Breaking the Sound Barrier with Dengue Fever

L.A. band bringing Cambodian psychedelic surf rock to the masses

Robyn Chelsea-Seifert

During the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia, no one thought about music or dancing. Music was not important at that time. People were starving. Children
were separated from their parents. Pol Pot and his regime killed over one-fifth of the Cambodian population, taking famous singers and musicians Sinn Si Samouth, Ros Serey Sothear and Pan Ron among them. The thriving cultural renaissance that existed in Cambodia came to an end in 1975.

Dengue Fever, the six-piece band based out of California is an interesting blend of California surf music rewritten with Cambodian melodies. A mixture of East meets West. It was exactly that Cambodian rock n’ roll from the 60s and 70s with the crazy psychedelic groove and great guitar licks that inspired Ethan Holtzman, the band’s Farfisa organist to start the band with his brother, Zac, on guitar.

Rounding out the band are bassist Senon Williams, drummer Paul Smith, and David Ralicke on brass. When it came time to look for a singer they didn’t have to go far. Long Beach has a large Cambodian population and so when the band was still in its infancy and rehearsing singers in 2001, it was there they went searching for gold
and found their treasure in Chhom Nimol. Born into a family business of singers, Nimol was a well-known karaoke singer back home in Battambang, Cambodia. Moving to the U.S. with a job offer and a sister living in Long Beach helped Nimol acclimate to her new surroundings.

Their Khmer-sung 2003 self-titled debut album was a cool, melodic, soul, funk fest of appreciation and dedication wrapped around Nimol’s high-pitched voice. Proving to be a pivotal year, 2005’s Escape From Dragon House showed more flavor and maturity pairing Nimol’s forceful set of pipes with the ever present jangly spaghetti western guitars.

Dengue Fever became more of a presence on film with their music featured in Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers and John Cusack’s Must Love Dogs. Later that year, the band toured several cities in Cambodia including Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep and Phnom Chisor while filming the documentary Sleepwalking Through the Mekong.

A homecoming for Nimol, the band performed with master musicians like Master Kong Nai who plays the chapei, a string instrument like a banjo or guitar which is only now being taught to a handful of students. The band supports several charitable organizations such as Cambodian Living Arts and according to Paul Smith, like to work with organizations that provide direct services which include one of the largest problems the region faces: disarming land mines.

“We are trying to bring awareness to these issues, but we don't have the resources to do the work ourselves so working with a group that is well organized really helps," said Smith. "The first charity we started working with was Golden West and they are clearing land mines in Cambodia as well as other countries.”

Sleepwalking Through the Mekong is a gorgeous piece of film work, directed by Los Angeles filmmaker John Pirozzi, who previously worked with the band on their first music video. The documentary was packaged with a soundtrack and released in 2009.

Language doesn’t seem to be a barrier for the band. Audiences worldwide have been receiving them with open arms. The band recently played the Hollywood Bowl opening for Grace Jones. But where does a band like Dengue Fever fit into our American Idol
society?

“We didn't think about who would be into our music," Zac said. “That's the type of thing marketing researchers do for major labels. We fell in love with the exotic Khmer style of singing mixed with the familiar garage/surf/psychedelic instrumentation that we grew up on. Our fans are all different ages and races. One time a Cambodian grandmother jumped up on the stage and sang a song with us. She turned her daughter on to our music. It makes touring very interesting when we get to play indie/punk rock clubs, and also museums and cultural centers.”

Smith agreed.

“We seem to draw in people from across the spectrum. I'm sure the average American Idol fan isn't our core audience but I have been surprised by some people who are really into us but are also buying Adam Lambert's album. One of the benefits of the internet is that people get to decide for themselves what they get into instead of a radio station cramming it down your ear canal.”