Headstones (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Defunct | 2003 (first disbandment) |
| Fate | Reunited in 2011 |
| Headquarters | Kingston , Canada |
Key people | Hugh Dillon (lead singer), Trent Carr (guitarist), Tim White (bassist), Steve Carr (keyboardist), Jesse Labovitz (drummer) |
| Products | Rock music albums and singles |
| Website | www |
Headstones is a Canadian rock group heavily influenced by punk, originating from Kingston, Ontario in 1989. After disbanding in 2003, they reunited in 2011. The band’s members consist of lead singer Hugh Dillon, guitarist Trent Carr, bassist Tim White, keyboardist Steve Carr, and drummer Jesse Labovitz. Renowned for their dynamic live shows and strong audience engagement, they regularly fill mid-sized venues to capacity. Their lyrics often tackle profound themes, which has helped them secure a position among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists and within the top 35 Canadian bands during the period from 1996 to 2016.
History
In 1992, the band secured a contract with MCA Records and launched their first album, Picture of Health, in June 1993 featuring original drummer Mark Gibson, who left following the supporting tour. Dale Harrison replaced him for their 1995 album Teeth & Tissue, which was promoted through an extensive two-month tour covering 44 cities. The band received Juno Award nominations for Best Group and Best Rock Album in 1996. Their subsequent releases included Smile & Wave in 1997 and Nickels for Your Nightmares in 2000, during which time key members celebrated personal milestones and Dillon successfully battled addiction.
The compilation album Greatest Fits was released in 2001. After signing with MapleMusic in 2002, they issued The Oracle of Hi-Fi. In September 2003, citing both personal and professional challenges, the band announced their dissolution.
Following the breakup, Dillon founded the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir, releasing The High Co$t of Low Living in 2005. He also advanced a prominent acting career with roles in films such as Hard Core Logo and television series including Mayor of Kingstown. Their song "Come On" was featured in the videogame Triple Play 2002 and served as the theme music for the Canadian sketch show Comedy Inc.
Tim White shifted his focus toward music production and composing for television and film projects. Additionally, he developed a successful voice acting career representing brands like Nissan, Purolator, Advil, Toyota, and Mr Clean.
Reunion
In February 2011, Headstones reunited for four performances, followed by an additional eight shows in December across cities including Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London, Guelph, Peterborough, and Niagara Falls, New York.
After regrouping and touring extensively, the band recorded new material. Their 2013 release Love + Fury, funded through PledgeMusic crowdfunding and distributed by Universal Music, became their first album to reach the top 10 charts and included the chart-topping single "Long Way to Neverland". In 2014, they delivered another crowdfunded project—an acoustic covers album titled One in the Chamber Music. Their subsequent studio effort, Little Army, was released on June 2, 2017 via Known Accomplice (a division of Cadence Music Group) featuring the successful single "Devil's on Fire" along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content shared with fans during its creation.
October 2018 saw the release of a remastered version of Picture of Health, enhanced with bonus tracks. On March 15, 2019, Headstones unveiled a rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Their album PeopleSkills, launched on October 25, 2019 through Known Accomplice, marked their inaugural full vinyl edition. The lead single "Leave It All Behind" achieved a peak position of number 8 on the Billboard Canada Rock chart. Their most recent album Flight Risk was released on October 14, 2022.
In April 2025, Headstones signed with Dine Alone Records and introduced the single "NAVIGATE". By June 2025, they announced their forthcoming album titled BURN ALL THE SHIPS, slated for release on September 19, 2025.
Studio albums
| Release Year | Album Name | Highest Chart Rankings | Sales Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN | ||
| 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
| Release Year | Compilation Title | Chart Rankings | Certification Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN |
CAN | ||
| 2001 | The Greatest Fits | 43 |
Singles
rowspan=3 |2000 2001 2001 2002 2003 2013 2013 2014 2017 2019 2020 2022 -'Flight Risk' -'–' -'–' -'–' -' -'Flight Risk' -' -'Psychotropic' -'–' -'–' -'–' -' -'Flight Risk' -' - 2025| Release Year | Track Title | Highest Chart Positions Achieved | Certification CAN |
Source Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN Rock/Alt |
CAN Content (Cancon) | ||||
| 1993 | "When Something Stands for Nothing" | 71 | — | — | Platinum | 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" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| "Settle" | "—" | "4" | "—" |
rowspan=3 |Nickels for Your Nightmares | ||
| "Blonde & Blue" | "—" | "8" | "—" | |||
| "Fuck You" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| "Blowtorch" | "—" | "—" | "—" | 'The Greatest Fits' | ||
| "Come On" | "—" | "—" | "—" | 'The Greatest Fits' | ||
| "Reframed (Every Single Failure)" | "—"
|
'The Oracle of Hi-Fi' | ||||
| 'Tiny Teddy' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'The Oracle of Hi-Fi' | ||
| 'Long Way To Neverland' | '87' | '2' | '—' | 'Love + Fury' | ||
| 'Far Away from Here' | '—' | '6' | '—' | 'Love + Fury' | ||
| 'Colourless' | '—' | '37' | '—' | 'One in the Chamber Music' | ||
| 'Devil's On Fire' | '—' | '6' | '—' | 'Little Army' | ||
| 'Broken' | '—' | '30' | '—' | 'Little Army' | ||
| 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'Non album-single' | ||
| 'Leave It All Behind' | '—' | '8' | '—' | 'PeopleSkills' | ||
| 'Horses' | '—' | '22' | '—' | 'PeopleSkills' | ||
| 'Tangled' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'Flight Risk' | ||
| 'Navigate' | '–' | '2' | '–' | 'Burn All the Ships'
- -'Daylight Lightning' -'–' -'–' -'–' -' -'Burn All the Ships' - } See alsoExternal links |
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- Articles with short description
- Musical groups formed in 1987
- Musical groups disbanded in 2003
- Musical groups reunited in 2011
- Musical groups originating from Kingston, Ontario
- Canadian alternative rock bands
- 1987 establishments in Ontario
- 2003 disestablishments in Ontario
- 2011 establishments in Ontario
- Musical groups disestablished in 2003