It’s hard to put into words about the Funeral March show on Saturday.
Joe was a friend. He was a good friend. Something that started as a stranger taking his BFF to a BELLHEAD show in Milwaukee because they heard Fire Control on Spotify turned into a wonderful friendship for many years.
Ivan spent countless hours on the phone with Joe over the years, talking not just about the music business (to help Joe get his band The Funeral March back up and running) but about everything in life.
later…when we got a call at 7am on tour letting us know things took a turn for the worse, we drove faster than we should legally admit back to Illinois to say goodbye in enough time.
After Joe passed, Ivan and Karen made sure that Darius knew he was not alone. Calls with Joe turned into calls and messages with Darius.. and we made a promise to help Darius finish up whatever was left to do for the EP and video to get it to the masses.
Fast forward, Darius asked us to help out for the EP release show, it was without hesitation we jumped on the bill.
We were honored to perform “Save Us” on vocals live. We know we sound nothing close to Joe, but we hope that we did it justice.
There were a lot of hugs and tears on Saturday. A bittersweet show that we know Joe would have loved… and if you knew Joe you would know he’d be apologizing to everyone for having to drive out of their way to Rockford.
BELLHEAD is excited to announce their newest release! ‘Threats’ will be available April 8th on CD, Digital Download, and Streaming on all major platforms. The first single and title track “Threats” can be heard now via Bandcamp.
The album features five original songs along with remixes from Chicago’s Clubdrugs, as well as Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward).
Saturday March 15th The RPL Nordlof Center The Funeral March | BELLHEAD | William Faith | Tatu Gral | [melter] 118 N Main St Rockford, IL 61101 ALL AGES | tickets
Join The Funeral March of the Marionettes and special to celebrate the release of It All Falls Apart, the final EP from Rockford’s original post-punk/Goth rock band. Formed in 1987, The Funeral March blends the sounds of Bowie, Bauhaus, The Cure, and Joy Division to create their particular brand of dark alternative music. The band was resurrected after a hiatus in 2017 by founding member Joe Whiteaker.
Tragically, Joe died in May 2024 after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was immensely proud of It All Falls Apart and, even during the struggles of cancer treatment, was making plans to release the record and go on tour to promote it - a dream that was sadly cut short.
This event is tribute to Joe’s legacy and the music he shared with us. Bassist Darius McCaskey, guitarist Jeff Goins, drummer Joel DeLuna, and guest vocalists will be performing as The Funeral March of the Marionettes for this final show to play the EP in its entirety.
This is an all ages show with refreshments available from Prairie Street Brewing Company. (21+ for alcohol.)
