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.
Letter to Lady J
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's blood in the gutters and fear in the street
How long we fight for a change that never comes
Oh, in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
'Cause I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
Arms bent back and black jack welt
Involuntary tears and the tears we felt
Does it always have to get worse before it gets better?
Oh, in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
'Cause I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
Oh, Virgil Caine where are you now
Did they bury the hatewhen they buried the south
You got to tell the spirits mystics of tomorrow
That in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
The song "Letter to Lady J" by Dispatch addresses the societal issues that have plagued America for centuries, including discrimination, inequality, and violence. The song starts off by addressing a friend who is needed to confront these problems with the singer. They mention the blood in the gutters and the fear in the streets, which could be interpreted as literal violence or the social strife that exists between different groups of people. The singer then mentions the long fight for change that never seems to come, which could be a nod to the countless civil rights movements that have occurred in this country without producing lasting change. The song discusses the struggle to try to effect social change in a society that is resistant to transformation.
The song then delves into a more specific example of violence with the mention of "arms bent back and black jack welt," possibly alluding to police brutality. The singer asks if things always have to get worse before they can get better, to which the answer seems to be yes. The song ends with a nod to the past, bringing up the name "Virgil Caine" which happens to be a reference to a character in a famous Civil War ballad. The singer asks the character, whether real or symbolic, if the hate was buried along with the South. He then asks that the ghosts of tomorrow know that there are people out there fighting for change despite the fact that it often feels like things never really do change.
Line by Line Meaning
My dear old friend, it's you we need
We need you now more than ever, my dear old friend
There's blood in the gutters and fear in the street
The streets are a mess with blood and fear
How long we fight for a change that never comes
We keep fighting for a change that never seems to come
Oh, in some ways it's the same
In some ways, things haven't changed
But tonight the crowd they came
But tonight, the crowd showed up
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
They raised their fists in the air, held candles, and held vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
Their dreams were broken and held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
When was the last time you went outside?
How long's it been since you opened your eyes?
When was the last time you really looked at what's happening?
'Cause I've been to the line and it's all right there
I've seen it firsthand, and it's all right there in front of us
And I cannot wait to get on from here
I can't wait to move forward from this
Arms bent back and black jack welt
Their arms were bent back, leaving welts
Involuntary tears and the tears we felt
They cried tears involuntarily and from the pain they felt
Does it always have to get worse before it gets better?
Does it always have to hit rock bottom before things improve?
Oh, Virgil Caine where are you now
Oh, where is Virgil Caine now?
Did they bury the hate when they buried the south
Did they bury the hate along with the south?
You got to tell the spirits mystics of tomorrow
You have to pass along the message to the future generation
That in some ways it's the same
That, in some ways, things haven't changed
But tonight the crowd they came
But tonight, the crowd showed up
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
They raised their fists in the air, held candles, and held vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
Their dreams were broken and held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
When was the last time you went outside?
How long's it been since you opened your eyes?
When was the last time you really looked at what's happening?
I've been to the line and it's all right there
I've seen it firsthand, and it's all right there in front of us
And I cannot wait to get on from here
I can't wait to move forward from this
Writer(s): Peter Heimbold, Chad Urmston, Bradley Corrigan
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@plwpahi
I came here because of Bernie, and I love good music :D
My dear old friend, it's you we need
There's blood in the gutters and fear in the street
How long we fight for a change that never comes
Oh, in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
'Cause I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
Arms bent back and black jack welt
Involuntary tears and the tears we felt
Does it always have to get worse before it gets better?
Oh, in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
'Cause I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
Oh, Virgil Caine where are you now
Did they bury the hate when they buried the south
You got to tell the spirits mystics of tomorrow
That in some ways it's the same
But tonight the crowd they came
Fists in the air, candles and vigils
Cracked dreams held together with curses and wishes
But how long's it been since you been outside?
How long's it been since you open your eyes?
I've been to the line and it's all right there
And I cannot wait to get on from here
@lindseyraeroberts1
I love the sentiment behind the lyrics of Letter to Lady J - and I also love that this video sums up your summer tour highlights! Thank you for sharing these moments with your fans!!
@billiejulianna670
Dispatch just played this song live on Lightning 100, Nashville's independent radio station, today, December 7, 2018. A very welcome Christmas present. Their unassailable 3-part harmony, in sync with the gently put -- yet the stronger for it -- protest against unnecessary violence and brutality, make this song simply great. I can't find another word for it: great. Thanks to Lightning 100 and to one of my favorite bands, Dispatch. And also to Dispatch: LOVE your videos: "Only the Wild Ones" makes me cry; "Painted Yellow Lines" is a work of art. You guys are fantastic. Happy Holidays to everyone out there, and peace on earth, please!
@GleeGizmo
Just saw them at Fiddlers Green tonight! They are the best live performers I’ve seen. Amazing, will be bringing their music until the end of time.
@potatonado2550
I saw them in Columbus they are amazing
@JordanSmith-ug6mb
one of the greatest live songs of all time
@moshpitman1100
You all are amazing ❤️ thank you for playing this with Nahko in Chicago!!!! Please come back soon!
@black123we
I was there too!! It was such a good show!
@FlyingBisonCycling
Well if this doesn't make you want to go see a Dispatch show, I don't know what will.
@fionabennett7814
Ryan Cross are they American or English band
@cookiemaster3565
They are from America but I think they also come the the uk somtimes @@fionabennett7814