Dengue Fever
By Russ Allsup
Went to another great show at Amoeba Records in Hollywood recently. This time it was a record release show for local favorites Dengue Fever on March 1st, who were celebrating the release of their new album, The Deepest Lake on Tuk Tuk records.
They’ve been around for over a decade now, and it was obvious from the live show they put on. There is great laid back chemistry that band have onstage, weaving a musical web that draws you in and leaves you feeling like you’ve been put under a spell. A deep, trancelike dream of a spell. Dengue Fever are unlike any band I’ve ever seen, and it’s a little hard to describe their sound. Kind of an intoxicating mix of far Eastern traditional tunes mixed with garage and psychedelic rock, mingled with a mellow laid back SoCal vibe.
Their singer, the lovely Cchom Nimol is from Cambodia and brings a lovely southeastern Asian lilt to the band’s sound. The group is anchored by brothers Zac (vocals/guitar) and Ethan Holtzman (organ), who started the band in 2001. Along with bassist Senon WIlliams, drummer Paul Smith, and David Ralicke on brass, the sound this band creates is something uncharted and completely new- a breath of fresh air in today’s music scene. If you’re in mood for something fresh and a little different from the usual, give Dengue Fever a shot.
