Cambodia Calling: LA band Dengue Fever

Friday, June 26, 2009

LA band Dengue Fever

A while back I received this email:

"Hi Diana,

My name is Larry Kraut and I am a social media marketing manager for the company M80 based in Los Angeles. I just wanted to tell you that I really like your blog; I've always found casino culture to be so fascinating, and I don't even know what to do with that description of Century Eggs!

Given your unique perspective in Cambodia, I also wanted to let you know about a new documentary that I really think you would enjoy. Sleepwalking Through The Mekong chronicles the Los Angeles-based rock band Dengue Fever, and their fascinating tour through Cambodia in 2005. The film delves into the unique relationship that Cambodians have with music due to the intellectual genocide overseen by the Pol Pot regime and marks the first time an American band has ever played Khmer music in Cambodia.

The film is slated for DVD release on 4/14, so let me know if you are interested in checking out the documentary and reviewing it on your site; I would be more than happy to send you a copy of the DVD and original soundtrack. You can find more info on Dengue Fever, including video clips, photos, music and more here: denguefever

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you."

For those of you who have not heard of the band, you can read wikipedia's entry: "Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock. They were formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia. As Ethan and Zac were searching for a vocalist to sing in Khmer, lead singer Chhom Nimol was discovered in a nightclub in Little Phnom Penh area of Long Beach."

The DVD was sent to a friend who works at a luxury hotel here in Siem Reap, as the house I live in, in a small village, has no house number. I will be getting the DVD today- finally! and will review the documentary soon!

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So please, before you ask us to discount our bags, remember that we are not a minimum wage factory; we are a social enterprise. If you want a cheap factory-made bag, Bloom is not what you are looking for. If you agree that workers (where-ever they are--Singapore, Germany, France, the US) should always be paid fairly and are not here to produce goods and services at low wages for the profit of big business, then please consider Bloom. Bloom bags are all hand-made by our small team who spend our working hours dreaming up and making bags.

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Please Visit Bloom's new workshop off Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh and our retail outlets. Bloom is next to Warehouse Pub in the Old Market Area in Siem Reap and at No.808 Russian Market, Phnom Penh.

Friday, June 26, 2009

LA band Dengue Fever

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