Luke Sneyd is a Toronto singer-songwriter. His debut solo album All of Us Cities was released online in July, 2007.

An early demo of his track “The Prisoner” was a finalist in the 2006/07 Unisong International Songwriting Contest. Both “Waiting” and “Unknown” were selected as Garageband.com Tracks of the Day in June 2007, and “Waiting” was included on No Cover Magazine’s Groupies Suck Vol. 10 compilation. The album has only just begun to get notice, but No Cover calls Luke an “amazing unsigned artist”. He’s now competing among the Top 5 bands in the Great Canadian Band Challenge, challenging for $25,000 and a distribution deal with Universal.

Luke was an original member of the defunct electro-rock combo Mountain Mama, with Will Skol (DHI, Transformantra, Spiral Into the Storm), Gary Fletcher and Arthur Oskan (Myers Briggs). The band released one EP, Grand Theft Audio, and twice played Canadian Music Week. Luke’s now forming his own artist label Mannequin Phono and gearing up for a full band tour.

You’ve got $10 to buy lunch - where do you go?

The original location of California Sandwiches (244 Claremont Street). The other suburban ones are too wildly variable on quality. But oh the magic of mama’s tomato sauce and cheese slathered over a tender-crisp cutlet on a spongy ciabatta bun. I’m a “more is more” kind of guy, so I get it with the works - mushrooms, onions, cheese - and medium on the spicy peppers. The chicken cutlet takes a little longer, but damn it makes for one tasty sangwich.

The budget’s unlimited, someone else is paying and the choice is yours - where do you pick for dinner?

Susur (601 King Street West). Eons ago I went to Lotus and it was phenom. Strangely, I remember the first course clear soup best, with its dumpling of finely cut vegetable star-shapes exploding into the soup as I cut through the crunchy satchel’s confines. Like a Godard coffee-cup, there was a brightly swirling galaxy in that bowl of soup. I took my then-girlfriend there for Valentine’s. She was a veg, so we opted for a vegetarian prix fixe. To this day I still wonder about what carnivorous epiphanies I might have missed!

Tell us some of the food shops you frequent when buying groceries to cook for yourself.

I’m a flat-broke musician, so nothing terribly inspirational here. There’s this chain… it’s called No Frills… I’m also a huge fan of this ultra-cheap veggie store at Bloor and Manning. Toronto’s most affordable produce! Selection’s limited and you have to get to work fast with the stuff you buy, but it’s good and a great deal. I’ve also begun hitting the farmer’s markets, the one in Liberty Village and the one in Dufferin Grove Park. I love the freshness and knowing you’re getting great quality right from the source.

When ordering in for a quiet night at home, what’s your favourite place for take-out or delivery?

Flip, Toss and Thai (141 Harbord Street) is a staple in our house. It’s embarrassing how well the staff know me and my girlfriend now! They make some of the best Thai in the city, the price is great, and the people running it are super-friendly. The beef panang rocks, the emerald green curry (with or without chicken) is a creamy zippy treat, and the spicy eggplant will knock your socks off. And that ubiquitous, done-to-death Pad Thai? Damn if they don’t do a bang-up job on that worn-out chestnut. I like their version so much I’ve taken to making it at home (after much experimentation), where I can get just stupid with the amount of shrimp I toss in.

Oh, no, relatives are coming to Toronto from out of town - where do you take them?

Rosebud (669 Queen Street West). Rod Bowers is a great chef, and a warmly entertaining host. I’ve only been there for brunch, but he cast a spell on the griddle-hot stack of fluffy pancakes I ordered. How can you argue with a chef whose motto is “all butter, all the time?”

Your favourite place to grab a couple of drinks and hang out where everybody knows your name?

Hmmmm. Cobalt (426 College Street) closed last year. Which is probably the best thing that ever happened to my liver. I’m partial to a few local haunts - Lot 16 (1136 Queen Street West), Sweaty Betty’s (13 Ossington Avenue), The Dakota (249 Ossington Avenue) - but I’d have to give The Communist’s Daughter (1149 Dundas West) the edge for sheer neighbourly comfort (if you get there early enough to get a table!). If you do go there, don’t order one of their home-made pickled eggs. I’ve heard they’re delicious, but dammit, I’m probably sitting next to you, and I just don’t need a whiff off that with my beer, thank you!

What’s coming up?

I just released my debut solo album All of Us Cities (find it online at iTunes or eMusic). My band is playing at the Hard Rock Cafe (279 Yonge Street) on Thursday, September 27th, competing against a few others in the Great Canadian Band Challenge. The contest is being put on by my30seconds.com. The winner will take home $25,000, a distribution deal with Universal, and the chance to do a 6-date tour with a major label act. So it’s a pretty awesome contest, actually! I submitted a rough-cut video (which you can check out here) to the contest for a lark, and it’s turned out to be a really great opportunity. Come on down to the Hard Rock and catch would should be a fun gig, or watch the show live on the web (and vote!) on the evening of the 27th.