The band originated in the early 1990s as One Fell Swoop, but changed their name to Dispatch in 1996. Chad Urmston, Braddigan, and Pete (Francis) Heimbold, who were all attending Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont comprised the band's lineup throughout their entire career. Their music has drawn on several influences, such as acoustic folk-rock, reggae, and funk.
Dispatch gained much recognition outside of New England, without any help from a label, and stuck together long enough to release seven albums, three of which were live performances. During concerts, the band had been known to improvise upon their album releases, often resulting in a song ending in twice the length of the original. The group was also fond of switching instruments and vocal duties when playing live.
Upon the announcement of its break-up in 2002, the band scheduled one final concert. The free show was performed at the Hatch Shell in Boston on July 31, 2004. "The Last Dispatch," as it was referred, is said to be the largest concert in independent music history; roughly 110,000 fans from over 20 different countries attended the show. Parts of the performance were released as a CD/DVD two-disc set later that year, entitled All Points Bulletin, along with an earlier show in Somerville, Massachusetts.
All three of the band's members are currently still in the music industry. Urmston is now the frontman of State Radio, while Corrigan (now credited as Braddigan, a nickname by which he was known since his time with Dispatch) and Heimbold (now credited as Pete Francis, his middle name) are succesfully pursuing solo efforts.
After the song Elias, written by Urmston after his experience living and teaching in Zimbabwe, the "Elias Fund" was formed to send children from the ravaged country to college.
Dispatch came out with a movie entitled "Last Dispatch" in July 2005, which documents their final 12 days together as a band and tells the story of how they became "the band that redefined independent music history". The film was released and previewed in Boston. Chad, Brad, and Pete attended the showing and celebrated throughout the weekend with their fans.
On December 22, 2005, Corrigan helped to organize a benefit concert, known as the Relief Project, at Irving Plaza in New York, New York. Along with several other performers, Corrigan invited Heimbold and State Radio to play. The three reunited very briefly, playing the song Here We Go as an encore. Corrigan stated there that he plans further Relief Project concerts featuring all three and perhaps sometime in 2007, a major Dispatch reunion concert.
Entitled "Dispatch: Zimbabwe", Dispatch arranged for one show in Madison Square Garden, with all the money sent towards relief efforts in Zimbabwe. Originally billed as a one show deal on July 14, Dispatch was surprised how quickly this first show sold out and set two more shows for the 13 and 15. After all three shows sold out, Dispatch announced another smaller show on July 11th at Webster Hall in New York, where they made their comeback debut to great success.
Dispatch had a second set of reunion concerts beginning at Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver, Colorado on June 3, 4, and 5th, 2011. These performances launched a reunion tour around the US and the release of their Dispatch EP on May 17th.
In 2017, the band released the song, "Only The Wild Ones" from their album, America, Location 12.
4 Two Coins
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the two coins of your eyes
Into my pockets
Well the train skates into
Port Henry late Sunday
Sometimes when I'm riding high
Feeling fine you know there's something
So I reach into my pocket for some
Small change
I reach into my pocket for some
Small change
I want bones like iron blood like mercury
So I can tell you when I'm rising
And when I'm sinking in
[Chorus]
We're gonna take it to the people
Hey let's drink from the cup
Share some luck
Go ahead and laugh cause it don't
Cost much
I stick loneliness, your lips
And the two coins of your eyes
Into my pockets
The lyrics to Dispatch's song "Two Coins" are a metaphor for holding onto memories that are valuable - memories that are worth more than anything materialistic. The loneliness and the lips represent the emotional attachment one has to another person, whereas the two coins in the eyes are a symbolic representation of the value that person held within the one singing. The singer is holding onto these memories tightly and carrying them with them wherever they go, metaphorically keeping them in their pockets.
The song begins with a reference to a train heading to Port Henry on a Sunday. The singer is riding high in life but is still haunted by something troubling their thoughts. In an attempt to distract themselves, the singer reaches into their pocket for small change. This small act of reaching into the pocket and finding the two coins and lips is a reminder that even when things are going well for them, there are still significant experiences in their life that they keep close.
The chorus speaks to the importance of sharing one's emotions, experiences and memories with others. The idea of taking it to the people is an invitation to share oneself with others. It urges the listener to join them in sharing luck and laughter, emphasising that it doesn't cost much. The two coins in the eyes of the significant other are a symbol of how much they were worth to the one singing, which is reinforced by the metaphor of drinking from the cup and sharing luck with others.
Line by Line Meaning
I stick loneliness, your lips
I'm taking the feeling of loneliness embodied by the touch of your lips with me.
And the two coins of your eyes
I'm taking the memory of your eyes, which remind me of both the beauty and the pain of our relationship.
Into my pockets
I'm holding onto these memories, even though they don't necessarily bring me joy.
Well the train skates into
As I'm riding a train into
Port Henry late Sunday
the town of Port Henry on a late Sunday night,
Sometimes when I'm riding high
Even when I'm feeling confident and happy,
Feeling fine you know there's something
There's still something worrying me in the back of my mind.
Troubling my mind
A thought that won't leave me alone.
So I reach into my pocket for some
It's in these moments that I look for some small token,
Small change
Anything to take my mind off of what's troubling me.
I want bones like iron blood like mercury
I wish I had the strength and clarity to communicate my emotions honestly.
So I can tell you when I'm rising
So that I can share my moments of happiness with you,
And when I'm sinking in
And so that I can tell you when I'm feeling low and need your support.
We're gonna take it to the people
We're going to share our love with the world,
Hey let's drink from the cup
Let's enjoy life together,
Share some luck
And spread our good fortune to others.
Go ahead and laugh cause it don't
We can be lighthearted and carefree because
Cost much
We have each other and that's all we really need.
I stick loneliness, your lips
I'm carrying the memory of your touch with me.
And the two coins of your eyes
And holding onto the beauty and pain of what we once had.
Into my pockets
I'll cherish these memories, wherever I go.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew McConkey
How these guys didn't get bigger than Jack Johnson I'll never know. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of both, but Dispatch is INCREDIBLE.
Reality Challenged
Probably has something to do with only 5 people liking your comment over the last year, they just weren't that popular and catered to a niche hometown audience instead of growing their band brand
Mark Duarte
I also feel the same about state radio dont u understand how that band wasnt huge like foo fighters big
Mark Duarte
Dispatch is way better than jack but jack johnson is also amazing
Street Lethal Garage
very underrated music...
Kara
My goodness this really brings me back
akakta1
Just good vibe~~~
Cynthia Gutierrez
Forever in my ❤
Michelle Story
I want bones like iron, blood like mercury. So I can tell you when I’m rising....or sinking in. I’m sinking IN.
Dane Drew
merrcuuUurry.