The Wily Filipino

Dengue Fever, The Independent, SF, 11/09/07.

1. In what is clearly my Best Concert Year Ever, I met Chhom Nimol, the lead singer of Dengue Fever (the coolest band in America, as I've written many times) this evening. I bought her a shot of Jagermeister, which she requested ("Medicine for singers," she said).

(2. Imagine three exclamation points at the end of each sentence and you'll have a good idea of how I'm feeling.)

3. I was standing in the back of the venue when I turned around to look at the bar and saw Chhom Nimol. Who was waving at me. I turn back to my friends (Talaya, Ben and Carlo) and point her out. And she was indeed waving at me. I couldn't believe it.

4. Later she said she recognized me from seeing me at the shows (!). (I think it was a case of mistaken identity, but still! How cool is that?)

5. So she gave Talaya (who speaks Khmer, a good thing) her cell phone number and told her to call and wait until after the show, when she came out. So we all got to talk afterwards and have pictures taken and CDs signed. She was sooooo cool and friendly; she wanted photographs with everyone, and was giving us hugs right and left. (She started telling us a story about having a room next to Maya Arulpragasam during the Treasure Island Music Festival, and how she was wearing all blue, and bringing Cambodian CDs, but I didn't hear the rest.)

6. Oh, wait, the show: an excellent set, as always, with more new songs from the forthcoming album creeping into the list (I'm wondering if "Doo Wop" or "A-Go-Go" will ever show up on it).

(7. The opening night selection at this year's Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival was none other than John Pirozzi's Sleepwalking through the Mekong! I can't wait to see it.)

8. And Talaya sung "I'm Only Sixteen" with Dengue Fever at the encore! (There was no way she'd mess it up like I did before.)

Posted by the wily filipino at November 10, 2007 02:46 AM