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.
Steeples
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who was swept off the deck
The sweeping tide swept the sea over his neck
But it did not end there, the boy began to swim
And dared to the sea that dared to invade him
[Chorus]
Did you ever want to know me
And did you ever want to know me
And did you ever feel like I could
It's a silent steeple
That carries us down
It's a silent steeple?
But the sea would not so much as reply
So the boy yelled to the ships that were fated to die
Red sky at night, sailors take delight
Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning
[Chorus]
It's a silent steeple
That carries us down
It's a silent steeple
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back,
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back,
Sail on, take it back
We were going with the wind in our hair
And we didn't want to look back 'cause if we did
Well We would not care
And if we all were to die now
Well it wouldn't be that bad
Cause that boy in the waves said
He'd give us everything
Everything he had
To go on, and trace that scar
Like we did ten years before
[Chorus]
It's a silent steeple
That carries us down
It's a silent steeple
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back,
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on
The song "Steeples" by Dispatch tells the story of a boy who was swept off the deck by the sea. Despite the odds, the boy was able to swim back to safety and dared the ocean to come at him again. The chorus inquires whether anyone has ever wanted to know the boy and understand his experience. Later, the lyrics reference the "silent steeple" that carries people down, an allusion to a church or a symbolic representation of death. The final verse takes a nostalgic look at the past, reflecting on the carefree days when the characters in the song rode the wind with wild abandon.
The song is imbued with themes of adventure, courage, and mortality. The boy in the story represents an individual who faces adversity, overcomes it, and challenges others to do the same. The lyrics suggest that there is something to learn from the boy's experience, an understanding of the power of the sea and the fragility of life. The chorus lends a sense of longing, a desire to connect with those who have lived through profound experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard a story about a boy
There is a story about a boy that I heard and I am about to tell you.
Who was swept off the deck
The boy was taken away from the deck by something.
The sweeping tide swept the sea over his neck
The tide covered the boy's neck with water.
But it did not end there, the boy began to swim
Rather than letting the tide take him, the boy started swimming instead.
And dared to the sea that dared to invade him
He challenged the sea that was trying to harm him by continuing to swim.
Did you ever want to know me
Have you ever wanted to understand me or get to know me better?
And did you ever feel like I could
Have you ever felt that I was approachable or open to getting to know you?
It's a silent steeple
There is something that is quiet and powerful that is guiding us.
That carries us down
This powerful thing is taking us on a journey or leading us somewhere.
But the sea would not so much as reply
The ocean did not respond to the boy's challenge or offer to swim
So the boy yelled to the ships that were fated to die
The boy called out to boats that he believed were going to sink or were in danger.
Red sky at night, sailors take delight
If the sky is red at night, it is a good sign for sailors and they should appreciate it.
Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning
A red sky in the morning is a warning for sailors to be careful because there may be trouble ahead.
We were going with the wind in our hair
We were moving and experiencing life, carefree and full of energy.
And we didn't want to look back 'cause if we did
We did not want to dwell on the past or turn back time because it would be too painful.
Well We would not care
We would not be able to handle it emotionally or mentally.
And if we all were to die now
If we were all to die at this moment.
Well it wouldn't be that bad
It wouldn't be too terrible or painful to die because we have lived our lives fully and without regret.
Cause that boy in the waves said
The boy who was swimming earlier told us something important.
He'd give us everything
The boy would be willing to give us all that he has.
Everything he had
All of his possessions or emotions.
To go on, and trace that scar
To continue moving forward, even though we have suffered and have wounds that have not yet healed.
Like we did ten years before
We had a similar experience ten years ago.
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back,
Keep moving forward, but also remember the past and what you have learned from it.
Sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back, sail on, take it back,
Again, continue to move forward but do not forget where you came from.
Sail on, take it back, sail on
You will keep moving forward and also looking back, always learning and growing.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bradley Joseph Corrigan, Chad Stokes Urmston, Peter Francis Heimbold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George William
Still touring. Great band that never got the credit they deserved.
Sloppy Salami
In the 2000s they kinda had 200,000 people in one concert (final dispatch)
Martin Holck
Exactly.. very underappreciated band. Can't believe their channel doesn't have more subs.
Alexander Michael Earle
Man, I keep listening to all your golden tracks when you're straight out of Middlebury.
And I always think it's divine intervention that brought a leftist, a rightist & a cloaet romanticist into harmony to prolifically create some of the best next level songs of the 2000's decade (& beyond).
This is my ode to Dispatch. The movement.
Shawn McCarthy
gotta fucking love classical guitar! what an all around amazing group of musicians!
Brandon Parker
The diversity I have in my music taste can to a degree be attributing to these guys and they're amazing accomplishments though one of the all time truly underrated bands.
Drone Adventures
Did these loveable dorks make it half big?
Stacey Cholip
Absolutely!!! Music like this doesn't go away.
Joel Witt
who hits the solo in this song? is it Chad Urmston?
Sloppy Salami
Also referred to as Chadwick Stokes