Dengue Fever is a Los Angeles based 6 pieces band, formed in the early '00s and they play Cambodian Psych Rock. Interview taken from Thanassis Tragoulias circa 2009. Enjoy!
We would like to know the story of Dengue Fever from the beginning.
It all started when Zac and Ethan were both listening to the old Cambodian rock n roll from the late sixties. The idea was to cover a few of the coolest songs that we knew of from that era and then try and find a singer somehow. Zac and Ethan started going down to Long Beach, Ca. after a recommendation from a Cambodian friend. It took several trips down there but they eventually came across Nimol singing on stage at a club called Dragon House. After asking her several times, and even being told no by Nimol's older sister, we finally convinced her to come to a rehearsal studio and sing a few songs with us. The day she showed up we had a few other singers that we were trying out but when Nimol showed up most of the other singers got shy and disappeared. And now here we are ten years later, still singing songs together!
“Dengue Fever”, how did this name come up?
The name Dengue Fever was kind of a mash up between Dance Fever and this mysterious disease that we didn't know much about at the time. The word fever conjures up images of sweaty people under the hypnotic powers of music so we just kind of ran with it.
What is the line up of the band and what kind of instruments do you use?
The band consists of me, Paul Dreux Smith on drums (Rogers 1965 Holiday series), Zac Holtzman on guitar and vocals (Fender jazz master and the Mastadong which is one neck of Jazz Master and a second neck of Chapei, which is a traditional Cambodian instrument), Ethan Holtzman on Farfisa organ and other keys (mostly a nord stage 73, also plays a Baldwin fun machine) Senon Williams on bass (Gibson Grabber, Ampeg Big Stud and Fender Jazz Bass), David Ralicke on various horns and psychedelic noises, and last but not least Chhom Nimol on vocals.
Would you like to tell us about your main influences?
We have a wide variety of influences in this band. We started out doing covers but quickly brought in originals that were influenced by Sin Sisamouth as well as surf music like The Ventures etc...
Although we all share common influences like Blondie, Malatu Astatque, Charles Mingus, and Tom Waits we also each have some influences that adds a unique flavor to the stew.
Which musicians ‘changed’ your life?
For me, personally, I had my life changed several times. Hip Hop was the first music that really struck a chord with me. Rakim, Ultramagnetic MCs, De La Soul all had a hand in shaping my taste for years to come. Joseph Modeliste, the drummer for The Meters, was the number one reason I got into playing actual drums (before that I was playing with samplers). His style is so unique and ridiculous that I wanted to be able to get that feel he put into every song. Tom Waits, changed how I wanted to record music. There was a connection between those dirty samples that I loved hearing in early Hip Hop and the rawness of his recordings.
What do you think about the sound of the band? Do you consider it as mainstream or underground?
I think our sound straddles both mainstream and underground. Much of what we do lives in the pop world but has an undercurrent of something more bizarre.
Which was/could be the best moment of the band and which was the worst?
Our first trip to Cambodia was one of our fondest memories. It was so surreal. We were making all these great connections with a lot of people, including Cambodian Living Arts, which does wonderful work by keeping traditions alive through dance, music, and art in general. Also, playing at the Hollywood Bowl, here in Los Angeles, was a big deal for us since most of the band grew up here. It has a lot of history, not to mention we were playing to about 15,000 people!
Our worst memory was when Nimol got arrested and put in jail for having a invalid visa. That was years ago but we were really freaked out. Not only was our band mate locked up and scared, but we felt helpless and responsible because it happened on our way home from a gig. Luckily we were able to help raise money, hire a lawyer and get everything worked out but she did spend 22 nights in jail!
What kind of people usually come to your live performances? Do you believe that they have to be already trained for your music?
Our shows have people from all walks of life. We get hippies, indie kids, hip hop heads, world music fans, a little bit of everything. I think our fans are really open-minded people and they come to our shows because we play with honesty and passion, which always translates across genres. You don't have to have any knowledge of any genre to connect with us as an audience.
Is music your main interest or are you fond of sixties culture in general, like art, design etc?
We aren't really into "preserving an era". The sixties and seventies were a great time for music but we don't want to leave out the rest of the decades. We do find inspiration from the sixties but we like to keep an open mind so we can allow present time to influence us as well. If something sounds good we roll with it regardless of whether it's "authentic" or not.
Can you name other bands you believe that represent the 60’s scene in our days with gravity?
So many bands are digging into the 60s and 70s for their sound right now. With the way music is distributed these days you can have all these niche type scenes happening at the same time. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are one example I can think of. They certainly do justice to their influences!
Can you share with us your future plans?
We have our new album coming out in April so we will be touring as much as we can to spread the word! We will be bouncing around the U.S. during April, May, and June and we are lining up European shows as we speak so be on the lookout. Maybe we will come to Greece, play a great show, then head to Santorini!
---Fin!