It’s been a long and sometimes frustrating two years for Default, but they are looking forward to releasing their first CD on a major label in September. Their fourth full length CD will be released in on EMI. They are playing a handful of shows on weekends throughout the summer, including one at the Blarney Stone, June 26.

“We recorded it two years ago but our record label went bankrupt,” said Dallas Smith, lead singer of the Vancouver-based band, which formed in 1999. They have recorded a plethora of radio friendly alt-rock hits like “Wasting My Time,” “Count On Me,”, “Innocent Man,” “Deny” and “Sick and Tired.”

“It (the new CD) is pretty diverse. It has the ballads and the rock songs. We didn’t really change our sound, we just spent a lot more time on songwriting,” Smith said adding they have added seven of the new songs to their current set lists.

“We’re playing quite a few of them,” Smith continued  adding Default was affiliated with a record company called Orchard but that fell through though they still do online work with them.

“So we settled on EMI. We’re finally on a big label,” Smith enthused adding they wanted out of their former label TVT for a while.

“Hopefully we’ll notice a difference now and get more attention.”

He said the band is only playing weekends this summer and is getting ready for a photo shoot this week for the new CD.

“ We don’t want to over-saturate the market before our record comes out. You want to come back and play these same cities. They will be playing Boonstock in Edmonton the same weekend then back home. Staying home for the most part while unravelling record label red tape was all right with Smith. 

“We all have kids now, so it’s been great to spend the time at home. We all did the family thing. But it’s been frustrating too. We’re just excited to have the record out and start touring again,” he continued promising the show will include  new songs as well as all of the singles from their previous three CDs released on the indie track.

 They are looking forward to returning to Lethbridge to play.

“We haven’t played Lethbridge for a few years. We played the  Roadhouse a few years ago,” he continued adding Lethbridge is an easy drive to their next gig in Edmonton.

Tickets for the DJ Booda Promotions, Rock 106 and Blarney Stone presentation cost  $25 in advance from the Blarney Stone, Infamous and Boarderline. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show begins at 10 p.m. Red Deer’s Soul Side In as well as local grunge rockers Double jack are also slated to perform.