Before Dallas Smith became one of Canada’s hottest country artists, he was belting out rock tunes as frontman for the band Default.
Discovered by Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, the group released four albums between 2001 and 2010 and topped the charts with the single “Wasting My Time.”
Smith and bandmates Jeremy Hora, Dave Benedict, and Danny Craig announced in 2013 that they were going their separate ways.
In an interview with iHeartRadio.ca, Smith -- whose new album is Side Effects -- explained why he was anxious make the jump to country music.
“I didn’t want to be a one-dimensional guy,” he explained. “I really wanted to challenge myself and take risks and constantly leave my comfort zone.”
Smith said he’s still a big fan of rock music.
“It’s really great bus music,” he said. “When we’re traveling, or in the van to the venue or whatever, that’s our go-to. Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots. We’ll pull out everything from back in the day. Alice in Chains. It comes out quite regularly.”
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Smith said he doubts there will ever be a new Default record. “Maybe one or two songs for a greatest hits thing or some package, I don't know,” he said.
And on-stage reunion is less unlikely, said Smith, who includes a version of “Wasting My Time” in his repertoire.
“I hate to say that we’ll never play a show together again. I think there will be an opportunity at some point down the road where that makes sense to do,” he said.
“But right now every single one of us in that band is busy. We all have kids. It’s hard just to even get a lunch together let alone organize a show.”
Smith has had remarkable success in two genres despite starting out too shy to perform in front of others. He found his voice and confidence while jamming with his buddies — and cases of beer — in a garage.
What advice does he give young people doing the same in garages across Canada right now?
“Work hard. It’s like every other job. It’s a dream job but it’s like every other job,” Smith explained. “In order to be successful and be better at what you’re doing, you need to work at it every day.
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“People say you have to have a natural talent, you have to have an ability to do something — but everybody starts somewhere and you might just be bringing out a talent with all the hard work that might be in you but might not be apparent yet.”
Most importantly, he added, take it seriously.
“If you don’t want it to be a hobby, don’t treat it like a hobby,” Smith said. “If you treat it like a hobby, that’s all it’s going to be.”
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