Hey Marseilles

In 2006 vocalist Nick Ward and guitarist Matt Bishop launched Hey Marseilles, which swiftly grew into an eclectic six-piece ensemble. The group established itself in Seattle while Ward and Bishop studied at the University of Washington; Ward’s roommate, pianist and accordionist Philip Kobernik, became the first recruit, after which cellist Samuel Anderson, violist Jacob Anderson, and drummer Colin Richey completed the roster. The December 2008 album To Travels & Trunks introduced the band’s orchestral approach, one that echoed the Decemberists and other chamber-pop acts. Appearances at CMJ, South by Southwest, and Bumbershoot followed in 2009, drawing the attention of Starbucks, which placed a song on the early-2010 compilation Sweethearts, Vol. 2. Three years later the band issued Lines We Trace on Thirty Tigers and performed at Lollapalooza, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Firefly Music Festival, among other events. After Richey’s departure left the lineup at five members, Hey Marseilles entered the studio with Grammy-winning engineer, mixer, and producer Anthony Kilhoffer—whose credits include Kanye West and John Legend—to record a sleeker third album, the self-titled set slated for release on Shanachie in early 2016.