Entertainment Features

Theory of a Deadman: Alive Again on Acoustic Tour

By David DeRocco

 There’s no doubt music can be transformative in the lives of music fans. However, music can also give rise to significant changes in the lives of the people who make it. Just ask drummer Joey Daneneau who, after a lengthy audition process in 2008, became the fourth drummer to sit behind the kit for multi-selling Juno Award winning Canadian rockers Theory of a Deadman.

 “Once I got in it was a life-changing experience for me,” said Daneneau, who was encouraged to apply for the gig by friend Brent Fitz, a former TOAD drummer who had cut rank to tour with Alice Cooper. “I went from Winnipeg and playing in a cover band and doing this minor session work to all of a sudden performing with this platinum selling rock band who tours all over the world. The first show people already knew who I was. I’d walk off the bus and people would be waiting by the fences where the buses were, calling my name and asking for pictures and autographs. I was like ‘my god what do I do, I don’t even have an autograph, I never worked on one.’ Do I write my whole name in full? I have a long French Canadian last name, I didn’t know what to do. It was such a change for me.”

 Change is usually a good thing, and the tour that’s bringing Daneneau and fellow bandmates Tyler Connolly (lead vocals/guitars), Dave Brenner (rhythm and lead guitar) and Dean Black (bass/vocals) to FirstOntario PAC November 25th sees Theory of a Deadman changing their hard rock ways to deliver a live acoustic set of their hits. The latest tour is the most recent leg of an acoustic experiment that began in 2015, one that Dandeneau says he thoroughly enjoys despite the reduction in his drums and stage space.

 ”(Theory of a Deadman) has been doing the same shows for the past 15 years and we’ve never really strayed too far from them,” said Daneneau, who is now an official member of TOAD. “So it was a matter of ‘let’s strip these songs down a bit, and allow our fans to hear the songs for what they really are, and not be taken in by a big light show and massive sound system and screaming guitars. You get the vibe of the lyrics again, the vibe of the harmonies and melodies.”

 Deconstructing the band’s classics into acoustic arrangements was challenging but also inspiring according to Dandeneau, the youngest member of the band.

 “We thought it was going to be more difficult, the whole band. As it turned out it’s not and it’s actually more fun. It makes you think a little bit. To take these songs and make them sound just as good with less is a challenge. It actually tests my skills as a drummer. But it allows us as a band to appreciate our songs again. We’re hearing them in the basic raw form. You can’t hide behind screaming loud distortion and guitars. I’ll be honest, I kind of dig this show more than our regular show.”

 Regardless of whether it’s an acoustic show or the full-scale sonic assault of their usual configuration, a Theory of a Deadman show is loaded with recognizable radio-friendly rock tracks  – including “No Surprise,” “So Happy,” “Bad Girlfriend,” “Lowlife” and others. Those songs helped them land eight Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock charts and two #1s since releasing their self-titled debut in 2002. That’s some rarified air for a rock band – especially a Canadian rock band – and something Dandeneau says the band hopes to build on with their next record.

 “It’s humbling, it’s impressive, but it doesn’t phase us. When we sit on a bus or in a room and talk about what we’ve done, it just drives us to keep going. It doesn’t cause us to sit back and go ‘we’ve done well, let’s put an end to it.’ We want more. We want to get even better,  to make even bigger hit songs. We want to double what we’ve done even after 15 years. Give us another 15!”

 With the writing of their next album complete, the band is now searching for a producer to replace Howard Benson, the man behind the recording of their last four albums (Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger produced their debut)  That search could signal another change for Theory of a Deadman according to Dandeneau.

 “This record for us is going to be a little different. We’re hoping this producer can bring a little bit of a different sound to us, which is why we didn’t go with the guys we’ve been using. We don’t necessarily want a producer to come in and change everything. We still need to sound like Theory, we need to be Theory. We just want some different sounds.”

 A different sound from Theory of a Deadman can be heard in their most recent release, a one-off cover of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah.”  Despite its release the day after Cohen’s death in November, Dandeneau says it was pure coincidence and was actually in the works long before the loss of the iconic Canadian singer.  

 “It’s funny how it all worked out. Tyler actually recorded that last year. We were just sitting on it. This year the label said ‘why don’t we use it as a holiday song for you guys.’ We didn’t have a record out, we just finished writing our new one, and we hadn’t been on the road. The roll out was all scheduled. But the night before we released it Leonard Cohen died. Of course our label and our management started emailing us to tell us. We had to decide, do we release it, do we not? We didn’t want to put it out and have people thinking we were taking advantage of his death. It became a tribute to him instead.”

It's a tribute to their longevity, their music and their fans that Theory of a Deadman is still touring 16 years into their career. Dandeneau says this acoustic tour has the band excited to be back on stage and equally excited at the response their acoustic shows are getting from audiences.

 “These acoustic shows are such a great departure for us. We really look forward to getting on stage and playing these shows. Not that we don’t our regular shows, it’s just so different for us. The fans too, they just get into it so much more.  Maybe because they’re listening to it in a different way than they did before. We really prepare for these shows. We really want to put on a great performance. And the cool thing is we added a keyboard to our show. It’s actually my drum tech, he’s an amazing keyboard player. It adds this really great other dimension to the song. It actually fills them out.”

 For more information, visit  https://www.firstontariopac.ca/Online/.