Headstones

The Headstones carved out a reputation for delivering tough, uncompromising hard rock infused with a potent punk edge, emerging as one of Canada’s most prominent alternative rock acts throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Frontman Hugh Dillon simultaneously built a parallel career as a film and television actor. Their debut release, Picture of Health from 1993, achieved major commercial success at home while defining the band’s signature blend of intensity, dynamics, and atmosphere, and the 1996 follow-up Smile and Wave brought industry recognition through two Juno Awards. Following a hiatus, the group reemerged with undiminished force on the 2013 album Love & Fury and the 2020 set Peopleskills.

Kingston, Ontario, served as the birthplace of the original lineup in 1987, when Hugh Dillon handled vocals, Trent Carr played guitar and sang backup, and Mark Gibson sat behind the drums. The trio quickly earned a local notoriety for their irreverent stance and reluctance to court favor, which hindered bookings and contributed to an early split partly tied to Dillon’s substance issues. By 1990 they had regrouped with Tim White on bass; an explosive Toronto club show prompted an MCA Records A&R executive to receive their demo, resulting in a contract. The ensuing Picture of Health achieved platinum status in Canada once the track “When Something Stands for Nothing” gained traction. Teeth and Tissue, issued in 1995, introduced replacement drummer Dale Harrison in place of Gibson and attained gold certification, while Dillon’s supporting turn in Bruce McDonald’s 1994 feature Dance Me Outside elevated his profile.

Dillon secured a principal role in McDonald’s subsequent 1996 film Hard Core Logo, portraying the brash punk frontman Joe Dick. Smile and Wave likewise reached gold and secured Juno Awards for Best Group and Best Rock Album. The band then stepped back while Dillon completed rehabilitation and both Carr and Harrison became fathers. Their 2000 return, Nickels for Your Nightmares, met with more modest commercial response. After parting from MCA/Universal, they released The Oracle of Hi-Fi on Maple Music in 2002 and formally disbanded the following year. Dillon pursued solo work under the name Hugh Dillon’s Redemption Choir and continued acting.

In February 2011, Dillon, Carr, and White revived the Headstones for live dates, and within six months they issued the track “binthiswayforyears,” which previewed the reunion album Love & Fury that climbed into Canada’s Top Ten. November 2014 brought One in the Chamber Music, an acoustic reworking of earlier material. Partnering with Cadence Music, the band delivered Little Army in 2017, now featuring guitarist Rickferd Van Dyk, keyboardist Steve Carr, and drummer Lyle Molzan. A high-energy yet respectful reading of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” appeared as a single in March 2019. The following October saw the arrival of Peopleskills, which welcomed new drummer Jesse Labovitz in Molzan’s stead.