SAT | JUNE 14
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
MARTIN LUTHER KING PARK

PHOTO by JEFF GOULD

According to the program, this Juneteenth celebration was (among other things) a way to “build bridges of understanding between different cultures.” This made Dengue Fever—a Cambodian-psych-revival band whose Sinn Sisamouth-style rock was the subject of a dedicated documentary—a perfect choice. (And even more appropriate is their local connection: Lead singer Chhom Nimol was discovered at downtown’s Dragon House, a story that provoked more NPR coverage than any band since Konono No. 1.) Their set started with introductions (in both English and Khmer) from community leaders, and then their “Lost in Laos” bossa-nova beat began, pushing everything into full gear. Highlights included their cover of Ros Sareysothea’s “Shave Your Beard”—announced by hirsute guitarist Zac Holtzman—which originally sounded something like Khmer Zombies, but which mellowed under Dengue Fever’s tremolo guitars. Halfway through, Dengue stopped the music and brought out a representative from the Cambodian aid organization Hearts Without Boundaries and DaVik, a 9-year-old from Svay Chrom village who was recovering from an open heart surgery that saved her life. The representative spoke at length on their mission and then DaVik approached the microphone for a heartwarming “Thank you!” After the speech, Dengue started up with “Sober Driver,” one of their few English-language songs. Nimol sang question-and-answer vocals with Holtzman while the rest of Dengue played something between a spy theme and a Nancy Sinatra song. The last few songs of their set were interrupted by a fleet of Cadillacs with hydraulics, but it didn’t seem to phase them at all.

Tags: cambodian rock, dengue fever, juneteenth, Long Beach, ros sereysothea, sinn sisamouth