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FYI

Headstones: The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

The veteran hard rockers deliver an unlikely yet compelling version of the Gordon Lightfoot classic, with Hugh Dillon's virile vocals driving the narrative.

Headstones: The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

By Kerry Doole

Headstones  -"The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" (Cadence): Gordon Lightfoot's classic folk tale of a nautical disaster may seem an unlikely choice of song to be covered by veteran punk/hard rock band Headstones, but their motives are pure.


In a label press release, the group states, "We've always loved this song. It's profoundly meaningful. We started to play it during our tour VIP soundchecks, and our fans responded to it.... The feedback was exceptional."

Thankfully the band doesn't mellow out on its version. The typically virile vocals of Hugh Dillon, the most charismatic frontman in Canadian rock, are to the fore, he throws in some credible harmonica, and his comrades deliver tough guitar-led accompaniment.

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The evocative video was shot on location in Kingston. 

The band has been rejuvenated by the success of their last album Little Army and last year's 25th anniversary reissue of their debut album Picture Of Health and a national tour. Headstones have again been busy recording new music in Kingston, the original hometown of Hugh Dillon, using The Bathouse Studio, home of their comrades The Tragically Hip.

Summer dates have been announced, beginning at The Sound Of Music Festival in Burlington, ON, on June 8 alongside Monster Truck, Bush and LIVE, and including the Roxodus Music Festival in Clearview, ON, July 11 - 13.  

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Howard Willett (right) with Whiskey Jack
Courtesy photo

Howard Willett (right) with Whiskey Jack

FYI

Obituaries: Toronto Harmonica Ace/Vocalist Howard Willett Remembered By His Peers

This week we also acknowledge the passing of The Cure keyboardist/guitarist Perry Bamonte, bubblegum hitmaker Jerry Kasenetz, influential U.S. label head Howie Klein and innovative jazz musician Michal Urbaniak.

Howard Willett, a vocalist and harmonica player with the Bebop Cowboys, Whiskey Jack and many other Ontario country/roots outfits, died on Dec. 31. His age has not been reported.

On his Perlich Post blog, Toronto music journalist Tim Perlich says, "I'm saddened to hear that Parry Sound-born singer/harmonica ace Howard Willett has passed away. Howard was a longtime performer on the Toronto scene, well known for his work with the Bebop Cowboys, Swing-a-Billy Orchestra, Whiskey Jack, Junction City AllStars, The Shifters and many others. He'll be greatly missed."

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