"I am Devendra Banhart and we are Spiritual Boner," the willowy figure said with a smirk. There was no need for any further introductions or explanations. The moment Banhart's tight-roped vibrato wavered its way through his jungle of a beard, everything - the song, the man behind the song and perhaps even the muse behind the man - was clear. Hips began to sway, the six-piece Spiritual Boner pulsed its way through the verses of "Quedate Luna" (Cripple Crow, 2005) and the enigma enshrouding Devendra Banhart, the bohemian vagabond from the lands of psychedelic folk, dissolved into a few dabs of blue face paint and a pair of suspenders.

Among the bass, two guitars, keyboard and percussion backing Banhart's croons and strums were dense vocal harmonies ranging from dulcet four-part harmonies to successive canon voicings and the occasional discordant wailings. Surprisingly, even with five other bodies adding to both the visual and aural intensity of the show, Banhart - with legs crossed in a wooden chair and head topped with a leather hat - emanated an energy that very few other modern musicians could.

"Yeah, we'll play 'Free Bird,' " Banhart responded to an audience member. "This is just for you in the white, my fairy friend. This is like a 'Free Bird' for contemporary adults." But "Freely," off of Banhart's yet-to-be-released album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, is a tune veering toward the mystical that speaks of a freedom, or rather a freeness, that's far removed from Skynyrd's notion of the term.

Banhart, however, didn't remain seated and acoustic for long.

There was a brief musical intermission when a fortunate audience member got the chance to play two of her own songs while Banhart and friends frolicked with percussion instruments in the back of the stage. The dismal interlude of well-meaning audience participation/experimentation was just enough time for Banhart and his long-haired fellows to let down their locks and prepare themselves to rock the hell out.

And for a while, the dapper sextet actualized their fa