HHead

by Bradley TorreanoAlternative rockers HHead first started in 1991 in college. Guitarist Noah Mintz and bassist Brendan Canning became fast friends in school, eventually dropping out to pursue music. Mintz joined a local band as their singer, then slowly started firing members until Canning was in and they could choose their own drummer. The band was originally just called Head, but a trip to the local record store revealed another band with that name, so Canning thought of adding the extra h. They never really could keep a drummer, dropping one after the other as they continued as a band. They self-released their first album, Fireman, in 1993. The CD was popular in Canada, enough so that I.R.S. Records picked them up on a five-album contract in 1994. They recorded Jerk, their second album, for the label and began to tour the United States. The band lost many Canadian fans because of I.R.S.s insistence on touring the U.S., and the audiences over the border did not warm up to HHead the way the label had expected. On top of that, the label was going out of business and was grasping at straws, something that the band was not quite aware of until the entire management of the company shifted and they found themselves a low priority. The label shut down and they moved to indie label Handsome Boy, who released their third and final album, 1996s Ozzy. Despite finally landing a permanent drummer (Jason Ray), Mintz left in December of 1997, followed by Canning. The band was officially over at that point, leaving behind a sad career and a handful of loyal fans who continued to support the band over the internet years after they disbanded.