Though their recently released LP Say Us (Arts & Crafts) was their first, Zeus is far from green. In fact, the Toronto-based band made up of Mike O’Brien, Carlin Nicholson, Neil Quin, and Rob Drake have been flaunting their hook-heavy brand of pop rock since their days as Broken Social Scenester Jason Collett’s backing band. These are musician’s musicians, the kind who can pulverize the rickety walls of a nondescript dive bar or conquer the sweeping grandeur of an arena with equal amounts of ease. In the second episode of our original series of video portraits ON TAPE, we sat down with the rock gods-in-training to discuss the first time they ever picked up an instrument, the perils of heartbreak, and of course, those other seminal Canadian rock icons, The Barenaked Ladies.

-Daniel Barna