particularly classic rock), are pretty unbearable to watch. The frontman, who Banhart inexplicably described as a genius, could barely hold a tune and his boozy Jim Morrison-dressed-as-a-pirate impersonation got old fast. Even at his most ridiculous he could not provoke much enthusiasm from the crowd and both his attempts at stage diving ended badly. The other band members, although clearly good musicians, lacked charisma. Their only hint of emotion was thinly veiled embarrassment when their leader forgot lyrics and made a general ass of himself.
After a grueling 50 minutes set, I was bored and restless. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Devendra to stoke everyone’s enthusiasm. He kicked off his set with “Long Haired Child” off of 2005’s Cripple Crow, ironic given his conspicuous lack of it. The Grogs accompanied Banhart for the first few songs. Both benefited from the collaboration; the presence of a capable backing band lent Devendra’s songs a punch that they lacked on record, while an engaging frontman allowed the band to just focus on playing their instruments, which is what they do best.
The Grogs stepped aside after a few songs so Devendra could play some songs solo; highlights included “the Body Breaks,” “Little Yellow Spider” and “A Sight to Behold.” It was sometimes difficult to hear the acoustic guitar, but technical problems aside these performances were top notch.
The rest of Banhart’s set consisted of more favorites as well as several unlikely covers (Luckey Remington’s “To Be Alone,” Johnny Thunders’ “You Can’t Put Your Arm Around a Memory, Rodrigo Ramirez’ Diamond Eyes) that displayed Banhart’s oft-overlooked diversity as a performer and musician. Clearly he is capable of more than just the bluesy acoustic folk found on albums like Rejoicing in the Hands. I won’t soon forget the novelty of seeing Devendra dance surprisingly well to Taylor Dayne’s “Tell it to my Heart.” Unusual versions of originals like a surprisingly hard-rocking “Seahorse” spoke to the breadth of his capabilities in a less comical fashion. By the time Banhart finished his set with a 3-song encore, beginning with “This Beard for Siobhun,” the crowd was putty in his hands.