For a while, it looked like Dispatch was going to be the next Dave Matthews. Combining sharp pop-hooks with organic jams, the Middlebury-bred trio spent five years packing college bars and sweaty clubs, selling out lauded venues like the Wetlands and the Paradise in the process. Then, sometime at the tail end of 2000, things started to change and Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold, and Chad Urmston found themselves playing to capacity crowds, growing from 500 person clubs to 3,000 person ballrooms in just over a year. Closely identified with Napster and collegiate file sharing culture, Dispatch found themselves at the brink of stardom, before surprising their fans with a formal hiatus halfway through 2002.
Now, two years later, Dispatch guitarist Chad Urmston is back in the studio, with a new batch of politically driven rock numbers and a new, short haircut. With a ripe band known as State Radio at his side, Urmston has trimmed his jams, turning his attention to a series of a quick, punkish rock cuts. Sidelined for much of last year after undergoing vocal surgery, Urmston has spent considerable time exploring his muse, ultimately turning his full attention to removing the Republican Administration from the White House.
This summer State Radio will continue to tour the country, gearing up for a rigorous pre-election anti-Bush push. Urmston will also reunite with Dispatch on July 31 at the Hatch Shell in Boston, MA for what he promises to be their final performance.
After undergoing vocal surgery, you spent last year off the road. Musically, how did you make use of your recovery time?
I did a lot of writing—there was a month there where I couldn’t talk at all. I couldn’t even utter any sounds, so that was a very introspective time. It was actually kind of cool because you are so much of an observer. I think more than anything it made me appreciate having a voice and being able to do what we do for a living, which is to be involved in music.
Have any of your recent compositions directly addressed your illness?
No, not really. My writing style has, especially in the last year or two, been very politically charged. Often I won’t deal with songs that are too self-serving. The name State Radio came from a song we are actually starting to record right now. It’s the idea that since the Bush Administration has been in control of this country, we are almost occupied. The song says, “Quiet. Your leader is going to speak, so turn off your mind.” It’s maddening that our country’s leader is George W. Bush. It’s so potentially dangerous in the international arena because he has this idea that America is suppose to instill its views on everyone. I think he honestly believes that the world should be run by the United States. It’s that imperial and empire-like thinking, he honestly believes that is a good thing.
Have any of your more conservative fans ever complained about your left-leaning politics?
Just once. I got an e-mail the other day that said, “I love your music, but I don’t think its necessary to talk about the war like that.” I don’t usually do this, but things are getting too volatile and so acute that if I send out a mass e-mail, I might say something political, where as before I was hesitant to do so because I never want to preach or push.
State Radio sounds much more like a rock band then Dispatch. If Dispatch still toured today, what would they sound like?
Had we kept going with Dispatch? That element started to be there anyway in the last year. But, obviously, things are more political now and with the musicians I am playing with it’s definitely more of a rock/punkish feel. But it feels pretty natural if you look at Dispatch’s progression, as we learned our instruments better. We started off on an acoustic vibe, but really we always wanted to play electric. It’s hard in the beginning to have a stack of Marshalls or an electric guitar. It’s a lot easier to kick it around with your acoustic (laughs).
Have you incorporated any Dispatch material into State Radio’s set?
No, I haven’t. Only because I want to separate the two, especially in the beginning. Actually, I was playing in Chicago recently and at one point I said, “we have voter registration. Please, it doesn’t take much just sign your name and fill out your address.” Someone was like, “well, we’ll do it if you play ‘Open Up’ or something.” I hesitated for a second and was like, “fuck it, I’ll do it if you guys will register.”
Are you grooming State Radio to be a studio project or a live band?
I still think the live show is our strength. I’d love to have a slamming tight set, but be able to play totally different songs if we had two shows back to back in the same city. I sort of hesitate to do that sort of jamband thing. I never really thought Dispatch was a jamband. But the way we grew ourselves was similar to the jambands and we had a grassroots sound.
Are you going to shop your current studio project to the major labels?
No, I don’t think so. I think, especially timing wise, I want this record to get out before the election — a couple of songs are particularly poignant now. I don’t want to get into the whole rhythm of labels, with release dates — I’ve heard horror stories.
Are you working on any politically charged music rallies?
Yea, I am trying to assemble what I can with other like-minded bands who are at a similar level — maybe create a two-month tour leading up to November with a heavy political agenda. I’d also like to have some MCs or a multimedia element. We’d mostly concentrate on the swing-states-play— Ann Arbor and concentrate on the state schools. That college vote is so important.
In Dispatch, you often played bass and drums, as well as guitar. Have you picked up any other instruments recently?
I have been really concentrating on guitar, sort of out of necessity. I am no virtuoso on that. But, I really miss playing drums or bass. It was a rare show that I got behind the kit, but I definitively played at least a third or quarter of the show on bass—I love the bass. In a lot of ways, I like it better than the guitar. I love playing rhythm, so I think that style of playing sort of carries over –I’m not Mr. lead guy
What is the best memory you’ve taken away from Dispatch?
The last run with the tour bus was such a trip. It’s so crazy the whole evolution of bands in general. We went for years slogging away in our old 1990 Ford van, which was sort of falling apart. Then with Napster and everything it was like, “Wow” I can’t believe this is happening.” That whole idea of traveling around in a huge bus playing to packed shows is so hard to believe. We felt like this is all we ever dreamed of—lets not be greedy about it.
When did you realize the end of Dispatch was approaching?
That last tour—we knew that was probably going to be it. There are moments for years when people look at each other and are like “I don’t want to do this anymore.” One guy says it one year, another guy says it another year. That’s the way bands are—the fragility of being artists. I think we knew as time went on. You sort of know it doesn’t feel right anymore. I think we felt like that at the end of 2002. We were like, “this is what we dreamed of, lets finish that right.”
Do you plan to rehearse with your former band mates before Dispatch’s final show?
Yeah, we are getting together two-weeks before to kick around ideas and set lists. I am a little nervous to be playing in front of that many people, but I am looking forward to it. As the Dispatch shows kept getting bigger, I started to retreat a little from the hoopla. Everything was such a production with so many people in tow. Sometimes, it’s over whelming.
Do you plan to perform any State Radio material at Dispatch’s final show?
I don’t know. I am sure there will discussions like that. I think it will be cool if we do a song from each of the guys solo projects or something.
When is the last time Dispatch performed?
We did a Craig Kilborn’s Late Late Show thing in the Fall of 2002. We are starting to talk more frequently now with the final show coming up. I’ll talk to the guys every couple of months, sort of on a friendly basis and see how they are doing and what not.
So is this really the final Dispatch show, or do you plan an Eagle’s style never ending ‘Farewell’ run.
[laughs] Tons of bands do the hiatus thing. Life is funny–you never know what is going to happen. For now I felt the best thing to do was to close this door.
Have you grown back your trademark dreads?
I’ve sort of been rocking the fro for a while. The dreads were getting out of control, [laughs]. I do have one sort of lock, though. People are like “what the hell is that.” [laughs]
