Zeus was born not on Mount Olympus but when the Toronto band showed up to audition for Canadian musician Jason Collett.
Alfie Jurvanen, Rob Drake, Mike O’Brien and another musician, Michael P. Clive, had learned every track on Collett’s album and current Zeus band member Carlin Nicholson was acting as sound technician.
The group at the time called themselves Paso Mino and after several years of touring with Collett, Clive left the band to pursue a career as a professional chef, while Jurvanen began to tour with Canadian songstress Feist and embarked on his own solo career as Bahamas.
With Paso Mino in flux, Drake, O’Brien, and Clive added Neil Quin to the mix and Zeus was born.
Zeus still performs as the backing band for Collett and collaborates with Jurvanen’s Bahamas.
They’ve performed at SXSW in collaboration with Collett and Jurvanen and are no gaining international popularity for their own unique sound.
Zeus draws upon classic influences to craft timeless songs, complete with fuzzed out guitars and shimmering harmonies.
Zeus will take the stage at The Royal on Tuesday, May 29.
Tickets are $12 advance or $15 at the door and available at The Music Store (Eddy Music), Urban Legends and liveattheroyal.com. Doors open at 8 p.m.