Coming to Phnom Penh this weekend, and to Siem Reap next weekend, is Dr Salad, an independent band from Edinburgh, Scotland, promising muscular power pop, rich with surfing guitars and vocal harmonies; they call it heavy romance. Lewis McTighe (Drunk on Champagne, Little Thieves) and Colin Hodgkins (Japan Guitar Shop) are behind this latest bring-‘em-over project, and Lewis was good enough to sit down with LengPleng to explain the how, the what, and the why.
Lewis: I don’t really know exactly why this band occurred to me and not any other band in the world. Since my days with JGS Colin and I have developed a pretty good professional relationship when it comes to putting on music events in Phnom Penh. We have a good balanced skill set for that kind of thing – communication, organisation, that kind of stuff – where most artistes don’t thrive; we like putting in the time and effort to make an event that best frames the art. So I watched what he did with Skeleton Goode who visited from Ho Chi Minh City, and Carnival Youth from Latvia, and I liked this idea of bringing high calibre bands to the kingdom.
LP: Is there a personal connection other than the Scottish?
Lewis: I went to the UK three summers ago with a bunch of friends, camping and touring and such, and we went to an Edinburg pub I used to frequent, Whistle Binkies, on a Wednesday night. It happened that Dr Salad were playing, it wasn’t planned or anything, but the place was packed and everyone in the crowd was singing along. I don’t know any band in Phnom Penh where the whole audience is singing along. They were silly and fun and eccentric, not taking themselves too seriously, and they stuck in my mind as a band that would work for a Phnom Penh audience.
LP: And so your message came to them out of the blue?
Lewis: Exactly. I reached out to them through their Facebook page – you don’t know me, I’ve seen you play once, this is what we’re trying to do here, would you be interested? I definitely got the impression that they’d never had a message like that before, they were polite and friendly, but they didn’t really know how to respond. Is this a scam? This can’t be real. So we had a conference call that was kind of whimsical and fun, very positive but no details, just hey, we’re all real people. We explained what we’re trying to do in building an international touring scene, and how would they feel about coming over here? Then it was a matter of sorting out dates, and who pays for what. It took us until the middle of January to get the bookings done, which felt a little bit late for getting the word out about the shows.
LP: So we’re talking a labour of love/passion project?
Lewis: I think the main take-away that I want people to understand about this event is that we’re doing this for all the right reasons. It’s definitely not about making money, it’s about trying to offer something cool, something a little bit different. We have a cool scene, but it’s kind of incestuous, lots of borrowing of musicians. And it’s really inspiring to hear something new. It ups the standard – we get used to just playing for each other, but then when another band comes to town we respond – oh, they’re really good, tight, good sound, great songwriting – so we want to do that too. So it’s inspiring musically and creatively, inspiring the raising of the bar. When Skeleton Goode came we thought, oh, this is just a bit better than what we’re all doing. Let’s start aiming for that. Then Carnival Youth, a really high calibre, festival-level band.
LP: And what’s the offer?
Lewis: We have put together a package for the Phnom Penh show that’s offering real value – you get Dr Salad and Drunk on Champagne plus DJ Goddam Kiddo before the bands and then late into the night, excellent food and beverage offerings from Seekers Spirits, who have been very accommodating and are excited to be part of the show. All that for $12.50 on the door – and only $10 up until 24 hours before the show. And the Siem Reap show at Laundry Bar is free.
So prepare yourself for a riff-heavy, slightly goofy band with no fear of dynamics. LengPleng also had a few questions that Dr Salad’s keyboard player Ewen was nice enough to answer.
LP: Can we start with the ordinary questions – your influences, the origin of the band and any significance that the name might have?
Ewen: Well I am actually the newest member, having joined a few years ago. Basically, I play drums for another band (racecar), who Robin, Dr Salad’s drummer, is the guitarist of. Whenever Robin couldn’t play, I would step in and help out, but now I play percussion, a little keys and backing vocals, I guess I had just enough sauce to stick around!
LP: Will this be the first time in Cambodia / SEA for the band members?
Ewen: I have been lucky enough to visit Thailand and the Philippines in the past, and it has always been a dream to visit Cambodia, so to do it with my friends and to bring our music with us is an unbelievable outcome!
LP: What is the group dynamic like? Who does the writing, and is the band a dictatorship or a democracy?
Ewen: They say no man is an island. Dr Salad is an archipelago, with the music flowing between us, carrying you to paradise.
LP: What has been the career highpoint of the band so far?
Ewen: I think it’s gotta be opening for the Happy Mondays at Fringe by the Sea. Until this tour, obviously. We’ll have trouble topping this.
LP: What can Phnom Penh and Siem Reap expect from the Dr Salad show?
Ewen: Bring a change of clothes, cause things are gonna get hot and sweaty. We’re really excited about coming over and meeting everyone.
