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.
Sign Of The Times
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time you've got to really know
You got this wonder show to all the times that you're here
All the love that you feel
Come right down and take you away!
Soldier, I get broken there's a letter on the shelf
Guess she had my to feel the sign all that time that you're here
Come and down and take you
Love that you fear!
Calm right down and take you away!
Come down from where you are, where are you are!
Come down from where you are where you are!
Now's a time our
Knowing that it will never be you away
All the times that you're here
All the love that you feel
Come and down and take you
Love that you fear!
Calm right down and take you away!
In the opening verse of Dispatch's "Sign of the Times" the singer is imploring the listener to pay attention to them before they depart. They're advising the listener to take the time to get to know them, and enjoy the spectacle before them. The phrase "Wonder show" seems to refer to life as a whole; something to be enjoyed regardless of its imperfections. The chorus is rather ambiguous but seems to be about the fleetingness of relationships ('Soldier, I get broken there's a letter on the shelf') and the inevitability of change ('Come right down and take you away').
Dispatch seems to be suggesting that the listener(s) focus on the present ('all the times that you're here') and take advantage of the good feelings that come with the moment ('all the love that you feel'). The pre-chorus seems to be about love that is uncertain and unpredictable ('Love that you fear') but pleasant if we allow it to be ('Come right down and take you away'). The song concludes with the line 'Now's a time our / Knowing that it will never be you away' which reaffirms the fleeting nature of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Check me out before you go
Take a closer look at me before you leave
Time you've got to really know
You have the time to truly understand
You got this wonder show to all the times that you're here
You have a unique and amazing experience to share during your time here
All the love that you feel
Embrace all the love you have inside you
Come right down and take you away!
Let that love take you to a happy place
Soldier, I get broken there's a letter on the shelf
I feel beaten down, but there's something to be found on that letter sitting on the shelf
Guess she had my to feel the sign all that time that you're here
She knew I needed to realize the message during my time here
Come down from where you are, where are you are!
Get out of your current mindset, wherever you may be
Now's a time our
This is a crucial moment for us
Knowing that it will never be you away
Understand that you can never truly leave and will always be a part of something greater
All the love that you feel
Embrace all the love you have inside you
Come and down and take you
Let that love take you to a happy place
Love that you fear!
Embrace and overcome your fears with love
Calm right down and take you away!
Let that calmness take you to a happy place
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bradley Joseph Corrigan, Chad Stokes Urmston, Peter Francis Heimbold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Floyd Pinkerton
Such a great middle 8.