I went to see Dengue Fever and Secret Chiefs 3 last night at the WOW hall here in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. I've missed Secret Chiefs the last two times they've played here, so I was determined to go to this show - I found a sitter for the little 'uns at the last minute and headed down to the show on my bike. I paid my way and then walked into the show. Dengue Fever was already on, and the crowd was thick for a Monday night. DF struck me as a mix of American surf-rock with a little bit of Asian influence, musically-speaking. The vocalist, Chhom Nimol, was great; the most memorable part of the set for me was her solo vocal introduction to a pop song sung in Kmher - a soulful, mournful sound that was nonetheless very lifting, and when the band came in to complete the arrangement, the sound was crushing and full. A fun act, very energetic with the bassist and guitarist pogo'ing a lot, keeping the energy high, but they didn't knock me out the way I hoped they would. Still I give them a solid B. Secret Chiefs 3 were another story. I've been familiar with trey Spruance's work since I first heard Mr. Bungle's Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny demo waaay back in High School. I confess: I was a Mr. Bungle groupie for a spell and followed the band and it's related spin-offs pretty well over the years. SC3 is one of the best associated projects from the Mr. Bungle genom, and I have given them an ear for the past decade or so. "Middle-eastern gothic-furf-rock" is the first thing that comes to mind when scrambling for a description of SC3. They did not disappoint, hurtling into an un-introduced set of complicated, odd-time music with abandon. Trey and company hit the metaphysical nail on the head in their quasi-anonymous hoods and face-scarves. I wish I knew for certain who the other members of the band were last night - I could of sworn that it was Danny Heifitz on drums underneath that hood - but suffice it to say they were top-notch players who must be having fun playing Spruance's crazy fuckin' music. Here is a pic of a couple of Secret Chiefs fans:













and here is Dengue Fever: