Escape from Dragon House, 2005 Written by Dengue Fever Courtesy of M80/The Birdman Recording Group
	Escape from Dragon House, 2005 Written by Dengue Fever Courtesy of M80/The Birdman Recording Group

Written by Tom Schnabel

Few people would have expected the Armed Forces Radio to spawn new bands at the turn of the 21st century. During the Vietnam War, Cambodians were listening to Motown, psychedelic rock, surf music, soul and everything else American deejays were spinning and mixing with local idioms and rhythms. Dengue Fever reflects all these influences.

Brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman formed the band after a visit to Cambodia in the late 90s. Much to their surprise, the music they heard there wasn't too foreign; the keyboards, the surf guitars, and other pop, soulful elements were part of a cultural stew that seemed all too familiar to them. Once home, they decided to recreate this sound, and Dengue Fever was born, playing covers of the Cambodian pop music they heard abroad. But they needed a singer to front the group. Together they scoured the Cambodian music scene in Long Beach and were elated to find their perfect lead singer, the beguiling Nimol Chhom. Miss Chhom was already a superstar in Cambodia - she had performed for the King and the Queen - and became a perfect match to bring the band to the next level.

Dengue Fever recorded their first album in 2003, followed by their new album, Escape from Dragon House, in 2005. The album's title refers to a famous Cambodian nightspot in Long Beach where Nimol regularly performs to service the debt incurred when she was wrongly detained in 2002 by The Department of Homeland Security.

The eclectic music of Dengue Fever, propelled by Nimol's lilting vocals, has gotten a ton of airplay on top stations like KCRW, and their popularity is ever increasing with each gig they play.