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.
Bang Bang
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking' over cross eyed had a big
Hunch that the world was a big lie
When I got up all the blood to my head
I got so dizzy fell back into my bed
I went over to the way side
Looking for the high tide
What will I find will I find will I find
That had a pom-pom he's been there for
Years can someone tell me how long
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
You see this woman woke me up at a quarter to three
And I didn't know it then
But she put a spell on me
Said I had to go down to where the cliffs meet the sea
And meet an old man to present my plea
So I headed way down to the big pier
To await and confront my big fear
I wheeled around behind to my blindside
To find an old man with a lime and a kind eye
Said mister, mister with your beard so long
Won't you be a saint and tell me
Just where I'm going
He pointed to a conk shell and then to the lime
And said this is all I really need to get by
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
Hey mister man
I know you don't know who you think I think I am
But I can safely say
That I should've been sleeping, been sleeping, been sleeping , been sleeping
The day away
Hey hey
I said scuse me, have you got the time
He shrugged his shoulders said get a spine
Coconut hit me on the head jonesin' for a fig
I got booked last night, I need another fix, dick
Yeah, just then I see a twinkle twinkle
In the old man's eye and a wave
Tossed bottle is thrown to the sky
I caught it on the rebound
It landed with a soft sound
I took out the message and put the bottle down
Inside was the antidote to the spell
And I read it to the man 'cause he couldn't read so well
Said don't worry about a thing you know you path is true
Just ease your mind have a banana or two
Well goodness, goodness, woe is me
The man nearly flipped to learn that he was free
But just before we Left and started kicking it
I picked up the bottle and star sixed it
Kick kick shuffle shuffle back to the beach
With a tune on my lips and my quest in reach
If that woman comes to you with her song so sweet
Say damn, let the poor sucker sleep
Let him sleep
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
The lyrics of Dispatch's song Bang Bang describe a surreal experience, with the singer waking up disoriented and feeling as if the world is a lie. He goes on to reference an encounter with a woman who put a spell on him and sent him on a journey to meet an old man who provides him with the advice that he needs. Throughout the song, there are several references to the idea of waking up - the woman wakes him up with a bang, he is searching for something that he cannot seem to find, and ultimately he receives guidance that allows him to awaken to his path.
One interpretation of the song is that it explores the theme of personal awakening and consciousness. The singer is lost and confused at the beginning of the song but finds guidance that helps him become more aware and clear-minded. The woman who put a spell on him may represent some external force that has the power to influence or control the singer.
Another possible interpretation is that the song is a commentary on spirituality and the search for meaning in life. The singer goes on a quest to meet an old man who can offer him insight and direction, which may symbolize a spiritual guru or teacher. The advice that the old man gives him to have a banana or two may be seen as a metaphor for taking care of oneself and finding simple pleasures in life.
Line by Line Meaning
She woke me up with a bang, bang
I was abruptly awakened from my slumber
Looking' over cross eyed had a big
Hunch that the world was a big lie
I had a feeling that everything around me was a lie
When I got up all the blood to my head
I got so dizzy fell back into my bed
After standing up, I became so dizzy that I fell back onto my bed
I went over to the way side
Looking for the high tide
What will I find will I find will I find
All I saw was a man that had a hat
That had a pom-pom he's been there for
Years can someone tell me how long
I went to the beach looking for something, but all I found was a man with a hat and pom-pom who had been there for years
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
Wake up to tell me
Wake up to show me what I could not find
I want someone to wake me up and guide me to find what I am looking for
You see this woman woke me up at a quarter to three
And I didn't know it then
But she put a spell on me
Said I had to go down to where the cliffs meet the sea
And meet an old man to present my plea
A woman woke me up and put a spell on me, telling me to go to the cliffs and meet an old man to plead my case
So I headed way down to the big pier
To await and confront my big fear
I wheeled around behind to my blindside
To find an old man with a lime and a kind eye
Said mister, mister with your beard so long
Won't you be a saint and tell me
Just where I'm going
He pointed to a conk shell and then to the lime
And said this is all I really need to get by
I went to the pier and found an old man who gave me direction using a conk shell and lime
Hey mister man
I know you don't know who you think I think I am
But I can safely say
That I should've been sleeping, been sleeping, been sleeping , been sleeping
The day away
I am someone unknown to the old man and to myself, but I know that I should have been sleeping all day
I said scuse me, have you got the time
He shrugged his shoulders said get a spine
Coconut hit me on the head jonesin' for a fig
I got booked last night, I need another fix, dick
I asked the old man for the time, but he shrugged and insulted me, and then I was hit on the head by a coconut and needed another fix
Yeah, just then I see a twinkle twinkle
In the old man's eye and a wave
Tossed bottle is thrown to the sky
I caught it on the rebound
It landed with a soft sound
I took out the message and put the bottle down
Inside was the antidote to the spell
And I read it to the man 'cause he couldn't read so well
Said don't worry about a thing you know you path is true
Just ease your mind have a banana or two
Suddenly, the old man threw a bottle in the air, and I caught it. Inside was the antidote to the spell, and I read it to the old man who couldn't read well. The message told him not to worry and to eat some bananas
Well goodness, goodness, woe is me
The man nearly flipped to learn that he was free
But just before we Left and started kicking it
I picked up the bottle and star sixed it
Kick kick shuffle shuffle back to the beach
With a tune on my lips and my quest in reach
The old man was overjoyed to learn he was free from the spell, and we kicked the bottle before departing. I went back to the beach with a tune in my lips, feeling closer to my goal
If that woman comes to you with her song so sweet
Say damn, let the poor sucker sleep
Let him sleep
If the woman who put the spell on me returns, I will tell her to leave me alone and let me sleep
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Charles Stokes Urmston, Bradley Corrigan, Peter Francis Heimbold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheCerr420
It's been one year since my best friend took his life. This was our favorite song to play on guitar/cajon. Man I miss him. Thanks Dispatch for making these memories happen.
@DominicDunn526
Damn man sincerest condolences. Great thing about memories there all yours man no one person can ever take those
@jessilynn4952
Awww! This is hands down the coolest comment on the thread. So sorry for your loss.
@bnol03686
I hear you man, same here. Hes watching over you.
@jaredmason6581
Much love to you so sorry for your loss. He's with you every day even if you can see him. Love and light brother
@andresmaldonado9429
my friend wouls of loved dispatch, he died unfortunatly before we got to know this great band, he would of loved it.... alex you are still in my memories and dreams
@mikemayo4392
WOW. These guys changed my life 20+ years ago when I was 17, and this was exactly what a 38y/o needed to find on Monday morning. Brought a smile to my soul.
@OurVinyl
Love that! We've been fans of these guys for a long time as well.
@bengz96
Imagine walking thru the woods to stumble upon the greatest impromptu concert ever
@suckmy66dickyouwhore
yep... and i'd totally be tripping on shrooms and wouldn't believe it was real......