A Near Fatal Car Crash Helped Empty Heads Put a Positive Spin on Life

Photo via Josiah Hughes

Two years ago, Vancouver-based pop-punk band Unfun was involved in a tragic van wreck on a highway in Indiana when an oncoming car crossed into their lane. The band members were hospitalized and the driver of the other vehicle was killed. Needless to say, the incident had a profound impact on guitarist Tyler Wilson, who has since gone on to front the noisy Calgary rock combo Empty Heads. “It’s definitely a huge influence in the way that I write music,” Wilson explains over the phone, adding that the accident inspired him to pen material that “expresses an optimistic outlook on life, because it is so fragile.”

Although Wilson considers Empty Heads’ music to be an optimistic response to traumatic events, it’s not what anyone would consider happy-go-lucky. Last year’s demo EP Teerjerker is a fiery assault of brawny alt-rock, with six songs that pile strangled pop hooks atop speaker-obliterating fuzz and bashing rhythms. The frontman’s vocals fight to be heard amidst distortion pedals that are permanently set to maximum, and the sonics draw on Wilson’s punk background along with 90s noise-rock influences. Having played guitar in other ensembles (including the still active Sabertooth), this is Wilson’s first project as a frontman. Joining him in the lineup are drummer Dylan Cameron and bassist Kyle Prudhomme; co-founding member Nick Lake lives in Vancouver, British Columbia these days and plays with the band when he can. “It really started when we all lived on the same block together,” Wilson says of the outfit’s formation in spring of 2014. “We had this notorious little white row of houses on Sixth Street. It turned into a hub for shows and band practices and we all started jamming together from there.” Although Empty Heads are hardly the only Calgarian combo playing noisy rock n’ roll, Wilson points out that the band’s sound is unique in its home city. “We have a lot of awesome hardcore punk bands in Calgary and there’s also a huge indie rock/garage rock scene,” he observes. “And I don’t really think we fit into either of those.”

When searching for a name by which to describe this unique sound, Empty Heads have jokingly referred to themselves as “brunch rock.” Wilson points out with a laugh, “We’re the only brunch rock band in Calgary.” A little later in conversation, he offers another colourful description of the group’s style: “The most disgusting pop music you can record.” With cassette copies of Teerjerker now sold out, Empty Heads are preparing to release a self-titled 7-inch on July 21 through Debt Offensive Records. A video for the track “Deceiver” is already online, and the song is another fuzz-drenched anthem that’s every bit as loud as the band’s previous material. “I don’t think it will be a departure from the demo,” Cameron says of the band’s new material, taking the phone from Wilson. “We recorded it the same way. We just had a little bit more time, we put in a little bit more money to get it recorded.” To promote the new record, the band will be touring in the U.S. and Canada for a few weeks in August. Due to his past experiences on the road, Wilson acknowledges that he will have to endure some anxiety on the highway. “I definitely felt years older after it happened,” he says of his mindset since the crash. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Noisey: It’s been two years since Unfun’s van crash. What happened?
Tyler Wilson: That was one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me. I’m not going to go into crazy detail about the stuff that happened, but we were basically hit on the highway one night in northwest Indiana. It turned out to be a fatal accident and it was really shitty.

Has it changed the way you approach being in a band or going on tour?
It definitely heightens your anxiety to be on the highway. We did a mini-tour with Empty Heads last fall, and my friend was driving us around and I definitely have higher anxiety on the road. You re-think situations and [think about] where you’re going and where you’re driving to.

Did you have health insurance?
It’s a pretty miraculous story on my part. About six months before that accident, Unfun did a two-month tour in Europe, and I purchased traveler’s insurance that I thought was valid for two months. And it turned out that it was valid for 12 months. It had completely slipped my mind, just getting out of a semester at school and hitting the road with Unfun before we were in our accident—I had forgotten to purchase or update my insurance. I was actually quite injured from the crash and I spent two days in a hospital in south Chicago. My mom, who lived in Australia at the time, had called my insurance and it was still valid, miraculously. I almost assumed about $30,000 worth of bills, but because I had the insurance, it finally worked out for me.

Did you recover completely, health-wise?
Yeah, for the most part. I have some pretty good scars. I’d say the one thing is the anxiety that probably never leaves you when you’re involved in a pretty traumatic event.

Alex Hudson is a writer living in Vancouver. Follow him on Twitter - @chippedhip