At The Pike Room

While the music we play and what we listen to is primarily string band dance music, we like to sample other kinds of music. Frequently, we pick up some flavors from different types of tunes we hear and incorporate them into our music.

Dark Chrysalis

Something new. Something different. On June 8, we were at the Pike Room in The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. Dark Chrysalis was opening for Dengue Fever.  . I have no idea what kind of band Dark Chrysalis is. Phreddy Wischusen and Jennifer Shea were the performers. It was interesting, and definitely modern, by my standards. Jennifer knelt on the floor for the performance, while Phreddy sat on a low stool.  I couldn't understand most of what was being sung -- just because it was so loud and distorted. We weren't sure whether this was intentional at the time. I met Jennifer backstage afterward. She was telling me that they couldn't do a decent sound check and couldn't tell at all what they sounded like to the audience. (I felt bad for them. Jennifer was very nice. She said they've only been performing together since January, and it's difficult for her with three small children at home.) They just had a lot of noise bouncing around off the walls and couldn't tell what to do one way or the other. Jim and I agreed that we probably would have liked their music more, if it hadn't been so distorted.

Zac and the Dengue Fever tour bus before the show

Showing their energy!!

Dengue Fever plays Cambodian Surf Rock. They describe themselves as being 100% Cambodian and 100% Indie Rock. That's really about all I know about them. Jim, however, has known about them for years. I can say, though, that they were just fantastic musicians and performers. What a high-energy group!! If you ever get an opportunity to see them, DO IT! I didn't know any of the songs and couldn't sing along with any, except for the little bit where they had audience participation and told us the one or two syllable things to say, but it really didn't matter. It was really the energy more than the words. But I couldn't believe the fantastic, never-faltering voice of the front singer, Chhom Nimol. I have never heard anyone sing like her before. It was wonderful.

Jim with a few of the Dengue Fever folks

And not only were these folks wonderful artists on stage, putting on a fantastic show, they were very nice off stage. They took as much time as everyone wanted in the audience for photo opps and just to chat, even though they knew they had to drive all night to get to Wisconsin for their next performance. This is one way to win fans and keep them.

Listen in a bit at their website:    Dengue Fever Website

Dengue Fever plus one fan that just wanted to be in everyone's photos