From The News & Observer's Under the Dome Political Blog:

Who are Tha Commissioners?

The head of the music label for a song about Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry says he doesn't know who recorded it.

Dan Bryk, who runs the Urban Myth Recording Collective, told Dome that he received a copy of the song Cherry Berry in an elaborately mysterious manner.

"We got that CD in an envelope wrapped in lead with plastic and a little foil," he said. "They actually baked some cookies and had them in foil on top of the package. It was quite nice."

Bryk gave a copy of the song to WKNC, the student radio station of N.C. State. He said it's been on heavy rotation on the station and is even getting requests.

He called "Tha Commissioners" — the name for the unknown band — "a rock 'n' roll machine" and said that he's glad to hear that Berry likes the song.

"I wish I had a way to tell them," he said.

Link: Who are Tha Commissioners? (N&O Site)

Dan Bryk is one of the subjects profiled in a Fourth of July-themed article in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Independent Weekly. Writes Grayson Currin:

"Here—during this most paramount of American holidays—we profile two local musicians whose recent addition to the Triangle has added new questions, sounds and ideas, and another, whose progressive bent on an old form proves that molds are meant to be re-imagined..."

We have received word that the Dan Bryk (and co-writer Erin K. McGinn) song Great Adventure (from Dan Bryk Christmas Record) has been first-draft nominated to the 2006 ECHO Songwriting Prize, presented by SOCAN. The ECHO Prize is "designed to identify what's next and what's best in current independent music." Last year's winner was Propaghandi (how cool is that?) and the runner-ups were Laura Barrett, Wolf Parade, Final Fantasy and the Stills. We're talking dark horse precedent here. But Bryk still needs to make it to the public round, when Canada gets to vote on one of the five finalists. Try not to think of it as Canadian Indie Idol.

In other Bryk news, Discount Store has been "upgraded" at the last minute, with one new song, and a secret CD-only bonus track. The street date is now July 24th.

You can listen to it for free with the nifty Reverbnation Tunepak player.

Now we're gonna dust off a stubby, hop on the couch with a bowl of hickory sticks and watch Souvenir of Canada. Happy Canada Day!