These are busy times for Dallas Smith.
The Canadian country music star will perform at Sunday’s CCMA Awards in Saskatoon, where he’s also up for Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Side Effects) and Single of the Year (“Autograph”) as well as the Fan Choice Award.
On Oct. 12, Smith kicks off his 27-city Side Effects Tour in Halifax, which wraps up Nov. 18 in his native B.C.
In a recent interview with iHeartRadio.ca, Smith said he’s ready for the gruelling schedule ahead.
“It’s just taking care of yourself and being healthy in general,” the 39-year-old explained. “The biggest killer for me is not the singing, it’s the talking. Especially if you’re going to go out at night to a bar, and you’re talking over everybody. That stuff’s worse for your voice than the actual singing.”
Of course, this isn’t the first rodeo for the former front man of rock band Default. “I’ve learned some tricks of the trade over the years,” he said. “I’ve been touring for quite awhile.”
Smith is riding high on the success of his third album, Side Effects, which was released last year and has spawned hits like “Autograph” and the title track.
“By the time the tour starts we’ll be 17 singles in so we have a lot of material that people know,” said Smith, who added that the setlist will include some covers. He also hinted at some on-stage collaborations. “I’ve got lots of friends on the tour.”
Smith said it’s easy to keep things fresh during a tour.
“It’s got nothing to do with what’s going on behind me. It’s got everything to do with what’s going on in front of me,” he said. “Seeing the faces and how everybody reacts.
“And every city reacts differently to songs. It’s just being aware of that and playing off of that.”
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Smith said he’s looking forward to being part of the CCMAs, which he missed last year because he was busy opening for Keith Urban.
“It’s everybody in the same place at once so it’s a good time,” he said of the weekend celebration of Canadian country. “I love getting all the ‘who got the drunkest’ and ‘who fell down the stairs’ stories.”
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Smith recalled the first time he heard himself singing on the radio: He was 21 and it was a Default song called “Deny.”
“We heard in the car that they were going to be playing it so we quickly drove down to my drummer’s house, where we rehearsed, and we listened to it on his parents’ stereo in the living room, all together,” he said, describing it as a “pretty cool moment.”
Smith paused. “Now every time I hear my own song on the radio, I change the station.”
Check out the Side Effects Tour dates below:
October 12 – Halifax, NS
October 13 – Truro, NS
October 14 – Moncton, NB
October 16 – Owen Sound, ON
October 18 – Ottawa, ON
October 19 – Kingston, ON
October 20 – Oshawa, ON
October 21 – Rama, ON
October 22 – Sudbury, ON
October 24 – Hamilton, ON
October 25 – Kitchener, ON
October 26 – Windsor, ON
October 27 – St. Catharines, ON
October 28 – Peterborough, ON
October 29 – London, ON
November 1 – Winnipeg, MB
November 2 – Winnipeg, MB
November 4 – Saskatoon, SK
November 7 – Cranbrook, BC
November 10 – Edmonton, AB
November 11 – Calgary, AB
November 12 – Fort McMurray, AB
November 14 – Dawson Creek, BC
November 15 – Prince George, BC
November 16 – Kamloops, BC
November 17 – Penticton, BC
November 18 – Abbotsford, BC