Though he’s coming to Maine this weekend to play a benefit concert at the Worker Center in Brewer, Bill Morrissey has ulterior motives. Motives that involve fishing poles and some (he hopes) big, ornery trout.

“My friend Bruce Pratt invites me up to fly-fish. He’s an old friend, an old folkie and a very good poet,” said Morrissey, who will perform tonight at Eastern Maine Labor Council’s eighth annual Fourth of July Solidarity Party. “He has a cabin up on Seboomic, so we’ll go up and fish the Moose River. It’s wonderfully remote. That’s part of the charm of fly-fishing – the solitude.”

Fish stories aside, the New Hampshire-based singer-songwriter has a long-standing connection to Maine. It stretches back decades, from his early days starting out in the 1970s, to his many concerts at the now-defunct Left Bank Cafe in Blue Hill, to his visits several times a year to play small venues all over the state.

One concert, however, stands out – and it was thanks to his friend Pratt, who not only is a musician and writer, but also coaches track and field and football at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor. Morrissey’s such a laid-back guy that when Pratt, an Orrington resident, asked him to play a show for the then-struggling Bapst football team, he was game.

“I’d known the family so long. Both his kids went to school there,” said Morrissey. “I got a football jersey out of it. I still have it!”

Morrissey’s most recent album, “Come Running,” was released in 2007 on his own label, Turn and Spin Media. He’s in fine form with those newer songs, mining the rich imagery of the natural beauty of New England and the many stories accumulated in the life of a traveling musician – all told through his warm, gravelly, distinctive baritone.

His words are often his strongest point, which isn’t surprising, since he’s also the author of “Edson,” a novel that came out in 1996. He recently completed his second novel, titled “Imaginary Runner,” which does not yet have a release date. Next up: perhaps a memoir.

“I have an editor trying to convince me to write my memoirs. I’ve got 40 years in the music biz. I’ve got plenty of stories to tell,” said Morrissey. “And one benefit of doing a memoir: I don’t have to make it all up.”

Morrissey tours regularly, and on his travels manages to keep up as best he can with the current crop of young, up-and-coming songwriters. He counts songwriter Anais Mitchell as a personal favorite; he likes Blossom Dearie too. His favorite thing to do while on tour? You guessed it: sneak away for an afternoon and cast some lines.

There’s just one question: Would he play another benefit for the John Bapst football team, if Pratt asked him?

“Only if I get another football jersey,” he said. “Maybe I’ll wear the one I have to the show.”

Bill Morrissey will play with Maine singer-songwriter Dave Mallett and Orland-based folk-rocker Shawn Mercer at the eighth annual Fourth of July Solidarity Party at the Worker Center on 20 Ivers St. in Brewer. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a chili cook-off and organic lamb barbecue; music starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for individuals, $20 for families. For more information, visit www.foodandmedicine.org. For more on Bill Morrissey, visit www.billmorrissey.net. Emily Burnham may be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.