Dengue Fever
Dengue Fever bring their six-piece band to Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown. The Los Angeles group is built around Chhom Nimol’s vocals, with Zac Holtzman on guitar and vocals, Ethan Holtzman on keyboards, Senon Williams on bass, Paul Smith on drums, and David Ralicke on horns. Expect the band’s own hybrid of Cambodian rock, Afro grooves, surf and garage psychedelia, with songs drawing on Cambodian pop and rock of the 1960s and ’70s and often sung in Khmer.
Based in Los Angeles, Dengue Fever have built a catalog that connects those Cambodian influences with their own original writing. They are associated with Electric Cambodia, a compilation of rare Cambodian recordings, and their music inspired and was performed in Lauren Yee’s play Cambodian Rock Band. The group has collaborated with Korean psych band Goonam and toured with Tinariwen. The Los Angeles Times called them “one of L.A.’s cleverest party bands” and their music “mind-bending”; The Guardian praised an “entertaining set” from an “impressive live band.” Pitchfork singled out Nimol’s “elevatory, radiant voice.”
Pappy & Harriet’s began as the cantina on a 1940s Western film set, and that history still frames a night here: the venue sits among Pioneertown’s old movie-set facades, with the desert just beyond. It is a restaurant and live-music venue, with shows in indoor and outdoor spaces; the setting and touring acts make the trip feel tied to this particular outpost, rather than just a concert stop. Shows are ticketed, general admission and standing-room only, with ADA seating available at either stage. The restaurant is separate, serves food, and runs a first-come, first-served waitlist, so put your name down early if you want dinner; eating does not secure a show ticket. Check the event details for doors and weather, especially for an outdoor performance.