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Dengue Fever

 
WordNet: dengue fever
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an infectious disease of the tropics transmitted by mosquitoes and characterized by rash and aching head and joints
  Synonyms: dengue, dandy fever, breakbone fever


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Artist: Dengue Fever
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Dengue Fever

Group Members:

David Ralicke, Senon Williams, Paul Smith, Chhom Nimol, Zachary Holtzman, Ethan Holtzman

Similar Artists:

Neung Phak, Sun City Girls

Influenced By:

Ros Sereysothea, Sinn Sisamouth, Mulatu Astatke, The Nazz, Ros Serey Sothea, Slovenly, The Count Five, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Ash Ra Tempel, Mahmoud Ahmed, Shadows of Knight, Gone, Manu Chao, Sin Sisamouth, Firewater

Formal Connection With:

See Dengue Fever Lyrics
  • Formed: 2001, Los Angeles, CA
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Escape from Dragon House

Biography

Even when you consider the cultural cross-pollination that goes on in large metropolitan areas, L.A.'s Dengue Fever had perhaps the strangest genesis of any band in recent memory. They are left-field enough for a group of white musicians to cover psychedelic rock oldies from Cambodia, but finding a bona fide Cambodian pop star to front the band -- and sing in Khmer, no less -- is the kind of providence that could only touch a select few places on Earth. Formed in L.A.'s hipster-friendly Silver Lake area in 2001, Dengue Fever traced their roots to organist Ethan Holtzman's 1997 trip to Cambodia with a friend. That friend contracted the tropical disease (transmitted via mosquito) that later gave the band its name, and it also introduced Holtzman to the sound of '60s-era Cambodian rock, which still dominated radios and jukeboxes around the country. The standard sound bore a strong resemblance to Nuggets-style garage rock and psychedelia, heavy on the organ and fuzztone guitar, and with the danceable beat of classic rock & roll. It also bore the unmistakable stamp of Bollywood film musicals, and often employed the heavily reverbed guitar lines of surf and spy-soundtrack music. Yet the eerie Khmer-language vocals and Eastern melodies easily distinguished it from its overseas counterpart. When Holtzman returned to the States, he introduced his brother Zac -- a core member of alt-country eccentrics Dieselhed -- to the cheap cassettes he'd brought back. They started hunting for as much Cambodian rock as they could find, and eventually decided to form a band to spotlight their favorite material -- much of which was included on a compilation from Parallel World, Cambodian Rocks. In addition to Ethan Holtzman on Farfisa and Optigan, and Zac on vocals and guitar, the charter membership of Dengue Fever included bassist Senon Williams (also of slowcore outfit the Radar Brothers), drummer Paul Smith, and saxophonist David Ralicke (Beck, Ozomatli, Brazzaville). Ralicke shared Zac Holtzman's interest in Ethiopian jazz, further broadening the group's global mindset. Thus constituted, the band went combing the clubs in the Little Phnom Penh area of Long Beach, searching for a female singer who could replicate the style and language of the recordings they had. After striking out a few times, the Holtzmans discovered Chhom Nimol, a onetime pop star in Cambodia who came from a highly successful musical family (analogous to the Jacksons). According to the band, Nimol had performed several times for the Cambodian royal family before emigrating to Los Angeles. Initially not understanding the band's motives, she was suspicious at first, but after several rehearsals, everything clicked. Dengue Fever made their live debut in 2002, with the charismatic Nimol in full traditional Cambodian garb, and soon won a following among Hollywood hipsters -- not to mention L.A. Weekly's Best New Band award that year. Purely a cover band at first, they started working on original material after putting out a four-song EP locally. The Holtzmans wrote English lyrics and music, then sent the lyrics to a Khmer translator in the state of Washington, after which Nimol would adjust the melody and words to her liking. Dengue Fever counted among their fans actor Matt Dillon, who included their Khmer-language cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" on the soundtrack of his 2003 directorial debut, City of Ghosts. However, disaster nearly struck when Nimol was arrested in San Diego in accordance with the stringent, post-9/11 INS policy -- she'd arrived in the U.S. on a two-week visitor's visa and simply stayed on. She was thrown in jail for three weeks, and it took nearly a year for the band's lawyer to secure her a two-year visa (his fees were paid through benefit concerts). In the meantime, Dengue Fever released their self-titled debut album on Web of Mimicry, a label run by Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance. Most of the repertoire consisted of Cambodian covers, many originally done by pre-Pol Pot star Ros Sereysothea, but there were several originals and an Ethiopian jazz tune as well. With Nimol's limited English improving, the bandmembers considered putting some English-language material on their follow-up, but intended to stick with Khmer on the majority, in keeping with the music that inspired them. In 2007, Dengue Fever not only released Escape from Dragon House but also starred in the documentary Sleeping Through the Mekong, which saw them performing their music in Cambodia for the first time. Venus on Earth debuted on the M80 label the following year. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: Dengue Fever (band)
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Dengue Fever

Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California
Genres Cambodian rock, Rock, psychedelic, surf, indie
Years active 2001-present
Labels M80 Music, Birdman
Website www.denguefevermusic.com
Members
Chhom Nimol
Zac Holtzman
Ethan Holtzman
Senon Williams
David Ralicke
Paul Smith

Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock. They were formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia. As Ethan and Zac were searching for a vocalist to sing in Khmer, lead singer Chhom Nimol was discovered in a nightclub in Little Phnom Penh area of Long Beach. She was already a well-known karaoke singer in Cambodia, but decided to move to the US after visiting her sister, and thought it was a good chance to make more money to send to her family back home. [1] Zac performs vocals and guitar, while Ethan plays the Farfisa organ. Rounding out the band are bassist Senon Williams (who played also in Radar Bros until January 2009), drummer Paul Smith, and David Ralicke on brass.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 2003. All lyrics on the earlier albums are sung in Khmer, whilst the third album introduces some songs in English. Many of the songs are covers of 1960s Cambodian rock tunes by such artists as Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, and Ros Sereysothea, but some are originals, first written in English by the Holtzmans before being translated.

In 2005, the band toured in Cambodia, and were acclaimed. The film Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, described below, documents the band's touring in Phnom Penh and other major cities. There, Chhom Nimol, whose family included renowned singers from the 1970s onward, reconnected with the Cambodian fanbase, many of whom remembered the heyday of Cambodian rock from that era.

Also in 2005, their second album, Escape from Dragon House, was released, and contained more original songs. It was re-released on limited edition colored vinyl on August 26, 2008. Escape from Dragon House was one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

In June 2008, Real World Records released “Venus On Earth” in all territories outside of the U.S. and Canada. [2] Peter Gabriel, founder of Real World Records, said this of the deal: "We have Dengue Fever coming out on Real World Records (outside of the USA) - it’s really cool stuff, with the small Cambodian singer and big American guys behind! They’re California based but have taken 60’s Cambodian pop as their main source of inspiration and it’s done with a lot of style. It’s spirited, impassioned stuff." "Venus On Earth" was selected as one of the best world music records of 2008 by the iTunes Store.

Dengue Fever has entered into partnerships with a number of charitable organizations to support causes in Cambodia. They are involved with the wildlife and forest conservation organization Wildlife Alliance, and have donated recordings for charity records with Sweet Relief Fund, a charity that aims to provide financial assistance to musicians dealing with illness, disability, or age-related issues.

Contents

Discography

  • Dengue Fever (2003)
  • Dengue Fever EP (EP, 2005)
  • Escape from Dragon House (2005)
  • Sip Off the Mekong (EP, 2006)
  • Venus On Earth (2008)
  • Sleepwalking Through the Mekong (2009)


Film & Television

The band is the subject of the documentary film, Sleepwalking Through the Mekong. The film chronicles the band's visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the Bon Om Thook water festival in 2005. This trip was the homecoming of singer Chhom Nimol and a transformation for the rest of the band as they performed with master musicians and recorded new songs along the way. The film reveals modern Cambodia as the band tours through Phnom Penh and beyond, crossing a great cultural chasm with the same spirit of Cambodia's original rock pioneers. [3]

"Ethanopium", a cover of a song by Ethiopian jazz musician Mulatu Astatke, was included in the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's 2005 film, Broken Flowers.

"One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula" was included on the soundtrack for the second season of the Showtime series "Weeds", as well as on the recap of that episode for the third season.

"Both Sides Now (song)", a Joni Mitchell cover but sung in Khmer, was included on the soundtrack of Matt Dillon's 2002 film set in Cambodia City of Ghosts.

Sources

References

  1. ^ SuicideGirls > Interviews > Dengue Fever's Ethan Holtzman
  2. ^ Venus On Earth by Dengue Fever » Catalogue » Real World Records
  3. ^ Sleepwalking Through The Mekong - Synopsis

External links

Listening

Video


 
 

 

Copyrights:

WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dengue Fever (band)" Read more