1977-1988 – Born in Toronto, ON, Canada; shits and giggles, breaks arm by running into an unlit Weber hibachi leg at family garage sale.
1989-1991 – Total geekery at Howard PS: collects fountain pens, obsessed with Garfield, wears a hat, classified as “gifted”; moves to Runnymede, loses hat, friends, gifted status.
1992-1994 – Makes new friends as part of Humberside CI’s non-smoking, ultra-nerdy one-step-above-chess-club, “French immersion clique,” starts zine called “Quit Gawking” and draws comic strip based on said friends, learns how to play guitar; gets on honour roll, takes computer science, enriched maths; changes high schools and enjoys being a total outsider at Parkdale CI, wins geography award despite this.
1995-1998 – Moves to Montreal, QC, maintains a solid A-/B+ as a creative writing major at Concordia U; co-hosts Underground Sounds on CKUT, writes about music for Vice and Chart magazines, DJ’s at Bifteck and Blizzarts; acquires Farfisa VIP 500.
1999-2000 – Meets Murray, sees The Dears play at Barfly and subsequently joins the band; records End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story, drinks a lot, hangs out with tortured artists; celebrates Y2K; graduates Concordia with Honours (nerd), but bombs the GRE because it’s too early in the morning; makes plans to move to New York; End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story is released in Canada; buys a NordElectro keyboard on layaway.
2001 – Moves in with Cousin Laura in Bed-Stuy, NY to complete concurrent internships at Matador Records and Paper Magazine; moves back to Montreal to do The Dears full-time: manages and administrates the band; learns HTML from a book.
2002-2006 – Tours and records with The Dears; No Cities Left is released; quits being a music journalist; gets married, moves to Park-Ex and has a baby with Murray; tours and records with The Dears; Gang of Losers is released, finishes paying for NordElectro and adds Roland X6 keyboard to touring arsenal.
2007 – Starts this blog; tours and records with The Dears
2008-2009 – Survives a total mutiny; The Dears release Missiles.
2010-2011 – Degeneration Street happens. Natalia embarks on fiction writing project.
2012-2013 – Gets knocked up. Births Apollo Lightburn. Happiness ensues.
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Hi. I’m so self-conscious about this page that I changed it again (adding the timeline above). I started this blog so I could have a place to write about anything I wanted to. I feel like its constantly reshaping itself, changing the way I think about thinking. I love comments so bring them on. Thanks for reading this far into the tender awesomeness that is my life. Yours, Natalia. P.S. Much of this blog is drenched in sarcasm and dry gags. Please do not be offended.
Hello I am a Mexican girl, and I went to see them the poliforum Siqueiros, they seem to me an excellent band are simply brilliant and I hope return to Mexico since to many of us they left us with a good flavor of mouth, pardons if you do not understand everything in fact my English is something bad and. .solo I want that you know that I am an admirer and your blog this wonderful.
Return soon to Mexico
Hello Natalia,
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve added your blog to http://www.publicbroadcasting.ca/canblogs.html
The Dears Myspace blog is already in the band blogs
http://www.publicbroadcasting.ca/bandblogs.html
So announcements by the band etc., will show up there, but I thought splitting them between the two areas might get one or both seen more.
Much love to you and the Dears!
Justin
You are so beautiful….mind, body, soul.
1) When you worked at chart you reviewed my band at the time – the Ashgrove. You gave us a mediocre review…but the album was a little mediocre, so i don’t hold it against you…
2) Missiles has got some really good songs. Two in particular inspired me to contact you – the song Demons and Money Babies. When Murray sings the second “there are demons” he goes up about a tone and a half, and it sounds kinda off, yet it’s not…but i can’t get that out of my head. Because it’s kind of “off” (yet not) it made that song unforgettable for me. And every time i listen to it, it bends my mind. Did you know it was that crazy sounding when you recorded and mixed it? Or is it just me?…Secondly, excellent job of harmonies at the beginning of Money Babies. Sounds like the harmonies are loose and unrehearsed, but makes for a great listening experience.
Hey you guys just played a show in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Center. Anyways Dears were by far the best band at the show. I turned to my friend and said “hey that keyboard chick is really sexy” then someone beside us said to someone else “that keyboard chick really creeps me out… I think I like it” It was a pretty entertaining night.
Hello Natalia Im from Mexico come back soon, your music are beautiful and my favourite band,
Bye.
Hi Natalia,
You and I have never met, but I am an old friend and schoolmate of his. I wanted to touch base with Murray…would you mind passing on the message? He can contact me via wordpress or FB.
Thanks!
John A. Glasspoole
I can’t write…LOL… it was supposed to read as follows:
Hi Natalia,
You and I have never met, but I am an old friend and schoolmate of your husband and I wanted to touch base with him…would you mind passing on the message? He can contact me via wordpress or FB.
Thanks!
John A. Glasspoole
My name is Andy. I’m currently at university studying Film and Media Production but keeping a band going on the side. I just wanted to comment on your blog to say that not only am I a huge fan of the Dears, but reading the timeline of your life makes me feel incredibly lazy! I hope to one day write my own timeline with similar success.
This is not meant as an insult, but over here in England i have met very few people who have heard of the dears, but this only makes me prouder. You guys are like my little gem and i am constantly introducing your music to peers with constant success!
Really looking forward to the next album!
Andy Ahorro
Hi, nice to meet you !
Thought you might like to know that as of June 2010, the ultra-nerdy clique at HCI is of the Classics variety and spends most lunches in the Latin room. Choik-atee-hoik…
You probably get this a lot, but…
The music yourself and your Husband have produced Actually changed my life.
This, of course, only makes sense because I’m 18.
I’ve been listening to you guys make masterpieces since my brother snagged a copy of EOAHBS on a tour he was doing in 2002, and you’ve never once taken a step backward.
You’ve been the ones who first drove me to obsess over edgy basslines and melancholic horn sections, so I’d not be lying when I told you that a good 20% of the reason I’m getting a degree in Music Education, why I forced myself to learn Theory in the first place, is because your music is that damn fantastic.
Thank you.
Hi Nicholas – Thanks for listening and for being there. We will always be there for you, in some way or another. Good luck at Uni and keep in touch.
2011 is my favorite so far. I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
huge fan of yours via the LDM in Montreal and NYC.
keep up the good work
and
don’t ever give up.
http://www.facebook.com/theryanbuynak
Hi Natali, you are beautiful.