Singing the Mekong Delta Blues

The Mekong River, which flows through the heart of Cambodia, has been one of the few constants throughout the nation’s long, tumultuous past. From the Khmer Empire (802-1431 CE) and the brutal Khmer Rouge (1968-1999) to the cautious optimism of the present, the Khmer peoples’ harrowing stories, as well as their hopes and dreams, are inextricably tied to the river.

Krom, a noirish Phnom Penh-based band, is pioneering a new musical style that draws inspiration from the rhythms of the life-sustaining waters of the Mekong, where boats, markets, and even houses float today.

“The past 20 years of my life have been spent observing, working, and participating in the life of the banks of the Mekong, which is the lifeblood and primary food source for the people of Cambodia,” Christopher Minko, an Australian vocalist and guitarist who founded Krom, told The Diplomat.

Minko’s journey to forming Krom began long ago. Disenchanted with the state of the arts in Australia, Minko chose to pack up and leave in 1996. He spent the next 16 to 18 years working with disabled people, but was devastated five years ago by the death of his wife and the mother of his daughter. During a visit to his wife’s temple in Bangkok, Minko swore to write an album in her memory. The album born from his grief was Krom’s first, Songs from the Noir, released in June 2012.

But the seeds of Krom’s distinct sound, dubbed the Contemporary Mekong Delta Blues, were planted long before the first album took shape. Having played the guitar for 45 years, Minko slowly developed his own style of guitar picking, emulating “the steady strong rippling flow of one of the world’s greatest rivers,” he said. “I started playing guitar at the age of 12 and have always focused on the art of picking the delta blues.”

With guides like Johnny Cash, blues great Robert Johnson, enigmatic steel-string guitar maestro John Fahey, and fingerpicking legend Leo Kottke, Minko, now 60, has gradually refined his own style of “river picking,” which is at the heart of the five-piece band’s signature sound. Minko describes this sound as “a combination of delta blues picking with a Mekong edge, enhanced and complemented by the remarkable Khmer traditional influenced vocal skills of the Chamroeun sisters.”

Krom, which literally means “The Group” in Khmer, was born in 2010 when Minko first met Sophea Chamroeun at a studio. He handed her a tape, she sang pitch-perfect, and a partnership was formed. Sophea’s sister Sopheak also joined Krom, their soaring voices providing a natural balance to Minko’s deep baritone. “The remarkable vocal abilities of the Chamroeun sisters are the result of years of highly disciplined formal training under the tutelage of recognized Khmer masters,” Minko said.

Sophea and Sopheak were fortunate. While growing up in a Phnom Penh slum, legendary singer and composer Eng Sithul recognized their talent from a young age and tutored them in traditional Khmer singing and dance. Later, they continued to hone their voices through the Cambodian Living Arts Program and at the Royal University of Fine Arts.

Rounding out the band, Jimmy "B" plays slide guitar and various other instruments and James “Mao” Sokleap plays bass and keyboards and acts as the band’s local producer. Adding a visual element, Gabriel Mancini creates the band’s stunning videos.