Theory of a Deadman’s Dave Brenner Wants to Be the ‘Mysterious’ Rock Star

Canadian rockers Theory of a Deadman don't seem to know the meaning of the word vacation. The band has been touring practically non-stop to promote their 2011 album, The Truth Is... TOADM killed it at Rock on the Range earlier this month and guitarist Dave Brenner stopped by to talk about life on the road, their love for Pop Evil and more.

Like many bands who play the main stage at ROTR, Theory of a Deadman are no strangers to the Columbus, OH festival. However, just because they're festival veterans doesn't mean that they can't feel nervous once in awhile.

"Festivals are strange - they're always a little daunting in a way," Brenner says. "When you play your own show, you know the fans are there to see you. We could come here [Rock on the Range] and by fluke 10,000 people could actually hate us. You're always a little daunted by the fact that you're playing to this huge crowd. But then as soon as you get up there, everything changes and it turns into 40 minutes of madness like, 'Oh my god! This is so fun!'

If you follow Theory of a Deadman on Twitter, you know how funny their tweets can be. Brenner credits all of that to frontman Tyler Connolly, and refuses to jump on the social networking bandwagon because he wants to be the enigma of the band.

"I want to be the guy in the band that keeps it old school," Brenner admits. "I'm trying to keep the mystique of the band alive. I want to be the one guy that everyone goes, 'Dave never Facebooked me' or 'He didn't tweet me.' That's right! Come and shake my hand in person. I'll give you some personal time."

Theory of a Deadman have just completed their North American spring tour with Grand Rapids own Pop Evil (who are also playing at Wingstock 2012 on June 16). Brenner gushed about the bond the two groups have shared over the years.

"We love Pop Evil and of course they're Grand Rapids boys," the guitarist says. "You know, there's a lot to be said in this business about bands that are willing to work their asses off. Pop Evil come second only to us for how hard they want to work. We really appreciate that because we've toured with some bands that are slack ass and they just want to be rock stars."

Watch the whole interview below.

Theory of a Deadman will play a handful of Canadian shows starting next month. They will return to the U.S. for another leg of their tour on June 29 in El Paso, TX.