Check out this cool documentary featuring LA band Dengue Fever:
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 12, 2009) – M80 Music (http://m80im.com/) announced today that the documentary film Sleepwalking Through The Mekong, will be released on April 14, 2009 as two-disc set via Nail Distribution (http://www.naildistribution.com) and online via IODA (http://www.iodalliance.com). The package features a DVD and a CD soundtrack of the film.
Sleepwalking Through The Mekong (www.sleepwalkingthroughthemekong.com ) chronicles the journey taken by Los Angeles based Khmer rock band Dengue Fever (www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic) to lead singer Chhom Nimol’s native Cambodia during the 2005 Water Festival. The band’s performances there marked the first time a Western band had performed classic 1960s and ‘70s Cambodian rock ‘n’ roll in the country where it was created and nearly erased from existence by the brutal Pol Pot regime.
More than a rockumentary, the film serves up a portrait of modern Cambodia as the band tours through Phnom Penh and beyond, crossing a great cultural chasm with the same spirit of Cambodia’s original rock pioneers. The film has screened at a diverse number of festivals and museums including The Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival, The Hawaiian International Film Festival, Roskilde Festival, The Istanbul Museum of Fine Art and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.
DVD bonus material includes a biography of the band Dengue Fever, live performance segments, comments from director John Pirozzi, segments on the Cambodian Water Festival, the traditional Cambodian Coconut Dance and Cambodia’s Master Musicians.
The accompanying CD soundtrack includes classic tracks from Cambodian artists Ros Serey Sothea, Sinn Sisamouth and Meas Samoun, as well as original material created by Cambodian master musicians Tep Mary and Kong Nai with Dengue Fever, and previously unreleased Dengue Fever instrumental tracks “March of The Balloon Animals” and “Phnom Chisor Serenade”.
Gotta love these guys… from NME:
AC/DC have topped the charts in 29 countries with their new album ‘Black Ice’.
The veteran Australian rockers’ new album, which was released globally on October 20, has topped the charts in countries including the US, UK, Germany, Canada, France, Argentina, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
‘Black Ice’ has sold more than 780,000 copies in the US alone, despite the fact that it is being sold exclusively at Walmart, Sam’s Club, and on the band’s website.
This is only the second time the band has topped the US chart in their three-decade-long career. Their first was in 1981 with ‘For Those About To Rock We Salute You’.
AC/DC are set to kick off their world tour tonight (October 28) in Pennsylvania, as previously reported.
The new incarnation of Menudo have officially arrived with their debut music video for “Lost,” the first single off their forthcoming album due out on September 9th. Carlos, Chris, Emmanuel, José and Monti run wild in style through an action packed hostage rescue mission in Los Angeles. The pulsating dance beats and urban pop flare of the track lay the perfect groundwork for the chase. Want to see more? Check out the behind-the-scenes look of the video.
“Lost” full video:
Behind the scenes of “Lost” video:
The band’s name is Tokio Hotel and apparently they’ve sold over 6 million records around the world, but have yet to break into the American market. They’re set to give it a shot with their first english sung record Scream. But hold on… before we go any further I have to make it clear that the lead singer(3rd from left) is in fact a Male, and not Female. You won’t believe me, but its true.
Check out the video for lead single “Scream”:
BIO:
International superstars Tokio Hotel are taking the music world by storm. After scoring four number one singles, two number one albums, and selling nearly 3 million CDs and DVDs in their homeland, they’ve become the biggest act to come out of Germany in 20 years. And to think their first CD was recorded when the members were only 13 to 15-years-old. Breaking down cultural walls, the Tokio Hotel phenomenon has crossed language barriers, causing a tornado-like frenzy in Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, Russia and Israel. In Austria and Switzerland, Tokio Hotel have gone four times Platinum and in France, they’ve had a crowd of 500,000 chanting along to their songs in front of the Eiffel Tower. One by one, European territories have seen the band graduating from theaters to arenas in a matter of months. . They sold out 43 venues with more than 400,000 fans in their home country.
Teenage girls overseas cry at the mere glimpse of Bill Kaulitz, 18 (vocals), Bill’s twin brother Tom Kaulitz, 18 (guitar), Gustav Schäfer, 19, (drums) and Georg Listing, 20 (bass). Now with Tokio Hotel ready to rock America, it’s only a matter of time before the hysteria follows them stateside.
“It’s always been a dream of ours to make it in the States,” says vocalist Bill Kaulitz, who sings in English for the first time on Scream, the band’s U.S. debut. “We grew up listening to American bands like Metallica, Green Day and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. We wanted to get a chance to do what they do.”
When the band formed in Magdeburg, Germany, in 2001 (originally under the name Devilish), they say they had no idea they’d go on to win prestigious awards such as Echo and Viva Comet. “But there was never a plan B,” explains Bill, “music is all we know.”
Guitarist Tom added ”Playing live means everything to us. That’s how we started three years ago…performing our songs in small clubs and bars - sometimes with only five people in the audience. These days have changed completely. We have sold out stadiums and the biggest venues you can get. This unbelievable success is hard to grasp and every single day we are grateful for it.”
With their US debut ready for release, listeners will get a chance to hear how Tokio Hotel’s melodic brand of rock easily navigates between headbanging guitars and power-packed anthems to mid-tempo pop tracks, and softer, more introspective ballads. The one thing their diverse songs all have in common? There’s always a message.
“Don’t Jump” is an anti-suicide song, telling the listener not to give up on himself, while the guitar-heavy album-opener, “Scream,” is about “saying what you want—or better yet, shouting it—to get your point across,” explains Bill. The quiet but powerful “Rescue Me” is about the helplessness you feel when a relationship crumbles before your eyes, while the sweetly, slowed-down “Monsoon” is about being so in love that you’re willing to do anything to win over—and keep—the love of your life.
“The lyrics are very important to us,” says Bill. “They help our fans know where we’re coming from. The best part of being a musician is being onstage and seeing a sea of people sing the words you wrote—it’s a rush.” Now, for the first time, they’ll be able to hear their lyrics sung back to them in English. “It’s going to be a little crazy,” Bill admits. Though the group learned to speak English in school, they still write songs in their native German and then translate them into English.
Their first U.S. album is actually a combination of hits from their two German albums—”Schrei (Scream),” and “Zimmer 483 (Room 483),” - translated into English and re-recorded. Their first single in Germany, “Durch den Monsun” (”Through the Monsoon”), went to number one in August 2005, followed by “Schrei (Scream)”, which climbed to number five on the charts, and “Rette Mich (Rescue Me)”, which also peaked at number one.
Their first single off their second album “Zimmer 483 (Room 483),” called “Übers Ende der Welt (Ready Set Go),” was released in January 2007, and quickly reached number one as well. They can only hope to keep the streak alive in America.
“We think our music speaks for itself,” says Bill. “Of course, we want to succeed, but we don’t have anything to prove to anyone but ourselves.
PLAY
