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.
Whaddya Wanna Be
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know
And what do you wanna feel
I can't tell you
And what do you wanna see
I don't know
Just take me down to the watering hole
I don't know
And what do you wanna feel
I can't tell you
And what do you wanna see
I don't know
Just take me down to the watering hole
We're going, tiptoe
Back to the place that I know so
Oh won't you please just say so
Cause I'm not gonna leave until you let me go
Tiptoe back to the place that I know so
Oh won't you please just say so
Cause I'm not gonna leave until you let me go
ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
What do you wanna be
I don't know
And what do you wanna feel
I can't tell you
And what do you wanna see
I don't know
Just take me down to the watering hole
What do you wanna be
I don't know
And what do you wanna feel
I can't tell you
And what do you wanna see
I don't know
Just take me down to the watering hole
We're going tiptoe
Back to the place that I know so
Oh won't you please just say so
Cause I'm not gonna leave until you let me go
Tiptoe back to the place that I know so
Oh won't you please just say so
Cause I'm not gonna leave until you let me go
ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Gotta be so eh eh eh
All I gotta be so eh eh eh
The lyrics to "Whaddya Wanna Be" by Dispatch seem to be a conversation between two people. The first person asks a series of questions, "What do you wanna be? What do you wanna feel? What do you wanna see?" to which the second person responds with "I don't know." This could either be reflective of the uncertainty we all face in life or a commentary on society's tendency to ask individuals what their plans are without offering any guidance or support. The repeated line, "Just take me down to the watering hole," could be interpreted as a desire to escape or find a place of comfort amidst this uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you wanna be
Asking the listener what they aspire to become
I don't know
The listener is unsure of their desired line of work
And what do you wanna feel
Asking the listener what emotions they hope to experience in their chosen profession
I can't tell you
The listener does not have a clear idea of how they want their job to make them feel
And what do you wanna see
Asking the listener what they hope to witness through their work
I don't know
The listener has no defined view of what they want to witness through their career
Just take me down to the watering hole
The listener wants someone else to lead them to a place where they can find clarity and answers
We're going tiptoe
The artist and listener are cautiously moving forward
Back to the place that I know so
Returning to a familiar location
Oh won't you please just say so
Asking the listener to give a clear indication of what they want
Cause I'm not gonna leave until you let me go
The singer will remain until the listener makes a decision
Ok, ok, ok, ok, o-k
Repetition of 'ok' to indicate compliance or agreement
Gotta be so eh eh eh
The importance of having a clear vision and passion for something
All I gotta be so eh eh eh
Emphasizing the need for a strong sense of purpose
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bradley Joseph Corrigan, Chad Stokes Urmston, Peter Francis Heimbold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
C Smith-Szkirka
Love it and hope to see you guys in concert again in Mass.!