Dengue Fever is anything but your average indie-rock combo. Based in Los Angeles, the exotic six-piece outfit is fronted by Chhom Nimol, who sings in her native Cambodian dialect, backed by guitarist Zac Holtzman, his brother Ethan (keyboards), Senon Williams (bass), David Ralicke (horns) and Paul Smith (drums). Some photos of the boys in the band from their three previous albums look like they’ve come from Homeland Security’s no-fly list. In reality, Dengue Fever may be the best U.S. cultural ambassadors to Southeast Asia since the glory days of jazz stars Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane 50 years ago. The band’s “new” album, Dengue Fever Presents Electric Cambodia (Minky), spotlights vintage performances by its favorite Cambodian artists from the late ’60s/early ’70s. Dengue Fever will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with them.
Ethan Holtzman: One of my favorite things to do is forage for mushrooms. I can really only identify a couple confidently, but those couple are delicious. Most of my friends trust me, but every once in a while, somebody’s dad will be over for dinner while we are preparing them and say, “No way. You’re crazy.” It sucks if you get poison oak or a tick in your armpit, but chanterelles are pricey. And it’s worth the risk.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtPlJRBHUAM
