Website headstonesband.com | ||
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Years active 1987 (1987)–2003 (2003)2011 (2011)–present Past members Mark GibsonDale Harrison Albums Profiles | ||
Headstones are a Canadian punk-influenced alternative rock band that began in 1987 in Kingston and were active until 2003, subsequently reforming in 2011. The band consists of vocalist Hugh Dillon, guitarist Trent Carr, and bassist Tim White. They frequently sold out at small and mid-sized venues and were known for their high energy live shows, particularly the antics of Dillon, who interacted with his audience in a variety of ways including spitting on them and hurling lit cigarettes into mosh pits. The songwriting tackled many serious and taboo topics, including suicide and even necrophilia.
Contents
Career
The band signed to MCA Records in 1993 and released Picture of Health, with the original drummer Mark Gibson, but he left the band after touring for Picture of Health was over. Dale Harrison was recruited for the follow-up Teeth and Tissue in 1995. The Headstones broke more ground in 1996 with Juno Award nominations for Best Group and Best Rock Album, while releasing Smile and Wave that same year. Three years passed before Nickels for Your Nightmares was released, in which time Carr and Harrison became fathers and Dillon recovered from a drug addiction.
The band would release one more album, on MapleMusic, entitled The Oracle of Hi-Fi, before breaking up in 2003.
Breakup and reunion
After the band broke up in 2003, Dillon started a new band, the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir, whose debut album The High Co$t of Low Living was released in June 2005. Dillon has also found success in acting, appearing in several films, including Hard Core Logo, Dance Me Outside, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, Assault on Precinct 13 and the TV series Durham County, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Flashpoint and Continuum. In addition, their song "Come On" was featured in the videogame Triple Play 2002, and was also the theme for the Canadian version of the sketch comedy show, Comedy Inc.
White went on to become a music producer and composer for television and film, currently with Imprint Music.
The original band members reunited for four shows in February 2011 for a mini tour. They played at Sound Academy in Toronto, Barracuda Pretty in St. Catharines, The Venue in Peterborough and Norma Jean's in London. The band also played eight shows in December 2011: two in Vancouver and one each in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London, Guelph, Peterborough and Niagara Falls, New York.
Love + Fury and One in the Chamber Music
The band released the song "binthiswayforyears", on August 15, 2011 as the first single of the band's upcoming album, Love + Fury. The band released a music video for the song on October 28, 2011. The band announced the recording of their new album on October 18, 2012, and that the album would be funded by pledges from fans through PledgeMusic. On March 22, 2013, the entire album was made available to stream on PledgeMusic exclusively for pledgers of the album. The album's second single, "longwaytoneverland", debuted on radio on CHTZ-FM on March 28. The single was released as a digital download on April 16. The album was released on May 14.
The band's latest album, One in the Chamber Music, was released on November 24, 2014. A collection of new arrangements of fan-favourite songs as well as two new tracks, the album was the band's second to be funded by pre-orders through PledgeMusic.
Songs
Long Way to NeverlandLove + Fury · 2013
Tweeter and the Monkey ManPicture of Health · 1993
Three AngelsPicture of Health · 1993