Dispatch is an American indie-roots band founded in 1996 in Middlebury, Ver… Read Full Bio ↴Dispatch is an American indie-roots band founded in 1996 in Middlebury, Vermont.

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.

Ride A Tear
Dispatch Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Drop into the mystery of a web
Speak, repeat I'm not listening
Sit up undressed we'll do the rest
Tounges as long as hallway carpets

I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear
I ride a tear

Through this world and disappear

take all your bones and make a new throne
Ice in your eyes it gettin too cold (too cold)
See the faint figure in the window
She's got her word to say

I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear
I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear

drop into the mystery of a web
Speak, repeat I'm not listening
Sit up undressed we'll do the rest
Tounges as long as hallway carpets

I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear
I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear

I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear
I ride a tear
Through this world and disappear

through this world and disappear
Through this world and disappear
Through this world and disappear
Through this world and disappear

Through this world and disappear
Through this world and disappear

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dispatch's song "Ride A Tear" paint a picture of the singer dropping into the mysterious and confusing web of life. The first verse sets the tone of detachment and apathy towards the singer's surroundings as they repeat the phrase "Speak, repeat I'm not listening". The second verse contains images of isolation and coldness as the singer mentions "Ice in your eyes it getting too cold" and sees a "faint figure in the window" who has her own words to say. The chorus, "I ride a tear through this world and disappear" seems to be a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, where the singer wants to experience everything but acknowledges that it's impossible to stay in one moment forever, and eventually they will vanish into the great unknown.

The lines "Sit up undressed we'll do the rest, tongues as long as hallway carpets" could potentially be interpreted as a sexual encounter between two people. However, it's worth noting that Dispatch is a band that often uses poetic and ambiguous language in their lyrics, so there may be other ways to interpret these lines.

Overall, "Ride A Tear" is a song that explores the beauty and complexity of life, while also acknowledging its transience and impermanence.

Line by Line Meaning

Drop into the mystery of a web
Immerse yourself in the unknown intricacies of life

Speak, repeat I'm not listening
Talk all you want, I won't pay attention

Sit up undressed we'll do the rest
Get comfortable, we'll take care of the rest

Tounges as long as hallway carpets
Words are never ending, like the length of hallway carpets

I ride a tear Through this world and disappear
I navigate through life's struggles and eventually disappear

take all your bones and make a new throne
Use your pain to create a new foundation for yourself

Ice in your eyes it gettin too cold (too cold)
You're becoming numb to the harshness and bitterness of the world

See the faint figure in the window She's got her word to say
Notice the observer who silently awaits to express their thoughts

through this world and disappear
Travel through the world and eventually vanish into the unknown

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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