Mississauga musicians more than hold their own among the 400-plus acts playing this week's annual North By Northeast Music festival in downtown Toronto.

Insightful singer and keyboardist Dan Bryk plays a solo show tomorrow at Holy Joe's, at 651 Queen St. W., starting at 9pm. His second CD Lovers Leap is due out in September on the US-based label Scratchie Records.

It's quite the story how this independent artist came to be signed by Scratchie, a label run by James Iha and D'Arcy of the Smashing Pumpkins and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne. The new CD will be distributed through the formidable ADA label.

"I'm pretty sure it has to do with the music, because if you look at me I'm not selling the sizzle," suggests Bryk, who recently had his photo in Billboard. "It's pretty heartening for me that people believe in my music."

Much like his debut recording, titled Asshole, the new CD mixes brutal candor with warped humour. Mixed in New York by Jim Rondinelli (Sloan, Matthew Sweet), it features poppier hooks (I love you goodbye) to balance the poignant piano ballads (Forgiven).

"It's definitely a record that could reach the radio," said Bryk, 29. "It's kind of pop rock, but it's got a singer songwriter edge."

-Mike Beggs