CHIWAWA is Laurie Gordon (vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, toys), the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, and Krassy Halatchev (bass, vocals, guitars. drums, knobs), born and raised in Communist Bulgaria. Laurie met Krassy in 1991 when she answered a classified ad, which read: "International Band Seeks Female Vocalist." The "International" outfit comprised of one Canadian sax player and four young Bulgarian immigrant musicians, who had just defected Communist Bulgaria, by the name of "The Clouds". Within three months of their meeting, Krassy was being deported and Laurie had "no choice" but to save the band. What started out as a "green-card marriage" blossomed from desperate measures into true love; Laurie and Krassy settled into the Bohemian culture of Montreal, Canada.