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.
Beto
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beto what will you do?
Beto why dont you know yet?
Your time, your time is through.
Held up with all your guns,
And all along the way,
Oh what the people say,
Lock your doors get of here.
(get out of here)
Antonia Maria, She said to me:
"So much more then rice and beans
Woa, that I'm cookin for you,
Its how I love them true.
Bring me your Brothers,
Bring me your Mothers,
Oh the little and the broken too.
I will not lead them, no I'll just feed them.
Let me be me and you be you...."
I see all your lies
I see all your lies
Up on the hilltop flashing lights
Up on the hilltop the barrels never lie
Up on the hilltop I heard it said
In a gun-shot word that
Beto the Pure was dead
Still I swear I see him walking and talking there
I see him walking and talking
I feel all your lies
I see all your lies
Beto where did you go?
Beto what will you do?
Beto why dont you know yet?
This time your eyes are new
Held up in all your sons
And all along the way
Oh, all of the people wave
"Beto the Pure is near
Unlock your doors and have no fear
Have no fear"
Beto la Pura
Beto la Pura
Beto la Pura
Beto why do you care?
Beto where do you stand?
Bring all your guns and your ways
Tell me what the people say
Beto the Pure
Beto the Pure
Beto the Pure
The song Beto by Dispatch tells the story of a man named Beto who is on the run from the law. The first verse questions Beto's future, wondering where he will go and what he will do. The chorus emphasizes that Beto's time is up, indicating that he is likely to be caught or killed. The second verse introduces a woman named Antonia Maria who is a symbol of love and care in the midst of the chaos of Beto's life. She is a cook who is willing to feed anyone who comes to her, regardless of their background or history, and she wants to be accepted for who she is. However, there are still those who seek to harm Beto, indicated by the mention of flashing lights and gunshots. Despite this, the song ends with a plea from the people to unlock their doors and have no fear because "Beto the Pure" is near.
The song seems to explore themes of justice, love, and fear. Beto's actions have likely caused harm or pain to others, but there are still those who care for him and want to help him. Meanwhile, there are also those who seek to harm him, indicating that the pursuit of justice can sometimes involve violence. Antonia Maria is a symbol of love and care in the midst of this turmoil, but her character is also somewhat ambiguous. Is she truly a selfless cook who wants to help anyone, or is she hiding something? The flashing lights and gunshots on the hilltop suggest that danger is never far away in this world.
Line by Line Meaning
Beto where will you go?
Where will you go next, Beto? What does your future hold?
Beto what will you do?
What actions will you take in the future, Beto?
Beto why dont you know yet? Your time, your time is through.
Beto, you should have figured out your path by now. Time is running out for you.
Held up with all your guns,
You are relying on your weapons and military might, Beto.
And all along the way,
Throughout your journey.
Oh what the people say,
The people are gossiping about you, Beto.
Beto the pure is near,
Someone pure and trustworthy is coming into power soon, Beto.
Lock your doors get of here. (get out of here)
When the 'pure one' comes, Beto should leave and avoid them.
Antonia Maria, She said to me:
Antonia Maria spoke to me, saying…
"So much more then rice and beans
There is more to life than just basic necessities like food, Antonia Maria is telling me.
Woa, that I'm cookin for you,
I am cooking something for you, my dear friend.
Its how I love them true.
I express my love through cooking.
Bring me your Brothers,
Bring your brothers to me, all of them.
Bring me your Mothers,
Bring your mothers to me, all of them.
Oh the little and the broken too.
Bring the little ones and the broken ones to me as well.
I will not lead them, no I'll just feed them.
I won't try to guide them, I will just give them food.
Let me be me and you be you...."
Let's not judge each other, we can just be ourselves.
I see all your lies
I can see through your deceit, Beto.
Up on the hilltop flashing lights
There are lights blinking up on the hilltop.
Up on the hilltop the barrels never lie
The weapons up on the hilltop never lie about what they are capable of doing.
Up on the hilltop I heard it said
I heard someone say up on the hilltop…
In a gun-shot word that
The message was delivered through a loud gunshot.
Beto the Pure was dead
Beto the Pure has died.
Still I swear I see him walking and talking there
But I still believe I see Beto, alive and walking around.
I feel all your lies
I can sense that you are being deceitful, Beto.
Beto where did you go?
Where have you disappeared to now, Beto?
Beto what will you do?
What actions will you take next, Beto?
Beto why dont you know yet? This time your eyes are new
You should find a clear path by now, Beto. This time, see the world through new eyes.
Held up in all your sons
You have surrounded yourself with your own male descendants, Beto.
Oh, all of the people wave
All people, regardless of their opinion of you, are now waving at you.
"Beto the Pure is near
Someone pure and trustworthy is coming into power soon, Beto.
Unlock your doors and have no fear
When the 'pure one' comes, Beto should open his doors and not be afraid.
Beto la Pura
Beto the Pure
Beto why do you care?
Why are you concerned, Beto?
Beto where do you stand?
What is your stance on this matter, Beto?
Bring all your guns and your ways
Bring all your weapons and tactics.
Tell me what the people say
Inform me of the opinions of the people, Beto.
Beto the Pure
Beto the Pure.
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KingGEAR
You guys deserve much much more views and subscribers. Been a fan for almost 5 years now!
Trevor W Goodchild
Gr8 song nice ambiance, 90s feel in a certain way
G. Daws
Brad Corrigans version on his solo album is great too
THE CTHRNRNTT
came here from the Red Bull Arena Gold Cup thru Dispatch time lapse video :) love this song!
Alberto Rodríguez Piñera
Mi rola