Chris DeLine

After taking some time extensively purging my hard drive of one time jukebox necessities I came across The Headstones‘ catalog, one of my all time favorite bands. Having not lived in Canada for the better part of a decade now it had been a while since I had the opportunity to catch up on the group so I decided a trip to Wikipedia was in order. Unbeknownst to me the band broke up in 2003 and in surrounding fallout lead singer Hugh Dillon began a new band called the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir.

Exploring this information a bit further I was led to an interview where Dillon discussed his blossoming acting career as well as his new band (for those who are unfamiliar with Dillon he starred in the critically acclaimed mid-ninties punk mockumentary Hard Core Logo which was distributed in the US by Quentin Tarantino). Not only did the interview with The Hour’s George Stroumboulopoulos reintroduce me to a man I’ve been a fan of since my early youth but it introduced me to a new Hugh Dillon, a man reborn. After years of drug and alcohol addiction, he’s clean shaven and looks to be thirty or forty pounds leaner – this new attitude can be heard through his songs: the ones I’ve heard are slower, thoughtful and meticulous compared to his past releases. While it lacks the fury and grit of The Headstones it offers a balance that is found in the freedom that an independent release brings, one that allows Dillon and his new band mates to produce music that is heartfelt, unwavering and unapologetic. And it seems that with or without addiction, a label or the safety of a familiar line-up those are three things that Dillon will always be.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]