Zeus headlines Mod Club with Matt Murphy, Danielle Duval

I don't know how much more needs to be said about Zeus at this juncture. They are an unparelleled group of young musicians whose seminal release Say Us has already earned them a place in the Canadian rock canon while their career is firmly in it's incubus. They're opportunity to headline their own show at a large venue like Mod Club (May 27th) will undoubtedly mark a considerable landmark for the band. Zeus are not simply consummate musicians but particularly co-founders Carlin Nicholson and Mike O'Brien are exceptional recording engineers and producers. This past year they produced 3 phenomenal albums from their jerry rigged studio on Toronto's East side - Ill Eagle Studios. Those albums were of course their own LP Say Us, their opener's Danielle Duval's new release (which has all the Zeus touches upon it) and The Golden Dogs impossible-to-overstate stupendous album Coat of Arms (coming out July 27 and likely at very least to shortlist them for the Polaris). In some cases - I guess if you've lived through certain chapters of Canadian music across this great nation of ours- well let's just say wikipedia or google are just not your best options to understand an artist or their significance. In the oral tradition of Canada's musical culture that I prefer- the bonding over the intricacies of performance, dynamics, influences, shared history- this writer does not mind admitting that Matt Murphy is as big of a personal hero to me as Rick Danko (who I was fortunate enough to meet as a youngster before his passing). I'm reminded because of a nostalgia for Halifax's twin bridges and brine filled air of the final words of Jack Kerouac's On The Road - from top of mind "what is the feeling of specks receding on the distance on the plain behind you - it's the too-huge world vaulting us and it's goodbye as we lean forward to the next crazy".  
Murphy who has split his time as of late between Toronto and Halifax is predominantly known to Canadians for his fictional protrayal in the film The Life And Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. While Murphy of course wrote the music for that film, is clearly an accomplished musician in the film (in fact the premise is that he is a passed over country legend himself) look for his being backed in the film by real life chums (and also Canadian legends like his straight man Dale Murray, known now for his involvement with Cuff The Duke but he was a seminal founding member of The Guthries one of the most influential roots or alt.country bands this country let alone that city ever new). Dale also bears a striking resemblance to a Springhill, NS native named Anne Murray for some reason. But if you're impression of Matt Murphy is that Guy Terrifico is his only schtick- that would be a dangerous presumption to make. If you have not lived in Halifax which safely you haven't appreciating Murphy's profound musical gift - synchronous as it is with his great humility, humour and affability- might be tricky. He is known for his work perhaps most famously with the definitive mid-90's power pop band Super Friendz (when mind you SubPop and a whole handful of people were freely handing out the accolade that Halifax was the New Seattle). The Super Friendz were (my academic fellows in that they all attended the fine University of King's College) Drew Yamada, a fantastic timekeeper and feel player and Charles Austin who became known moreso as a phenomenally influential producer. In his Ultramagnetic Studios, an odious stair climb up the multi-genre performance space the Khyber building, Austin produced and played on albums the likes of Matt Mays self-titled debut (2002)- (Mays is likewise a founding member of The Guthries also with siblings Gabe and Ruth Minnikin) Austin also produced Buck 65's last good album Talkin' Honky Blues (upon which Austin and Murray notably play). Charles also produced one of if not the finest albums by a Canadian singer songwriter written in the last fifteen years- Al Tuck's The New High Road of Song.

Tuck is a deeply revered and self-satisfied Halifax talent whom many the likes of Joel Plaskett and Pete Elkas idolize deeply. It may be, on a side note that, Al Tuck, is the single most under-rated talent and overtly influential commodity in Canadian music period. Later in Murphy's career, truly an unparalleled guitarist in every vein (rivalling for intance Afie Jurvanan aka Bahamas on a sheer chops level), had a brilliant psychedelic group The Flashing Lights with bassist Henri Sangalang, organist Gaven Dianda, and drummer Steve Pitkin. Opportunities to see them, particularly at the Khyber which was a mixed use bar/ gallery/ studio, were both rare, devastating and managed to psychically/psychedelically devastate the listener. While Murphy has experienced considerable success as a film actor his recent life has been tied up sadly with being the sole caregiver for his own by now enfeebled hero Orton Hoggett. Hoggett, an American expat draft dodger, a very private and not so much damaged but frail gentleman took a shine to the young Matt Murphy. As a result Murphy has played a handful of country rock gigs, with his mate (no relation) Chris Murphy on drums under the moniker Lil' Orton Hoggett but it is important to note that one is a human being and the other music group. If Ronnie Hawkins lived in Mortgage Mansion and Levon Helm and Garth Hudson have gone bankrupt four times over at last count you can imagine unfortunately that caring for Hoggett has dominated, at least in the last couple of years, Murphy's own creative outlets.