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.
Turn This Ship Around
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why would I burn the castle down?
Why would I drive the car to the ground?
Why did I pick you up that night?
Should've left you in the morning light
Chorus:
I'll feel no pain.
Verse 2:
I'll follow you,
Into the mirrored cave.
Turn dust into a body,
Weld the waves.
Chorus (x2)
Bridge:
Turn this ship around.
(x3)
Chorus (x2)
The lyrics of Dispatch's song "Turn This Ship Around" reveal a sense of regret and melancholy, mixed with a desire for change and transformation. The song's first verse explores the singer's inner turmoil and questions his past actions, wondering why he would burn down the castles of his own life or cause destruction to his relationships. The line "Should've left you in the morning light" suggests that he might have made a mistake or hurt someone he cares about. The chorus, with the lines "I'll feel no pain, I will raise my head up for the wrecking ball," symbolizes the singer's willingness to face the consequences of his actions and take responsibility for them. He no longer wants to hide from his past or be afraid of judgment. Instead, he chooses to be brave and forge a new path, no matter how hard it may be. The second verse reveals the singer's hope for a better future, as he vows to follow his own intuition and explore the unknown. He imagines turning "dust into a body" and "welding the waves" as symbols of transformation and rebirth. In doing so, he hopes to make amends for his past mistakes and create a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Why would I burn the castle down?
Why would I intentionally destroy something that should be protected and valued like a castle?
Why would I drive the car to the ground?
Why would I knowingly damage or ruin something useful like a car?
Why did I pick you up that night?
Why did I make the mistake of getting involved with someone that wasn't good for me?
Should've left you in the morning light
I should have realized my mistake and left you when I had the chance, instead of staying until it was too late.
I'll feel no pain.
I won't let the pain of past mistakes weigh me down or stop me from moving forward.
I will raise my head up for the wrecking ball.
I will face the consequences of my mistakes head-on and without fear.
I'll follow you,
I'll go wherever you lead me, even if it's not the right path for me.
Into the mirrored cave.
Into a dark, confusing and disorienting labyrinth.
Turn dust into a body,
Create something substantial and meaningful out of something trivial or insignificant.
Weld the waves.
Blend together things that are inherently contradictory or supposed to be kept separate.
Turn this ship around.
Take control of the situation and turn it around, no matter how difficult the task seems.
Contributed by Owen G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
pancho durant
Thanks!