Matt York’s story is a tale of two cities, one big and another, well, not so big. This 23-year-old Oakville native has taken Toronto’s downtown music scene by storm, sharing his “stories of heartbreak and worldly bewilderment” with many a delighted audience.

I first heard Matt York (originally Hryhorsky-he uses the snappier “York” as his stage name) play at the celebrated El Mocambo, and was impressed with his friendly rapport and his lively yet soulful tunes. York and his band (which includes bassist Karl Craddock and drummer Mike Scime) performed as a tight unit, infusing their well-practiced set with a lot of fun and energy.

On his website, York lists Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, and James Taylor among his influences, and describes his sound as “funk-acoustic, roots-pop goes Motown.” Quite the mouthful-could he elaborate a little?

“Well, it’s really hard to classify music into categories,” York offers. “We’re kind of a disco-funk vibe with a roots base.” That isn’t much clearer, but in a way, York explains, the ambiguity’s not a bad thing. Without a set musical formula, York is free to explore “little creative tangents” that push the sound and keep audiences interested.

York cut his musical teeth growing up in Oakville, picking up the guitar in high school and playing bars in the Oakville area. Paul Atkins, drum tech for Our Lady Peace, acted as “a mentor figure” in those early days, steering York through the daunting music business. York has had no shortage of mentors, as his mother was a folk singer in the 70s and his dad is a high school music teacher and professional violinist who laid some background tracks for York’s latest CD. York’s cousin, alt-pop singer-songwriter Andy Stochansky, has also helped him get a footing in the business.

Since winning Ryerson University’s Star Search and releasing his first demo, York has been generating some excited buzz around Toronto, with shows at hotspots like the Drake, Cameron House, C’est What, the Elmo, and the Free Times Café. York couldn’t be happier with the attention in the city thus far, especially since his time in Toronto has had such an influence on his songwriting.

“I love the busy pace and eclectic culture of the city,” he says. The city’s large array of musical styles has made its way into his writing, a lot of which gets done on the GO Train.

Thanks to his unique sound and some old-fashioned legwork, York’s tale is quickly spreading beyond his two cities. York played gigs at several Ontario university campuses during frosh week and has since returned to Ottawa and Guelph in 2005. His most ambitious project to date is a 26-city tour of central and eastern Canada and the northeast U.S., slated to kick off in May. The tour will feature songs from York’s first full-length CD, Under the Streetlights, a follow-up to his six-track debut EP. Streetlights drops at the end of April.

Every foray into the music business is a risky undertaking, and York’s is no different. A highly skilled graphic design artist (he studied the craft at Ryerson)-he personally designs and produces his website and all his album art-York turned down several major offers from web design companies in order to pursue his dream.

Even if his musical journey ends sooner than he’d like, York has no regrets about trying now: “[A music career] is a business, and you have to do it 100% or don’t do it at all. You’ve got to be really passionate about it.” Despite the challenges and frustrations of the industry, he says, “There’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing than playing music.”

Matt York plays a CD release show for Under the Streetlights at the El Mocambo April 29. For more info, visit

www.matt-york.com.