Interview with Dean Back from Theory of a Deadman

I have listened to Theory of a Deadman since 2005 when Gasoline came out. They have been one of my favorites ever since. While covering my first music festival, I had the opportunity to interview their bass player, Dean. Imagine my excitement. My first music festival, and I get to interview a member from one of my favorite bands. It was surreal.

So here it is: my interview with Dean Back, bass player of Theory of a Deadman.

Can you give me any details on the new album?

Absolutely. It is going to be titled Savages. It's coming out July 8th. We have a new single out, Drown.

I've heard it.

You have?! Right on!

Yes! They played it on Octane on my way here!

This new record is going to be a little darker, heavier. We've almost come full circle. Our first record was moodier, darker, and heavy stuff. Rock and Roll needs to be heavy and dirty again, so it inspired us to write a new record.

How has the response to Drown been?

So far, really good. It's hard because this is only our second show out so we haven't been in front of the fans very much. But online, it's all very positive feedback. We had the chance to play Drown last night at a festival and it went over really well. We're going to play it again today and give the fans a taste of the new stuff.

How will this album be different than the last album, which I loved by the way.

We took a good year and a half off between records this time and thought hard about our identity and who Theory of a Deadman is and who we want to be. We've always been a Rock band. The music that we've grown up listening to was all hard rock. We grew up north of Seattle, so the Grunge scene was a huge influence on us.

I didn't realize y'all were from that part of Canada. Oh, Wow.

Yep. We're from Vancouver which is about two hours north of Seattle. I think the in the new record, you can hear our influences with a heavier and moodier record.

What's been your favorite part recording it so far?

There was a lot of familiarity on this record. This is the fourth record we've done with producer Howard Benson and his team. It was getting back together and writing fresh, new stuff. We had a really cool opportunity to record songs in Jim Henson's studio in Los Angeles.

Oh my gosh! That's awesome!

Yeah! It's a legendary studio. I was watching a documentary the other day and they were showing The Rolling Stones recording in the exact room that we recorded in, so that was a highlight of recording this record. All the drums were done at Jim Henson's studio. We got wicked sounds for it. The drums sound massive on this record.

What can we expect with the upcoming tour?

We've been off the road for a good year and a bit.

I know...

We're like pentad animals. We just want to get out there and start rocking. We've got some fresh, new songs and a heavy Rock show. That's what we like to do live and I think the Theory fans will appreciate it.

Aside from the new album, what else is next?

I think we are going to do a whole lot of touring. Theory of a Deadman has always been a heavy touring band. It's how we've made our fans and we don't want to let them down. Keep on hitting the road and I know that we will be in America for the summer festivals and state fairs, tour in the UK with Black Stone Cherry, and then finish the year in Canada. We haven't really put together the touring schedule for the new year but it will be pretty heavy.

Alabama... Please...

We are going somewhere there soon! [whistles while he thinks] Sammy T's? In Huntsville, right?

I can't get in there.

Well, we will try something else. [Laughs]

Anything else you want to add?

Just keep checking our website to see when we're coming to your town and come out to the show!

After the initial interview, Dean and I discussed their music (in detail), and I asked some rather fan-girly questions. We talked about Pearl Jam, A Day To Remember, We Came As Romans, and Hanson. I also introduced him to the concept of Hanson beer and we took a selfie. I guessed the setlist that was about to be performed and we talked about the festival in general. I absolutely love Theory of a Deadman and I am so glad I finally got interview someone from the band. 

Daughtry, Theory Of A Deadman, And Cavo 12/4/09

So the Daughtry show was great. To be honest, the main reason I went was to see Theory of a Dead Man. At that point, I had never seen them before and it was honestly about to kill me. The first band of the night was Cavo. I had already seen Cavo a few months earlier at Bayfest and I knew what to expect. I even met their singer, Casey there. He was super nice. They opened with my song, Blame. Then they played Crash, My Little Secret, We All Fall Down, Let It Go, and Champagne. They tried to get the crowd to sing the chorus but it was not their greatest effort. After they were done with their set, they had a meet and greet. I like how they took the time to talk to their fans. Even when the show was over they were still out meeting fans and it made me smile. I was nervous to run all the way around the venue to meet them because I really did not want to miss Theory Of A Dead Man. I was one of the first people in line and they took the time to talk to me and their singer remembered me from Bayfest. I guess it is not every day when some 14 year old taps on your shoulder through a fence to take a picture. I made it back to my seat just in time. I still had five minutes before TOAD started. I could not contain my excitement. They opened with So Happy. it made me “So Happy” (sorry. I had to). Afterwards, they played Little Smirk, By The Way, No Surprise, Hate My Life, Not Meant To Be, Santa Monica, Paradise City, and Bad Girlfriend. Great set-list right there. It made my life for a little while. Then, Daughtry came out and played Every Time You Turn Around, It's Not Over, Ghost of Me, No Surprise, Breakdown, Life After You, What I Want, Open Up Your Eyes, September, Tennessee Line, In the Air Tonight, Call Your Name, Over You, Helter Skelter, Feels Like Tonight, You Don't Belong, Home, and There And Back Again. At one point, in the audience, there was a girl that started stunting. Like, college cheerleading stunting. It was the first time I had ever seen that at a concert and I really appreciated it (since I am a cheerleader). The crowd at this show was really involved. Since this show, I have seen TOAD four times. Holy cow. If there is ever an opportunity to go see them, take it. Tyler, their singer, is a comedian.