Canada is a vast, icy tundra known for spawning great hockey players, amber beer and fewer people than the state of California. Oh yeah, and they have great bands too. It may be premature to say that a Canadian invasion is underway in rock, but with the multi-platinum success of Nickelback and Sum 41 as well as a new album from Alanis Morissette and an upcoming album from Rush (Canada’s Led Zeppelin), it would seem like the Canadians are primed for a musical ambush.
Another band ready to surf the Canadian tsunami is Default. Three years ago, the band was a no-name, no-singer ball of goo trying to metamorphose in their Vancouver cocoon. In the summer of 1999, guitarist Jeremy Hora and drummer Danny Craig decided to form a band.
Their ambitions caught the attention of their friend Dallas Smith. Although Smith had no previous vocal training, he was the first and last singer to audition. Bassist Dave Benedict joined the crew, and Fallout was born. They later changed their name to Default and signed with TVT Records.
In October, just two years after the band was formed, Default released their debut album, The Fallout (a tribute to the band’s former name). The album soon went gold on the strength of the first single, “Wasting My Time.” Next thing they new, Default was performing on “The Tonight Show” and opening for Bush.
“Things have come together so quickly that I haven’t even had time to fully ponder the weight of the situation we’re in,” Smith said in a statement released by TVT Records. “But we are surely blessed. It would be ridiculous to say that being in this band was not the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
Smith brought more to the band than just his baritone vocals. To fund the band’s demo sessions, Smith’s father loaned the band $20,000 from his retirement fund, a loan the band recently paid back in full.
Tomorrow, Default will open for Nickelback at The Hump along with the Atlanta-based band, Injected. The concert will be the third date of MTV’s Campus Invasion 2K2 Tour. The tour will serve as a platinum opportunity for the band to make new fans, just as it was in previous years for the likes of Garbage, Moby, Eve 6 and Sugar Ray.
So, how does Default sound? According to T. Bruce Wittet of Modern Drummer magazine, “it’s an appealing combination-a sort of ’80s Loverboy (to keep it in the Canadian family) meets ’90s Pearl Jam.”
Default has drawn many comparisons to bands such as Creed, Lifehouse, Soundgarden and 3 Doors Down. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Find out for yourself as Default performs with Injected and Nickelback tomorrow at 8 p.m. at The Hump.
Tickets are $15 for students and $20 for general admission. Contact Raymond Brooks at 325-2743 for more information or the Ticket Office at 325-2600 for tickets.