The Headstones
Encyclopedia
Headstones are a Canadian
hard rock
band that began in the late 1980s in Kingston, Ontario
and were active until 2003, subsequently reforming in 2011. The band consists of vocalist Hugh Dillon
, guitarist Trent Carr, bassist Tim White, and drummer Dale Harrison. 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
. Headstones were one of the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands of the 1990s.
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 BMG
, entitled 'The Oracle Of HiFi', before breaking up in 2003. The band has reunited for four shows in January & February 2011.
, 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
. In addition, their song "Come On" was featured on the videogame Triple Play 2002
.
White went on to become a music producer and composer for television and film, currently with Imprint Music.
The original band members reunited for 4 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 is scheduled to play 6 shows in Edmonton, Toronto, London, Guelph, Peterborough and Niagra Falls (NY) in December 2011.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band that began in the late 1980s in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
and were active until 2003, subsequently reforming in 2011. The band consists of vocalist Hugh Dillon
Hugh Dillon
Hugh Dillon is a Canadian musician and actor.-Music career:Dillon was the lead singer for the Kingston hard rock band The Headstones from 1987 until 2003...
, guitarist Trent Carr, bassist Tim White, and drummer Dale Harrison. 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
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and even necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
. Headstones were one of the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands of the 1990s.
Career
The band signed to MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1993 and released Picture of Health
Picture of Health
Picture of Health is the debut album by Canadian rock band Headstones. The music video for the "Cemetery" track is featured on the Canadian DVD release of the movie Hard Core Logo, starring Hugh Dillon and was also featured on the Canadian VHS release of Dance Me Outside, also starring Hugh...
, with the original drummer Mark Gibson, but he left the band after touring for Picture of Health
Picture of Health
Picture of Health is the debut album by Canadian rock band Headstones. The music video for the "Cemetery" track is featured on the Canadian DVD release of the movie Hard Core Logo, starring Hugh Dillon and was also featured on the Canadian VHS release of Dance Me Outside, also starring Hugh...
was over. Dale Harrison was recruited for the follow-up Teeth and Tissue
Teeth and Tissue
Teeth and Tissue is the second album by Canadian rock band Headstones.- Track listing :# "Hindsight" - 3:58# "Unsound" - 3:32# "Marigold" - 5:13# "Hearts, Love & Honour" - 4:49# "Million Days in May" - 3:59# "Dripping Dime Sized Drops" - 5:12...
in 1995. The Headstones broke more ground in 1996 with Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nominations for Best Group and Best Rock Album, while releasing Smile and Wave
Smile and Wave
Smile and Wave is the third album by Canadian rock band Headstones.-Track listing:# "Reno" - 3:24# "Smile and Wave" - 4:08# "And" - 4:06# "Picture Frame of Rage" - 2:38# "Cubically Contained" - 4:36# "Cut Me Up" - 2:44# "Digits" - 3:28...
that same year. Three years passed before Nickels for Your Nightmares
Nickels for Your Nightmares
Nickels for Your Nightmares is the fourth album by Canadian rock band, Headstones. The album was successful in Canada, with hit singles "Settle" and "Blonde and Blue" reaching #4 and #8 on Canada's Rock chart.-Track listing:# "Downtown" - 3:17...
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 BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
, entitled 'The Oracle Of HiFi', before breaking up in 2003. The band has reunited for four shows in January & February 2011.
After the Breakup
After the band broke up in 2003, Dillon started a new band, the Hugh Dillon Redemption ChoirHugh Dillon Redemption Choir
The Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir is a Canadian indie rock band, led by Hugh Dillon formed in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 2004. The band's style draws from country, pop, punk and New Wave influences.-Current:*Hugh Dillon – vocals *J.P...
, whose debut album The High Co$t of Low Living
The High Co$t of Low Living
The High Co$t of Low Living is the debut album by the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir. It was released in 2005 on MapleMusic. A number of songs appear on Dillon's 2009 solo album, Works Well With Others.-Track listing:# "Surface of the Sun"...
was released in June 2005. Dillon has also found success in acting, appearing in several films, including Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. Director Bruce McDonald illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock...
, Dance Me Outside
Dance Me Outside
Dance Me Outside is a 1995 drama film directed and co-written by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella,-Plot:Set on the Kidabanesee reserve in Northern Ontario. Silas Crow is a young man confused about his direction in life; he wants to take an automobile mechanic's course in...
, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, Assault on Precinct 13
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 film)
Assault on Precinct 13 is a 2005 action thriller film directed by Jean-François Richet, starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. The cast also includes John Leguizamo, Maria Bello, Ja Rule and Drea de Matteo...
and the TV series Durham County
Durham County (TV series)
Durham County is a one-hour Canadian dramatic television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. and Muse Entertainment Enterprises...
, Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
and Flashpoint
Flashpoint (TV series)
Flashpoint is a Canadian police drama television series that debuted on July 11, 2008, on CTV in Canada and ran on CBS in the United States for its first three and a half seasons. In 2011, Ion Television began airing new episodes of the series in the United States...
. In addition, their song "Come On" was featured on the videogame Triple Play 2002
Triple Play series
Triple Play was a series of computer and video games based on Major League Baseball, published by EA Sports until their replacement by the MVP Baseball in 2003....
.
White went on to become a music producer and composer for television and film, currently with Imprint Music.
The original band members reunited for 4 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 is scheduled to play 6 shows in Edmonton, Toronto, London, Guelph, Peterborough and Niagra Falls (NY) in December 2011.
Studio Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
CAN Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
||
| 1993 | Picture of Health Picture of Health Picture of Health is the debut album by Canadian rock band Headstones. The music video for the "Cemetery" track is featured on the Canadian DVD release of the movie Hard Core Logo, starring Hugh Dillon and was also featured on the Canadian VHS release of Dance Me Outside, also starring Hugh... |
- | Platinum |
| 1995 | Teeth and Tissue Teeth and Tissue Teeth and Tissue is the second album by Canadian rock band Headstones.- Track listing :# "Hindsight" - 3:58# "Unsound" - 3:32# "Marigold" - 5:13# "Hearts, Love & Honour" - 4:49# "Million Days in May" - 3:59# "Dripping Dime Sized Drops" - 5:12... |
62 | Gold |
| 1997 | Smile and Wave Smile and Wave Smile and Wave is the third album by Canadian rock band Headstones.-Track listing:# "Reno" - 3:24# "Smile and Wave" - 4:08# "And" - 4:06# "Picture Frame of Rage" - 2:38# "Cubically Contained" - 4:36# "Cut Me Up" - 2:44# "Digits" - 3:28... |
36 | Gold |
| 2000 | Nickels For Your Nightmares Nickels for Your Nightmares Nickels for Your Nightmares is the fourth album by Canadian rock band, Headstones. The album was successful in Canada, with hit singles "Settle" and "Blonde and Blue" reaching #4 and #8 on Canada's Rock chart.-Track listing:# "Downtown" - 3:17... |
34 | |
| 2002 | The Oracle of Hi-Fi The Oracle of Hi-Fi The Oracle of Hi-Fi is the fifth album by Canadian rock band Headstones. It was released in 2002 under Maple Music.- Track listing :# "Whatchagonnado"# "Reframed "# "Take It"# "Nothing Changes"# "And It Goes"# "Tiny Teddy"... |
- | |
Compilation Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
CAN Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
||
| 2001 | The Greatest Fits The Greatest Fits The Greatest Fits is the 2001 Greatest hits album by Canadian rock band, Headstones. The compilation features two new tracks, "Blowtorch" and "Come On".-Track listing:... |
- |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Position | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
CAN Alt Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
CAN Content (Cancon) RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
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| 1993 | "When Something Stands for Nothing When Something Stands for Nothing "Push" is the first single by Canadian rock group Headstones from the band's debut studio album, Picture of Health. The song peaked at #71 on the Canada's RPM singles chart, and the single was certified Platinum by the CRIA... " |
71 | - | - | Platinum | Picture of Health |
| "It's All Over" | - | - | 1 | |||
| 1994 | "Tweeter and the Monkey Man Tweeter and the Monkey Man "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" is a song by rock music supergroup The Traveling Wilburys that first appeared on the 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.-Background:... " |
- | - | - | ||
| "Cemetery" | - | - | - | |||
| "Three Angels" | - | - | 3 | |||
| 1995 | "Unsound" | 58 | - | - | Teeth and Tissue | |
| "Hearts, Love & Honour" | - | - | - | |||
| 1997 | "Cubically Contained" | 20 | 13 | - | Smile and Wave | |
| "Smile and Wave" | 57 | 14 | - | |||
| "And" | - | - | - | |||
| 2000 | "Settle" | - | 4 | - | Nickels for Your Nightmares | |
| "Blonde and Blue" | - | 8 | - | |||
| 2002 | "Reframed (Every Single Failure)" | - | - | - | The Oracle of Hi-Fi | |