Dear Seattle: You do not want to miss Matt Bishop's set at the Tractor tonight. The end.

If you were fortunate enough to see our favorite local seven-piece indie.orchestra-pop band's frontman go solo at the last City Arts Song Show, you are familiar with the awesomeness of which we speak. Matt Bishop, of the highly-esteemed, new vinyl-releasin', fresh-off-still-kinda-mid-tour Hey Marseilles, puts on a solo show that does not dissapoint -- the City Arts set was full of stripped down full-band favorites and a few new takes on some sweet old covers. All that and a choice set of interview questions for a lovely evening did make.

Drooling yet? Well, fret not: if you missed Matt's last showcase showdown, you've got yourself a second chance. Perched in the opening spot for Peasant tonight sits HM's lead songsterer, doing a full solo set for the proverbial cause. He's been dropping love notes via Facebook invites that direct the masses to his newly ressurected MySpace page -- where four previously unreleased solo tracks have been put forth for our listening pleasure. And really good ones, at that: one of our new non-negotiable, can't-live-without tracks is Matt's gorgeous, sparse cover of "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS.

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{Photo: Hot Avocados}

I am a latecomer to the mesmerizing travelogues and swirling epiphanies of Hey Marseilles' musical majesties. Wayfarers to the bone, lead singer and guitar player Matthew Bishop, along with players Nick Ward, Samuel Anderson, Philip Kobernik, Jacob Anderson, Patrick Bannon, and Colin Richey crafted their DIY release To Trunks & Travels out of accordions, violas, cellos, trumpets, "and so forth" before getting the hell out of Seattle and touring like they're no good for shore.

Now that Onto Entertainment will be giving the astonishingly assured Martin Feveyear mixed-and-mastered debut a rightful reissue in late June for the rest of the world, the band also unveils its vinyl version on Friday, May 21 for an all ages show at the Vera Project (with Sea Fever opening), and a regular booze-available following night at the Tractor (with The Head and the Heart opening).

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