Zeus Step Into Limelight With New Album, Plan Tour With Jason Collett

If you're a fan of Arts & Crafts mainstay Jason Collett, chances are you've seen Toronto musicians Mike O'Brien and Carlin Nicholson in action. As members of the Dark Horse, backing band for the Broken Social Scene guitarist- turned-indie-troubadour, the pair has clocked some serious stage time since taking up Collett's cause in 2005.

Come February, O'Brien and Nicholson will get to enjoy a little limelight of their own with the release of 'Say Us,' the debut album from their personal project, Zeus. "There's nothing quite like realizing your own music," O'Brien tells Spinner from the Toronto studio that he operates with Nicholson. "And I think once the new record is out, people will realize there is more to the Zeus thing than just the backing band [angle]."

O'Brien may be thrilled about putting out the full-length -- up for grabs exclusively on 180 gram 12" vinyl Feb. 9 and on CD Feb. 23, both via Arts & Crafts -- but he makes it clear that the milestone doesn't compete with his longtime gig with Collett. "I've been a part of Jay's band for five years now and we're great friends so to be associated with him, well... it kind of feels as close to my heart as our thing," he says.

'Say Us' won't be the first time listeners get a taste of Zeus' infectious mix of Brit-pop and driving '70's rock. The quartet, which also includes Neil Quin and Rob Drake, made quite an impression with their 'Sounds Like Zeus' EP released last June. The inaugural effort was but a teaser for the kick-up-your-heels barn-burners featured on the upcoming long-player.

Does Zeus's rising profile spell the end of O'Brien and Nicholson's days as the Dark Horse? Neither one of the guys have any intention of giving that up. In fact, O'Brien reveals that there are actually plans for the two respective projects to head out on the road together, which would mean double duty for him and Nicholson.

"When the record comes out we're planning on a tour. We're going to start in Ontario and go down to SXSW festival in Austin and then tour up the coast and then go across Canada, and the plan is to actually tour with Jason," O'Brien says. "We want to tour with Jason and a good friend of ours called Bahamas, and make it more of a revue and less of three different sets. We'd like it to all flow together."