Kingston rockers Headstones are set to headline the opening night of Crewfest 2024 on Friday, July 19, 2024 in Lions Park in Brantford, Ontario.
SWOMP caught up with vocalist Hugh Dillon for an interview. He discusses Crewfest, their career, co-writing with his long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan and the new Headstones album, Cigarettes, which is in the works.
Listen, below:
Here is more information about Headstones:
Canadian rock band Headstones, formed in Kingston, Ontario, began their early music career performing to anyone who would listen.
At the time, artists such as Neil Young and Leonard Cohen were gracing the charts on Canadian radio while American musician Stevie Ray Vaughn was reviving the blues south of the border.
Headstones decided to take a much different approach.
Carrying a similar attitude to Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins, Hugh Dillon led members Trent Carr and Tim White into becoming a band synonymous with the real Canadian road-worn punk-rock and roll, touring their anti-social behaviour across the country to rough and restless fans.
Their storied career has led them to become one of Canadian rock’s most critically acclaimed bands, earning them multiple chart-topping hits, music awards, and over a million records sold.
The Headstones recently released their highly anticipated full-length album Flight Risk, followed by a sold-out tour from Toronto to Vancouver, including Buffalo.
Flight Risk is pre-apocalyptic rock and roll at its finest, following up their 2019 release PeopleSkills, which garnered two Top 10 radio hits with ‘Leave It All Behind’ and ‘Horses’.
Flight Risk is one of the most subversive Headstones rock and roll records to date and is the result of years of relentless work ethic and dedication, a testament to the long-standing relationships within the band and their team.
The album features a surprise co-write on the track Ashes, between Hugh Dillon and long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan; one of the most prolific, premier storytellers of his time, and architect of hit series Yellowstone and 1883, and Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell or High Water.
Taylor and Hugh co-created Mayor of Kingstown, which is now in its third season.
The Headstones are headed back to the studio to begin work on their forthcoming new album, scheduled to be released Fall 2024.
Follow the band on their official website https://headstonesband.com/.
Here is some more information about Dillon specifically:
Now in its third season, Paramount’s Mayor of Kingstown was co-created and executive-produced by Hugh Dillon and the Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water, Yellowstone). Alongside Jeremy Renner, Hugh stars in the show as Detective Ian Ferguson and is also a credited writer. Mayor of Kingstown premiered on Paramount+ in November 2021.
Dillon first earned notoriety as the frontman of his multi-platinum rock band, Headstones. It was early in the band’s success when Hugh caught the attention of filmmaker Bruce McDonald, who cast him in the lead of the 1996 cult-classic film, Hard Core Logo. Quentin Tarantino saw it at South by Southwest and decided on the spot to distribute the film through Rolling Thunder. This caught the attention of Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), who cast Dillon to star opposite Vera Farmiga in the Sundance Film Festival award-winning Down To The Bone.
Dillon’s ability to capture honest and realistic portrayals of complicated characters has been his calling card. The award-winning actor starred in the dark and twisted serial Durham County, leading him to his breakout role in CBS/CTV co-production, Flashpoint, which aired for five seasons.
Dillon then joined AMC’s The Killing, and appeared on Showcase’s drama, Continuum, as well as Showtime’s Twin Peaks. In 2017, he starred alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner in Taylor Sheridan’s feature film, Wind River. Dillon also appeared alongside Kevin Costner in four seasons of Sheridan’s critically acclaimed Yellowstone.
Dillon continues to push the boundaries of his unique creativity, writing, developing and producing his own stories such as feature films and series Low Life Kings, Suffer Machine, and NORCO. His short film, Issues, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As a voice actor, Dillon has represented multinational brands such as Chevy, Hyundai, the video game Left4Dead, and Manulife.
With his band, Headstones, Dillon has recorded ten full-length albums, spawning multiple top-ten hits on the Billboard Rock Charts. The band continues to perform live in concert thrilling crowds with legendary sets from coast to coast.
Hugh Dillon is an industrious and committed entertainment professional. His unique, real-life experiences permeate through each of his endeavors, be it on the big or small screen, the stage, or in crafting storylines, he is a creative force that succeeds in everything he does.
Follow Dillon on his official website https://www.hughdillon.com/.