New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Devendra Banhart has released the second song from his forthcoming album, Ma: "Abre Las Manos," which translates to "Open Your Hands." The album will be released on
September 13 on Nonesuch Records. Like many of the songs on Ma, "Abre Las Manos," which is sung in Spanish (lyrics and English translation below), was inspired by Banhart's relationship with his motherland, Venezuela. Today's release is accompanied by this slideshow of amateur photographs taken from Flickr of Caracas and El Avila
National Park in Venezuela that were licensed through Creative Commons:
"My brother is in Venezuela, my cousins, my aunts and uncles. They are just holding their breath, in gridlock standstill. Maybe there is more Spanish writing on Ma because of the helplessness I'm feeling, it's on my mind more than ever. I was thinking about the sorrow of having to put a child up for adoption, loving that child but not being with them, for whatever reason. That child is out in the world and you have to love them from afar. And that is exactly how I have felt observing the situation in Venezuela," Banhart says. "There's this helplessness, this place that has been a mother to you, that you're a mother to as well, and it's suffering so much. There is nothing you can do but send out love and remain in that sorrowful state."
For his autumn tour in support of Ma, he's partnering with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold in the US will go to World Central Kitchen (WCK), an organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize-nominated chef José Andrés to fight hunger around the world. WCK is currently responding to the crisis on the Colombia-Venezuelan border and has served more than 350,000 meals to date. For details on his tour, his first of North
America since 2017, see below.
Ma, full of tender, autobiographical vignettes, displays a shift from the sonic experimentation of his previous albums to an intricate, captivating story-telling and emotional intimacy. Banhart favors organic sounds to accompany his voice and guitar, the arrangements bolstered by strings, woodwinds, brass, and keyboards. The first song from the new album was unveiled last month. "Kantori Ongaku" ("
Country Music") was accompanied by a surrealist video by Giraffe Studios. Ma is available to pre-order here. Top40-Charts.com Store pre-orders include instant downloads of "Kantori Ongaku" and "Abre Las Manos," plus an exclusive, limited-edition print, created and signed by Banhart.
DEVENDRA BANHART ON TOUR
Sep 27 Ohana Festival Dana Point, CA
Oct 15 The Majestic Ventura Theater Ventura, CA
Oct 16 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Oct 18 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
Oct 19 Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
Oct 20 WOW Hall Eugene, OR
Oct 22 The UC Theatre Berkeley, CA
Oct 24 The Theatre at Ace Hotel Los Angeles, CA
Oct 25 The Yost Theater Santa Ana, CA
Oct 26 The Observatory North Park San Diego, CA
Oct 27 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
Oct 30 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
Nov 1 The Slowdown Omaha, NE
Nov 2 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Nov 3 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
Nov 5 The Hi Tone Memphis, TN
Nov 7 Levitation Festival Austin, TX
Nov 23 Tecate Bajío Festival León, Guanajuato, MEXICO
Nov 30 Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, MI
Dec 1 Danforth
Music Hall Toronto, ON
Dec 3 The Olympia Montreal, QC
Dec 4 The Wilbur Boston, MA
Dec 5 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY
Dec 7 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Dec 8 Union
Transfer Philadelphia, PA
