Headstones (band)
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical artist
Headstones are a Canadian punk-influenced<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> rock band that was formed in Kingston, Ontario,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> in 1989, broke up in 2003, and then reunited in 2011.<ref name="jam.canoe">Template:Usurped. The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia, jam.canoe.ca</ref> Consisting of vocalist Hugh Dillon, guitarist Trent Carr, bassist Tim White, keyboardist Steve Carr, and Jesse Labovitz on drums, and a reputation for high energy, "more rock less super shock" stage presence, and interaction with the audience, they frequently draw capacity crowds at mid-sized venues.<ref>"Hugh Dillon changes direction" Template:Webarchive. MIKE ROSS, Edmonton Sun, September 9, 2005</ref> Their songwriting tackles many serious and controversial topics. Between 1996 and 2016, Headstones were among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 35 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
The band signed to MCA Records in 1992. They released their debut album in June 1993, which was entitled Picture of Health,<ref>" Hard-rocking Headstones driven by soft spot". Barrie Advance, November 13, 2015. By Laurie Watt</ref> with original drummer Mark Gibson, who left the band after touring in support of the release. Dale Harrison was recruited for the follow-up Teeth & Tissue in 1995. To promote the album, the band went on a two-month, 44-city tour. In 1996, the Headstones received Juno Award nominations for Best Group and Best Rock Album. In 1997, the band released their next album, Smile & Wave. Three years later, Nickels for Your Nightmares was released, and both Carr and Harrison became fathers, while Dillon recovered from drug addiction.<ref name="jam.canoe" />
The band released a compilation album, Greatest Fits, in 2001.<ref>Template:Usurped. Chart Attack, October 23, 2001 By: Debbie Bento</ref> In 2002, the band signed with MapleMusic,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and released their next album, The Oracle of Hi-Fi.<ref>"Straight man" Template:Webarchive. Canoe: Showbiz, DARRYL STERDAN. November 30, 2004</ref> In September 2003, the band announced on their website that they had broken up, citing personal and professional causes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 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 television series, Mayor of Kingstown, Durham County, Degrassi: The Next Generation, 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, and also had a successful career as a voice actor, becoming the voice of such brands Nissan, Purolator, Advil, Toyota, Mr Clean and more.
Reunion
Headstones reunited for four shows in February 2011, and eight more in December: two in Vancouver and one each in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> London, Guelph, Peterborough and Niagara Falls, New York.
After reforming the band and getting back onstage, the Headstones went back into the studio to record a new album. Released in 2013, Love + Fury was crowdfunded through PledgeMusic, before being released by Universal Music. The album garnered the band their first top 10 album, and #1 hit single "Long Way to Neverland". This was in followed in 2014 with another crowd-funded album, the acoustic covers collection One in the Chamber Music. The band's next album, Little Army, was released on June 2, 2017, on Known Accomplice, an imprint of Cadence Music Group. It includes the hit single "Devil's on Fire". With this release the band gave their fans an exclusive behind the scenes look into the making of the album, in real time.
A remastered edition of Picture of Health with bonus tracks was released in October 2018. On March 15, 2019, the band released a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Their next album, PeopleSkills, was released by Known Accomplice on October 25, 2019, and is the band's first full album to be released on vinyl. The album's lead single, "Leave It All Behind", reached number 8 on the Billboard Canada Rock chart. The band's newest album, Flight Risk, was released on October 14, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In April 2025, the band signed on to Dine Alone Records and soon after released a single, "NAVIGATE".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On June 2025, Headstones announced their new album, BURN ALL THE SHIPS, set to release on September 19, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN <ref>Peak positions for Headstones' albums on Canadian Albums Chart:
|
CAN <ref name="CRIA">Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 1993 | Picture of Health | — | Platinum |
| 1995 | Teeth & Tissue | 62 | Gold |
| 1997 | Smile & Wave | 36 | Gold |
| 2000 | Nickels for Your Nightmares | 34 | |
| 2002 | The Oracle of Hi-Fi | 47 | |
| 2013 | Love + Fury | 7 | |
| 2014 | One in the Chamber Music | — | |
| 2017 | Little Army | 26 | |
| 2019 | PeopleSkills | 45 | |
| 2022 | Flight Risk | — | |
| 2025 | Burn All the Ships | — |
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN |
CAN <ref name="CRIA"/> | ||
| 2001 | The Greatest Fits | 43 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Position | Certifications CAN |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
CAN Rock/Alt <ref>Peak positions for Headstones on Canadian Rock and Alternative charts:
|
CAN Content (Cancon) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||
| 1993 | "When Something Stands for Nothing" | 71 | — | — | Platinum<ref name="CRIA"/> | Picture of Health |
| "It's All Over" | — | — | 1 | |||
| 1994 | "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" | — | — | — | ||
| "Cemetery" | — | — | — | |||
| "Three Angels" | — | — | 3 | |||
| 1995 | "Unsound" | 58 | 8 | — | Teeth & Tissue | |
| "Hearts, Love & Honour" | — | — | — | |||
| 1997 | "Cubically Contained" | 20 | 8 | — | Smile & Wave | |
| "Smile & Wave" | 57 | 14 | — | |||
| "And" | — | — | — | |||
| 2000 | "Settle" | — | 4 | — | Nickels for Your Nightmares | |
| "Blonde & Blue" | — | 8 | — | |||
| "Fuck You" | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 | "Blowtorch" | — | — | — | The Greatest Fits | |
| "Come On" | — | — | — | |||
| 2002 | "Reframed (Every Single Failure)" | — | — | — | The Oracle of Hi-Fi | |
| 2003 | "Tiny Teddy" | — | — | — | ||
| 2013 | "Long Way To Neverland" | 87 | 2 | — | Love + Fury | |
| "Far Away from Here" | — | 6 | — | |||
| 2014 | "Colourless" | — | 37 | — | One in the Chamber Music | |
| 2017 | "Devil's On Fire" | — | 6 | — | Little Army | |
| "Broken" | — | 30 | — | |||
| 2019 | "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | — | — | — | Non album-single | |
| "Leave It All Behind" | — | 8 | — | PeopleSkills | ||
| 2020 | "Horses" | — | 22 | — | ||
| 2022 | "Tangled" | — | — | — | Flight Risk | |
| "Flight Risk" | — | — | — | |||
| "Psychotropic" | — | — | — | |||
| 2025 | "Navigate" | — | 2 | — | Burn All the Ships | |
| "Daylight Lightning" | — | — | — | |||
| "Decades" | — | — | — | |||