Dengue Fever

Inspired by a 1997 trip to Cambodia with a friend that contracted Dengue Fever, organist Ethan Holtzman was taken by ’60’s Cambodian rock and subsequently formed the band named after the disease. Alongside brother Zac Holtzman, member of the alt-country outfit Dieselhed, the pair purged record stores and online outlets for as much Cambodian rock as they could claim. Upon searching for a vocalist who could sing in Khmer, Ethan and Zac stumbled across Cambodian native Chhom Nimol in a Long Beach nightclub and immediately invited her to their ranks. Despite being a well-known pop singer back in Cambodia, Nimol saw it as a fantastic opportunity to earn some money to send back home. Bassist Senon Williams, drummer Paul Smith, and brass player David Ralicke subsequently joined completing the lineup, after which Dengue Fever began crating their debut release.

Following their debut performance in 2002, the band issued their debut, self-titled studio album in 2003. Featuring vocals sung entirely in Khmer, the record won the band a large following which included a number of Hollywood’s elite. Dengue Fever’s subsequent release was a self-titled EP which showcased the band’s first attempt at original material, released later in 2003. Following Matt Dillon including the band’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” to the soundtrack of “City of Ghosts”, Nimol was arrested for not holding a legal visa. Funded through benefit concerts, a lawyer was hired to represent the singer and after nearly a year of being in legal limbo, Nimol obtained a two-year visa.

In 2007 the band released the full-length “Escape from Dragon” which, marked by Nimol increased English, was the first release to feature English sung lyrics. Dubbed one of the best albums of 2008 by the iTunes Store, Dengue Fever’s third full-length “Venus On Earth” represented a huge progression for the band as it became the first album sold outside the U.S. In 2009 the band appeared in the Cambodian music documentary “Sleepwalking Through the Mekong”, which they contributed a number of songs to. The same year Dengue Fever released the full-length “In the Ley Lines” once again showcasing a collection of covers, original material, and Ethiopian jazz. The full-length “Cannibal Courtship” arrived in 2011, followed by the Pledge Music funded album “The Deepest Lake” in 2015.