Get Dengue Fever

An old friend emailed me yesterday and asked me if I wanted to see a band that played psychedelic, Cambodian pop, surfer music. I was sold. I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t expect what I found. I’ve pretty much grown bored of standard rock formations (bass, drums, guitar) and I generally require some keyboard and horns to be interested in any kind of pop or rock music. This band often tours with a horn and they record with one, but they didn’t have it last night. It was a standard quartet (bass, drums, guitar, keyboard) fronted by a tiny, gorgeous, Cambodian vocalist named Chhom Nimol who sang (atop four-inch heels) mainly in Khmer. The band was founded by the Holtzman brothers. Zac, who looks like a cross between Usama bin-Laden and Ali G, plays a Fender in a style reminiscent of the Surfaris’ Wipe Out. Ethan, who plays keyboards, looks like porn-star Ron Jeremy in a Muscovite hat. The bass player, Senon Gauis Williams, is Lurch-like in size and he looks a bit like Bison Dele. Only the drummer, Paul Dreux Smith, has an ordinary appearance.

The band’s musical roots are as eclectic as their stage presence. Ethan Holtzman went on a trip to Cambodia in the late 1990’s and contracted Dengue Fever (giving this band its name). But he also brought back cassettes of pre-Pol Pot Cambodian pop music. He and his brother Zac were so intrigued by the music that they started collecting as much of it as they could find and they formed a band to cover their favorite tunes. However, they wanted more authenticity so they sought out someone who could sing in Khmer. Amazingly, they found Chhom Nimol in the Little Phnom Penh section of Long Beach, California. She came from a famous musical family (like a Cambodian Jackson 5) that had performed before the King and Queen.

At first, she knew too little English to do anything but sing in Khmer, so the Holtzman brothers wrote lyrics and had them translated in Khmer. Ms. Nimol would then change the melodies around to suit her tastes. The result is just fascinating. It’s part surf-music, part Bollywood soundtrack, part Ethiopian Jazz, and part good clean innocent fun. You have to see Dengue Fever. And, if you live in the southern half of the East Coast you are in luck because they are headed your way (dates below the fold).

Here’s some YouTubes:

Seeing Hands

Sober Driver

Tiger Phone Card

And don’t miss One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula.

Upcoming Shows

Apr 16 2009 8:00P
The Note West Chester, Pennsylvania

Apr 17 2009 7:00P
The State Theatre Falls Church, Virginia

Apr 18 2009 7:00P
Plaza “Duckpin” Bowl Richmond, Virginia

Apr 19 2009 8:00P
The Orange Peel Ashville, North Carolina

Apr 21 2009 8:00P
Athens Cine – Screening ONLY Athens, Georgia

Apr 21 2009 10:00P
40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia

Apr 22 2009 9:30P
Club Downunder – Florida State Tallahasse, Florida

Apr 23 2009 8:00P
R Bar – Screening ONLY New Orleans, Louisiana

Apr 24 2009 8:00P
One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana

Apr 25 2009 8:00P
Festival International De Louisiane Layafette, Louisiana

Apr 26 2009 8:00P
Festival International De Louisiane Layafette, Louisiana

Apr 27 2009 8:00P
Mohawk Austin, Texas

May 4 2009 8:00P
Sweat Records – Sleepwalking Screening Only Miami, Florida

May 5 2009 8:00P
San Francisco Film Festival performance The Lost World – The Castro San Francisco, California

Jul 26 2009 8:00P
Hollywood Bowl Hollywood, California

Aug 28 2009 8:00P
Outsidelands Festival TIME/DATE TBD! 28-30 San Francisco, California