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Monday, September 29, 2008

Hey Zeus

Last Tuesday afternoon, I was running some errands after work, listening to CBC's Radio 2 Drive. Since the station re-launch earlier this month, I've been paying close attention to the afternoon drive show hosted by Rich "Buck 65" Terfry. I was slow to warm to Trefry's somewhat sloven radio announcing ways, after having spent so much of my radio listening experience being bombarded by fast-talking, joke-cracking DJs who are more intent on making a name for themselves then playing good music. Trefry is definitely different when it comes to presentation style. Without the rush of radio advertising, he takes his time to personalize his selections, putting choices in context. Since I don't usually have a long commute to and from work, I only end up hearing a couple tracks on a typical day, but on the day in question I got an earful and in turn heard some great new music.

I was most impressed by Zeus, a Toronto-based outfit made up of Mike O'Brien and Carlin Nicholson, both members of Jason Collett's touring band. Both guys are/were members of Paso Mino, who began touring as Collett's backing band during promotions for Idols Of Exile. While on a break from Paso Mino/Collett duties, O'Brien and Nicholson began working on some recordings that they never planned on releasing, but eventually they began to realize that there was something special going on. The two songwriters and lead vocalists blend together influences of folk and rock respectively, allowing experimentation and happy accidents to take some of the material into unexpected directions.

Zeus don't have any releases available yet, but they're currently working on a debut album which hopefully will see the light of day soon. For now, you can check out some of their work streaming over at their Myspace page. For those interested in the Zeus experience up close and personal, check the guys out when they do double duty as one of the opening acts on this year's Wood, Wires & Whiskey tour (sponsored by Exclaim! magazine), then playing with headliner Collett. Check to see if they're coming to a town near you here.
Myspace: Zeus

Posted by at 12:00 PM
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