LIVE: Supabad
Fri-Sat Nov 4-5, FCC Phnom Penh
Supabad, the James Brown-inspired funk band from Bangkok that likes it 'loud, hard and dirty,' returns to The FCC Phnom Penh for two shows in November. A big band for a big man, the touring ten-piece's horn-rich homage to a musical and cultural revolutionary cuts it with the best of them. "James Brown completely revolutionized the world of modern music," says Supabad guitarist, percussionist and vocalist David "DJ Kermie" Cameron, adding that the "sequined suits, jump suits, hairy chest, big hair -- JB's time in the '70s, when he was truly becoming the Number One Soul Brother, that seems to work best for us."
LIVE: Dengue Fever
Sat Nov 12, FCC Phnom Penh
Dubbed "a cross between Led Zeppelin and Blondie" by Ray Davies from the Kinks, Dengue Fever returns to its spiritual homeland for an epic Electric Mekong Tour 2011. The band is promoting its fourth and finest release, "Cannibal Courtship," a kaleidoscopic cocktail of 1960s Cambodian pop and American surf-rock garnished with a lively dash of Afro groove and garage psych. The music would not sound out of place in an Austin Powers film or at one of Ken Kesey's infamous acid tests. "Before, it was partly Cambodian and partly Indie rock," bassist Williams says of Dengue Fever's evolution. "Now it's 100 per cent both. We've been friends and a band for a long time and everything has led to this moment. It's all us and all focused; that's the vibe, from beginning to end." Tickets are $10 and include 2 Tiger beers.
LIVE: Warapo
Saturday Nov 19, FCC Phnom Penh
Warapo is the house band at the famous Caravelle Hotel in Saigon. Founded in 1998 in Santa Clara, Cuba, the four-man, two-women Cuban fusion band play radio-friendly Latin rhythms steeped in the Cuban tradition. Warapo won the title "Best Amateur Band" in November 1998 at the 14th Artist College Festival in Holguín, and with their second album, "Tengo Nada," the band garnered four nominations at the 2008 Cuban Disco Awards, Cuba's most prestigious music awards. Show starts at 8:30 p.m. No cover.
Salsa Explosion
Saturday Nov 26, FCC Phnom Penh
Spawned by the 1920s folkloric Son Cubano, which fuses Spanish guitar with African rhythm and translates literally as 'Sound of Cuba', Salsa dancing swept the globe within a decade. And, like the sauce from which it derives its name, it remains one of the spiciest today. "Salsa is quite an intimidating dance," says Jimmy Campbell, the Salsa Explosion host. "It's very sensual; very exciting. There's a lot of energy around it. It's not like modern dance, where people don't even look at each other and there's no passion." Dancing starts at 8:30 p.m. No cover.
Upcoming: December
- Juram
- Ukes of Hazard
- The Annual New Years Eve Bash