By David DeRocco

 Today’s social justice warriors are doing a great job at helping people “stay woke” to the trending social issues of the day. With their latest album WAKE UP CALL, hit-making BC rockers THEORY OF A DEADMAN (a.k.a. Theory) are also doing their part, once again illustrating the power of rock music by helping raise awareness of the opioid crisis affecting young people around the world.

Thanks to the overwhelming response to the first single “RX (Medicate),” Wake Up Call is on its way to matching the chart success of 2014’s Savages album, which earned Theory their second consecutive Billboard Top 10 album and their third consecutive #1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart. The song and the stark video for “RX (Medicate)” depict all-too-real imagery of the personal cost of prescription drug addiction; with over 28 million video views on YouTube and equally huge streaming numbers, the song has given Theory the most impactful #1 hit of their career.

In conjunction with the track, Theory has also partnered with the non-profit organization Shatterproof, with a goal of helping remove the stigma surrounding addiction. In support of the album, Theory is back on the road with a tour that stops at Niagara Falls Scotiabank Convention Centre May 2^nd. Lead singer/songwriter Tyler Connolly took time to chat with Go/BeWeekly about the album, the band’s thoughts on bus safety in the wake of the Humboldt Broncos incident and why their new stage show could be their best ever.

GOBE: What is the most significant luxury you enjoy or demand when on the road – what do you need to make the road easier for you?

TYLER: I don’t know man. We’re taken care of pretty well. I don’t really bring too much with me. We usually have a really nice tour bus, that’s the nicest luxury. It doesn’t matter what you have, we always find a way to complain about it though. It could be the catering food, something with the brand new tour bus we’re on, the leather on the seats is too warm. That’s what you do. I guess everything is a luxury, just continuing to tour after all these years.

GOBE: It often takes a tragedy like the Humboldt Broncos accident for people to really consider the constant risks of travel for artists and athletes. Does that enter into your mind; I would think hiring a skilled bus driver must be at the top of the list before you hit the road.

TYLER: You try not to think about it, because we sleep on those tour buses. You go to bed and you try not to think about what would happen if the bus just went off a bridge or into a snowy bank or something. You do have to trust your tour bus driver. They did finally change the laws now over here. In Europe they actually have a meter to measure how many miles on a drive to make sure it’s safe. I think in North America truck drivers and bus drivers can only drive a certain number of miles every 24 hours, which I think is great. It costs us money but I think it hopefully will stop some tragedy.

GOBE: It’s easy for fans to look at the joys and benefits of being a rock star without really thinking of the minutia of life on the road, or what you have to go through so ou can come play for us.

TYLER: Well, it’s a dichotomous lifestyle. You do live two lives. There’s a home life which is completely different than the road life. It’s hard to describe to people unless you actually live it. The travel is the worse part. I leave Monday and I fly through Turkey to go to Germany. So that’s going to be a 18 hours of flying. It’s a lot. We have an Australia tour coming up in June, but the end result is great. Getting to go there to play shows, I try not to complain about it.

GOBE: You’re touring in support of Wake Up Call, another great Theory album. As we speak the lead single has streaming numbers in the millions. What do those numbers mean to you in this age of digital tracking.

TYLER: I’m digging that we’re closing in on the shift. I know the last few years there’s been this odd place where people have still been buying records or downloading songs. I’m going to be really happy when it just all becomes streaming. I think next year Walmart is going to stop carrying CDS. A lot of people see that as a negative thing. To be honest you have to embrace where things are going. It will free up a bunch of money for labels. They’ll stop actually pressing physical CDS and shipping them. That should mean they’ll spend more money marketing and promoting bands. That’s how I look at, a little more optimistic. But for the song, I don’t know what streams mean. It’s a lot! I think we’re actually up to 75 million equivalent streams in the States at this point. It went gold in Canada. The song hit home with a lot of people. I think that’s a surprise for us.

GOBE: Writing songs is like gambling; it’s hard to know when you’re going to roll the dice and win big. When a song about opioid crisis becomes a hit, what’s your first emotional response to that? Is it shock, surprise or validation.

TYLER: I don’t know. The songs are never written to try and get a response. I don’t think that I’m far beyond the days of appreciation whether it’s from peers or fans or industry. You go through phases where you just want the industry to like you, or you want your peers to like you. So now if there’s a response we’re just super thankful, super happy. So I think more surprise. When (the label) picked that to be the first single we were like, ‘oh, okay,’ because I didn’t think it should be the first single. I thought it was a little slow. The band has no idea of what we’re doing when it comes to picking songs for radio. The label nailed it. They knew what they were doing.

GOBE: You seem to know what you’re doing when it comes to songwriting, racking up another Billboard Top 10 hit to go along with all the others. What does that kind of success mean to you as a songwriter.

TYLER: As a songwriter, when I started writing songs I just kind of fell into it. I was in a band playing guitar and a friend of mine said, ‘you should sing back up harmonies to my song.’ And I was like, ‘sure this is cool, but I should just write my own songs.’ Ever since then I’ve just kind of done it. I’ve enjoyed it. The success is just a bonus. I honestly try to be in the same place every time I write a song. I sit back in the basement jamming with buddies. I don’t know. I guess as I get older I appreciate it a lot, that I can still do it. I think that’s the prize for me being a songwriter. The fact me and the rest of the guys can still go into a studio and pull it off, it’s like we continue to win the lottery.

GOBE: There are many rewards in being a successful musician, but one of the biggest I would think would be to hear how important the music is to your fans, or how your music has impacted their lives. Where does that rate for you on the appreciation scale.

TYLER: Yeah I heard a story yesterday that kind of blew me away. It was a friend of mines dad, who went in to get cancer surgery and they had to put him under. They told him to countdown from ten, and he started freaking out. At that moment you don’t know if you’re going to wake up. They were playing music in the operating room and a Theory of a Deadman song came on, and he said he knew everything was going to alright when he heard that. That’s the kind of stuff you hear where you go, ‘wow.’ You don’t ever expect to hear that. Those are the great things you get, those are the rewards.

GOBE: You’ve been rewarded with a great album with Wake Up Call. What’s the future hold for Theory. It’s been 17 years since you’ve signed and you’re still going strong. Can you project into what the future holds for the band or are you just going to ride it out and have a good time.

TYLER: You know, we just kind of made a shift. We just shortened our name to Theory, just to make it easier for everybody. The progression of this new record musically for us, it’s almost like a new start. I feel like we could do another 17 years of this. As long as we’re having a good time doing it. We don’t want to get to the point where we’re all just fighting and hating doing it and doing it just to make money. That’s when you need to take some time off. We’ve just been going hard for a long time and I think sometimes we go home and say, ‘man I need a break.’ Then after six weeks we’re all like, ‘okay, let’s get back out there.’

GOBE: What can fans expect from your show May 2^nd in Niagara Falls. What’s a reason for someone who’s never seen you live to come out.

TYLER: Well it’s a much more three dimensional show than we’re used to. It’s a rock show. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re bringing in a bunch of video screens. If you have seen us before it’s going to be the greatest Theory show you’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen us, you’re definitely going to walk away saying man that was a great show. That’s what we’re trying to do.

GOBE: The song “RX (Medicate)” deals with a very serious issue, and the video depicts the addiction crisis facing youth. Given that Canada recently announced free prescription drugs for youth until the age 25, do you think that’s a good thing or a license for abuse. What are your thoughts on that as a Canadian.

TYLER: It’s difficult. I find in Canada with the universal health care up there you don’t see it anywhere near as much. I don’t think it’s as bad or abusive as in the United States, where doctors are literally being paid to promote giving certain narcotics to patients. Living in Canada and living in the states, once again trying to be optimistic, at the end of the day it will be alright.

 For tickets and information visit the Scotiabank Centre website:  http://www.fallsconventions.com/