Seeing Dengue Fever live is an experience unlike any other. For one, I get to see them an intimate setting - The Independent in San Francisco - which is almost unfair given the broad scope of their sound. Singer Chhom Nimol commands the stage, playfully interacting with both the band and the audience. The five musicians carry the force and talent of a jam band - but without all that pesky jamming. The crowd is well-behaved, yet completely mesmerized at what they are witnessing. On record - the sound is equally powerful. The five musicians - who hail from Los Angeles - came together through a mutual interest in Cambodia pop/rock of the sixties and seventies. Adding Nimol on vocals - a bit of a Cambodian pop star in her own right - completed the formula, creating a sound that meshed these mutual interests with Nimol's prior leanings, and a host of other musical influences. Spending much of their debut covering classic Cambodian rock songs, the band took to writing original material for last year's Escape From Dragon House. Performing new material was a new task for Nimol - who also translated much of the lyrics from English - but one she fulfills with ease.We caught up with the band's rhythm section when they were recently in San Francisco, and the video features the songs "Tap Water," "Sni Bong," "Tip My Canoe," and "We Were Gonna" - as well as footage from their shows in Cambodia last year.
Watch and/or download podcast no. 6 here.
Check back each weekend for a new episode, or subscribe...
::Previous Episodes::
Howlin Rain
Kelley Stoltz
The Boy Least Likely To
The Cuts & Birdman Records
Chris Brokaw
::SONGS::
"We Were Gonna"
"Sni Bong"
"Sleepwalking Through The Mekong"
"Lost In Laos (Tom Chasteen Remix)" (from the Digi EP)
Purchase Escape From Dragon House...
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Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at eMusic
Buy at GroupieTunes
5 comments:
I really like this one, Will! What a charismatic and unique band.
xoxo
Has anyone out there seen this group perform live? I really enjoyed Will's podcast, especially the interview and the footage of the vocalist. and would like to know what others think. They seem so cohesive and talented, and from the looks of the audience, in the footage, they appeal to all age groups. I would like to hear comments from people who have seen them--I am in my 50's trying to expand my musical horizons and I would like to hear from other musical explorers.
I can't seem to load this one, Will. I'll try again later, though.
I really enjoyed this one, I've never heard anything like it. Her voice is amazing.
This is your best podcast yet. The colour is so laid back and fitting to the band.
And the music - Will - this is blowing me away. This is like balm to my weary ears. I'm used to hearing Bhangra and the like, but I have never heard anything quite like this before. More!
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