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.
Melon Bend
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the birds up above
You stood up with a shout
And said that it's time
We ran through the oak hall woods
Saw the shadows on car hoods
Swinging on the old
Oh, my love
I think that I could run forever
Make you stay so true
And not be lonely ever
Now my world come right
I will swim the river
Until my bones give up
You said that you were born
Daddy took you home
He whispered to the ground
Ever softly
Left the shovel on the stone
Left the hill alone
Drove like the road
Was the only life to know
Oh, my love
I think that I could run forever
We don't stand a chance
We will run the river
I swore on your bed
I will be forever
Until my bones give up
And the birds they land
And I see both of you are there
And we are walking
We are walking
And as you turn around
I see your hands, they look like mine
And we are walking
We are walking back toward the hill
Oh, my love
I think that I could run forever
We don't stand a chance
Tow now more than ever
Make you stay so true
And be lonely never
Until your bones give up
Oh, my love
I think that I could run forever
We don't stand a chance
We will run the river
Now my world come right
I will never leave her
Until our bones give up
In Dispatch's song "Melon Bend," the lyrics evoke a feeling of nostalgia and longing as the singer reflects on past memories with someone they love. The opening verse paints a vivid picture of the setting as the singer sees their love interest in the moss, surrounded by birds. As they run through the woods and past swinging telephone lines, the chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer is willing to run forever to be with their love and not be lonely.
The second verse reveals a darker side to the story as the love interest's father whispers to the ground while burying them. The singer promises to be with their love forever, no matter what. The final verse brings closure as the singer sees their love and their child walking toward them. The chorus repeats, emphasizing their enduring love despite the challenges they faced.
The song's themes of love, memory, and mortality are conveyed through poetic imagery and introspective lyrics. The melody, with its haunting harmonies and slow build, adds to the emotional impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw you in the moss
I spotted you among the green and fuzzy plants.
See the birds up above
Observe the avian creatures soaring in the sky.
You stood up with a shout
You rose and yelled loudly.
And said that it's time
And declared that the moment has come.
We ran through the oak hall woods
We dashed through the forest of oak trees.
Saw the shadows on car hoods
Observed the silhouettes on top of the vehicle roofs.
Swinging on the old
Dangling from the ancient
Telephone lines
Telegraph wires.
Oh, my love
Oh, the one I love
I think that I could run forever
I believe I could go on running ceaselessly.
Make you stay so true
Compel you to remain so faithful.
And not be lonely ever
And never experience loneliness.
Now my world come right
Now that my life's in place.
I will swim the river
I'll traverse the watercourse by swimming.
Until my bones give up
Until my bones surrender.
You said that you were born
You mentioned that you were brought to this world.
Daddy took you home
Your father took you to your house.
He whispered to the ground
He whispered to the earth.
Ever softly
In a gentle manner.
Left the shovel on the stone
Abandoned the tool on the rock.
Left the hill alone
Left the slope unaccompanied.
Drove like the road
Drove as if the pavement
Was the only life to know
Was the sole experience to grasp.
And the birds they land
And the birds touch down.
And I see both of you are there
And I realize you're both present.
And we are walking
And we wander around.
And as you turn around
And as you spin.
I see your hands, they look like mine
I perceive your hands, and they resemble mine.
And we are walking
And we continue to stroll.
We are walking back toward the hill
We're going back to the mountain.
Tow now more than ever
Now, more than ever
Make you stay so true
Urge you to remain trustworthy.
And be lonely never
And never be lonesome.
Until your bones give up
Until your bones surrender.
Contributed by Noah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
RobbinTV
new spatch is just as good as old spatch<3 if not better
realllybigmike
wow .
so music.
such good.
many drums.
rythym.
doge approves
MrPorkchops
@Michał Michał It wasn''t normie shite 7 years ago
Michał Michał
it deserves dank memes not normie shiet
evan voght
Dispatch deserves more than just memes!