Headpins

Rock n Roll Heaven
Toronto, Ontario
July 24, 2008

In between the classic rock and the heavy metal I went through a phase of radio music. Anything the local station was pumping out was what I was listening to between 1980 and 1982. I was subjected to some pretty horrid shit, but there were also some tasty little nuggets to be found as well. Because of the 33% Canadian content, I was pounded with Rush, Loverboy, Streetheart, April Wine, Prism and Chilliwack. My favourite of course was Rush, but a close second was Chilliwack for a while there with the recent release of the album “Opus X” hot on the airwaves.

I had just moved to Prince George, B.C. and was elated, yet bummed, to hear that I had just missed a recent appearance by Rush at the Prince George Arena. Bummed because I missed the show, but elated by the fact that finally, I lived in a town where a few decent bands actually toured. Sure enough, a couple months later, Chilliwack announced a show at the arena and this was to be my first concert ever.

I banged my tiny frame to the front left side of the stage at this general admission show and positioned myself directly in front of Brian “Too Loud” McLeod and his Fender Stratocaster. I really liked Brian’s style and sound so every solo he hammered out, I cheered my head off to the point where “Too Loud” had to take notice. After his final solo of the night, he pointed right at me and gave me a nod, I suppose for cheering my head off all night for him. I thought I was the coolest kid on earth.

Needless to say, a year later when Brian McLeod and Chilliwack’s bassist, Ab Bryant, teamed up with the mighty voice of Darby Mills to form the Headpins, I was an instant fan. With the previously mentioned list of Canadiana being pumped through the radio, Headpins too, were added to that list and easily topped it for me. From front to back, “Turn It Loud” holds it’s own with any pile of classic rock albums. The title track, “Turn It Loud” showcased Darby’s extreme vocal range and power. A fitting introduction for anyone who’s never experienced her signature kick in the ass. “Turn It Loud”, “Winnin”, “Don’t It Make Ya Feel”, “People”, and “Breakin’ Down” were the tunes that delivered me to the doorstep of my heavy metal phase which never really phased out. Thanks to the Headpins and bands like them, they made the ride a nice one.

So it turns out this girl I work with happens to know the Headpins. Cuz I ask everybody I know at some point… “hey, you ever heard of the Headpins?”. The answer out here in Ontario is almost always “No”. Well not only has she heard of the Headpins, her brother happens to be IN the band. Doubletake. Eh? Anthony is IN the band? How cool is that? I happen to be a huge fan of the band from way back and now I actually have a real good connection to someone IN the band.

When I heard “Too Loud” died, I was kinda bummed. No, I didn’t know the guy but being one of my first big influences in music it didn’t make me happy to hear that he’d passed. Now finding out that the guy I know in the band is actually filling in for “Too Loud”, it almost made me feel totally honoured that someone I know indirectly is the guy they passed the torch to. Even better yet, having heard those solo’s countless times, I know every note to every one of them so if a guy fucks em up, I’ll know. And I’m real happy to announce that Anthony DellaCroce makes the effort to duplicate those solos to a T. Sure he has his own long kick ass solo and throws in the odd extra couple frills here and there within the music but for the most part, he displays a worthy reproduction of what Brian used to do. A fitting tribute to one of Canada’s most respected, yet under-rated guitarists.

I’m just real glad Anthony didn’t do what Zakk Wylde, from Ozzy, did to a lot of Randy Rhoads old solos. I thought he fuckin butchered a lot of them, carelessly throwing away the intricacies that Roads laid down in the studio and replacing them with whatever the fuck he felt like at any given moment. I mean there’s 20 songs that Rhoads was involved with in his short time with Ozzy, and 200 songs that Zakk played. Why couldn’t he play them the way they were meant to be played?

They ripped through most of my faves, “Walkin Away”, “Winnin”, “Don’t It Make Ya Feel”, “People”, “Turn It Loud”, the stuff from the first album that originally addicted me to the band. But no “Breakin Down”. What’s up with that? The best fuckin tune the band ever did by far hands down, I don’t give a fuck what anyone else has to say about it, that’s the signature stamp, kick ass motherfucker of a tune that defined, and earned my musical respect for, the Headpins. And they don’t play it. Fine. :P

Darby Mills was dead on. She’s still lookin great with a smokin body and all that long curly brown hair and best of all, that voice is still top notch. She hit every note, didn’t fumble or fake it through any of em. Afterwards, I wanted to give her a big hug but apparently she’s a black belt and could kick my ass, so I didn’t try to put the moves on her which would have surely gotten me killed! Either that or I woulda been in there cuz my moves are pretty fuckin irresistible. ; )

Kinda cool that I got to recount my first concert with a guy who was actually there. Not only THERE, but on stage. Ab Bryant, the bassist for Headpins was also the bassist for Chilliwack back in 1982, which I've mentioned numerous times, was my first concert ever. He actually remembered that show and dreading playing that far North in the winter as it was just too cold. I had this weird feeling come over me like something had just come full circle. Don't ask me, it was just a weird feeling that, for a change, didn't originate in my pants.

Rounding out the lineup was Alfie Galpin, keyboardist/guitarist. I've always said it about these underrated and often overlooked guys, the Alfie Galpin's and the Kelly Hoppe's out there, who without them filling in with the extra guitar or keyboards, the band just doesn't sound as full as it could.

Now my only real beefs lie in two things, one the band has control over and the other they had no control over… or did they? First, the biggest piss off… the lighting that night. The two opening acts had killer lighting. Just enough smoke for effects, and all kinds of white front lights and lotsa colour in the back… makes for great pics. What happened when the Headpins took the stage? The fuckin light guy passed out on heroin or what? Piss me off. I’ve been waiting years and years to see the Headpins rock my world and here they are, with a buddy in the band and I can’t get enough light on the band to get some decent pics. OK, I pushed the ISO up to 1600 and managed to get some OK shit, but really… those lights shoulda been on full force for the headliner.

The other thing? I grabbed a set list after the show and at the very end I see, as an encore, “Break’n Down/Mine All Mine”. Hold on. I didn’t hear "Breakin Down". That’s my fucking favourite Headpins tune and I did not hear it. Why’s it even on the list? A teaser? A LIE? Someone fill me in here… what the fuck? Anyway, those 2 piss-offs aside, I had a great time, with plenty of good friends, a few cold ones and one of the best female rock n roll voices I’ve ever heard providing the soundtrack for most of the night, I relived 1982 all over again.

Headpins Official Web Site

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