Devendra Banhart Still Searching for the Perfect Studio

Devendra Banhart is still mourning the loss of the late Albert Grossman. Well, not specifically the death of the legendary rock and roll manager and biographer, who died in 1986 -- Banhart is still grieving the passing of Grossman's iconic Bearsville Sound Studio in upstate New York. "Gone, gone," Banhart exclaims to Spinner from his Los Angeles home. "Sally Grossman sold it," he moans, referring to Albert Grossman's widow, who offloaded the studio in 2004.

"Every studio is different," the folk rock singer-songwriter says. "I just haven't totally found the perfect studio for me and the type of music I'd like to make, at least maybe make in the future." Then, Banhart stops to correct himself. He recalls his sessions at Bearsville, situated near bucolic Woodstock, where he recorded his 2005 album, 'Cripple Crow,' just before the studio was became a private residence. "It was perfect for me. That was the most perfect studio I'd ever recorded in -- paradise. Unfortunately, like most things I'm involved with, it came to an end shortly thereafter."

Banhart certainly knows a thing or two about studios. For his upcoming sixth album, 'What Will We Be,' he assembled his own studio in a wood cabin just outside of San Francisco. "Architecture affects the work and the people working inside it," he says. "When things are sterile, it becomes a struggle. And the opposite, when things are dirty and contaminated, too. You want to find a balance. I don't have an aversion to studios. It's just like anything: I'm not saying I don't go to restaurants, but I stay home and eat. It depends on the restaurant."

'What Will We Be' is due out this fall.