Meet Dawn Nock | Singer & Mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Nock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
Strong women. Ones who pave the way, no regard for what other people think, ones who stand up for themselves and others. Ones who create safe spaces for our younger generation.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been singing and performing all my life. As a kid and young adult, I dreamed of being an actor. I was a thespian in high school and went to UNC in Greeley for Theater Arts. I went on auditions and calls backs but never ended up following through. I had a tough time in high school as most kids do. I was struggling with an eating disorder and in and out of hospitals. I missed the last half of my senior year because I was inpatient at Children’s Hospital. I got married and had my kids at a young age and everything creative came to a halt for several years. I continued to struggle with my eating disorder throughout my children’s lives. Struggling with my mental health and my distorted body image I was searching for something that was for me. Being a young wife and mother, most of my time and energy went in to just being a mom. I didn’t have anything of my own, I was losing who I was as a person. I knew I needed to get healthy so, I decided to really focus on therapy and listening to music. I fell back in love with a band called Bikini Kill. The lyrics hit me differently and I was so pissed that I wasted so many years hating my body and letting society dictate whether I was pretty or thin enough. My anger helped me overcome my eating disorder. Now, I will tell you that it never goes away, there’s still that voice that nags at me, but punk rock helps deafen it. Unfortunately, my marriage came to an end, and I was left with 50% of my time being alone and bored. I decided I was going to get out there and see what I was missing for the past several years. I did karaoke, went to local shows, had more of a social media presence and got a DM from Mike asking if I sang and if I was interested in auditioning. He said I just looked cool and that was his initial reason for reaching out to me but was pleasantly surprised I could carry a tune. We played a lot. Almost every weekend. I met so many people, made some connections and started to settle in to being a singer in a band. COVID hit and things fizzled. I did a few different projects with other musicians until I got a message from Ben Roy, the singer from SPELLS. SPELLS had been one of my favorite Denver bands for a few years by that time, so this was a huge deal. He asked if I was interested in singing and asked that I come in for a quick audition. I felt like I was auditioning for The Beatles. After I joined the band, we played shows with some of the people I’ve looked up to over the years (total fan girl moment), we’ve gone on tour and put out a record called Past Our Prime that continues to make best of lists. SPELLS is recognized as one of the best live shows in Denver and I can’t believe I get to be part of it

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely have to hit up South Broadway first. We would probably get a slice of pizza at Pie Hole and head over to Hi-Dive for a show. You never know what you’ll run into on South Broadway. Some of the best people in my life, I’ve met there. Then, maybe we would travel to Colorado Spring or Manitu and hangout at a local coffee shop or make the trek to Bishops Castle. I don’t know, I was born and raised in Colorado, but I’m the worst Coloradan…I hate the snow and get car sick so the mountains are out of the question for me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d say, my band, SPELLS for sure, but I’d like to also highlight Mike Lebofsky who was the one who initially reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to start a band with him and few other guys. This was my introduction to performing in Denver. Once I joined SPELLS, that’s when my bucket list items started to be checked off.

Website: https://www.spellsrules.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ddnock66_6/profilecard/?igsh=MXNmNmM2enc1dW1wbg==

Image Credits
Victor Rollins
@someborrowedtime