Chiwawa
Encyclopedia
Chiwawa is a rock
/pop
electronic
duo composed of Laurie Gordon, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, and Krassy Halatchev, born and raised in Communist Bulgaria.
Within three months of their meeting, Halatchev was about to be deported. He and Gordon had a green card marriage
, and eventually fell in love. Gordon and Halatchev settled in Montreal, Canada.
In 1994 Gordon started her own band, "Chiwawa", with Luc St. Pierre. Halatchev filled in as a drummer, becoming a permanent member a couple years later. Eric Willis also joined the band. Chiwawa’s debut album, "The Sick World Of Yona", produced by Steve Whitfield, was released in 1998.
Gordon was diagnosed with breast cancer
a week before the release of Chiwawa's debut album. Despite her health, she continued to perform and front Chiwawa, writing songs and made a full recovery.
Chiwawa has collaborated with a number of different artists. Chiwawa has written with musicians Camelle Hinds, Paul Weller
, Russ Broom, Jann Arden
, and Mikey Benn.
on his final animation film Spare Change, which Gordon directed on Ryan's behalf after his death in 2007. The film is based on Larkin's experience as a panhandler begging for spare change on the streets of Montreal. Larkin moved in with Chiwawa in the last years of his life and came back to his art. A documentary
film of how Ryan Larkin and Chiwawa became friends will air on CTV Television in early 2011.
Currently Chiwawa is scoring the soundtrack for Co Hoedeman
's animated film "55 Socks". The band will also be working on a feature film by Gerald Potterton
. Future projects include 2 more feature films, beginning production in 2011 and 2012.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo composed of Laurie Gordon, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, and Krassy Halatchev, born and raised in Communist Bulgaria.
History
Gordon met Halatchev in 1991 when she answered a classified ad which read: "International Band Seeks Female Vocalist." The "International" band was four young Bulgarian immigrant in a band called "Ping-Pong". When Gordon joined, they became "Short Confession".Within three months of their meeting, Halatchev was about to be deported. He and Gordon had a green card marriage
Green card marriage
Green card marriage is a neologism that refers to the phenomenon of a marriage of convenience between a legal resident of a country and a person who would be ineligible for residency but for being married to a resident.-Description:...
, and eventually fell in love. Gordon and Halatchev settled in Montreal, Canada.
In 1994 Gordon started her own band, "Chiwawa", with Luc St. Pierre. Halatchev filled in as a drummer, becoming a permanent member a couple years later. Eric Willis also joined the band. Chiwawa’s debut album, "The Sick World Of Yona", produced by Steve Whitfield, was released in 1998.
Gordon was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
a week before the release of Chiwawa's debut album. Despite her health, she continued to perform and front Chiwawa, writing songs and made a full recovery.
Chiwawa has collaborated with a number of different artists. Chiwawa has written with musicians Camelle Hinds, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
, Russ Broom, Jann Arden
Jann Arden
Jann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter.-Life and career:Arden was born and raised near Calgary in Springbank, Alberta and attended Springbank Community High School. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You"...
, and Mikey Benn.
Film work
Chiwawa has scored music for a number of short films and documentaries. The duo worked with the late Oscar nominated animator Ryan LarkinRyan Larkin
Ryan Larkin was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969 Oscar-nominated short Walking and the acclaimed Street Musique . He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan.-Home life and education:Ryan Larkin's father was an airline mechanic...
on his final animation film Spare Change, which Gordon directed on Ryan's behalf after his death in 2007. The film is based on Larkin's experience as a panhandler begging for spare change on the streets of Montreal. Larkin moved in with Chiwawa in the last years of his life and came back to his art. A documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film of how Ryan Larkin and Chiwawa became friends will air on CTV Television in early 2011.
Currently Chiwawa is scoring the soundtrack for Co Hoedeman
Co Hoedeman
Jacobus Willem Hoedeman is a Dutch-Canadian filmmaker known for his mastery of stop motion animation and technical innovation in films that reveal his close observation of human and social interaction.-Biography:...
's animated film "55 Socks". The band will also be working on a feature film by Gerald Potterton
Gerald Potterton
Gerald Potterton is a British/Canadian director, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic Heavy Metal and his animation work on Yellow Submarine....
. Future projects include 2 more feature films, beginning production in 2011 and 2012.
Full length albums
- The Sick World of Yona (1998)
- Chimeres (2002)
- Bright (2005)
- Bus Stop Chinese Buffet (2009)
- Watermark (2010)
EPs and remixes
- God's Children (2008)
- Love's Got Heart (2004)
- Always About You (2007)