When Ethan Holtzman was backpacking in Cambodia, a friend contracted dengue fever, a serious disease that pushes body temperatures to dangerous levels. The pair hopped a ride on a truck that traversed bumpy roads. During the arduous trip to the hospital, the driver cranked his tape deck, playing Cambodian pop from the 1960s. The friend survived. When Ethan returned to the U.S. and wanted to start a band featuring Cambodian-inspired music, he proposed the name Dengue Fever.

Unlike the mosquito-born illness, the name stuck.

A few months ago, California-based Dengue Fever — led by singer Chhom Nimol — stopped by the Radio K studio at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. You can listen to the mini-set here: http://bit.ly/d8Vdlt

Radio K also shot video of event, which you can find on the station's Vimeo page.

Radio K at SXSW: Dengue Fever - "1000 Tears of a Tarantula" from Radio K on Vimeo.

Radio K at SXSW: Dengue Fever - "Gendjer Gendjer" from Radio K on Vimeo.

In 2009, the film "Sleepwalking Through The Mekong" documented the band's tour of Chhom Nimol's home country. YouTube has the trailer to the film, which I haven't seen, but looks incredible.

Finally, Radio K has photos of the SXSW event here.

posted by: Joel
September 16, 2010 - 02:52 pm
comments: 0