July 16, 2007

Dispatch has earned the distinction of being the only unsigned act to headline Madison Square Garden. And they not only headlined the world’s most famous arena this weekend, they sold out three nights at MSG. Since we know nothing about them except The General, we asked our friend Matty Mac to do the honors.

Whenever anyone asks me “Who’s your favorite band?,” I always say “I don’t have a favorite per se, as my tastes are constantly changing with the wind.” But I realized this past weekend that my response is total bullshit.

I definitely have a favorite band, and they go by the name of Dispatch. If you have never heard of them before, well, I am not surprised. Born of out the dorms of Middlebury College in Vermont, Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold and Chad Urmston show a versatility and musical ability like no other band I have seen or experienced. Though the band has “officially” broken up, to this day they have a loyal following that could rival Phish, if only comprised of a younger demographic.

My roots in this band go back a long way. During the first few weeks of my freshman year of college, my roommate had a tape of a band called “One Fell Swoop” that he insisted on me listening to. During this time, I had only really listened to hip hop and thought that this “hippie, tree-hugging shit” was exactly that: shit. But after my first listen all the way through (the album happened to be “Silent Steeples”), I was a changed man. I listened to that tape so much that it pretty much melted in the tape deck. I was in love. Like, “let’s get married” love, but in a completely heterosexual way.

Read on for more of Matty Mac’s full review of Dispatch at MSG…

It’s mid-summer, and that means the world needs a little Grateful Dead to help the sun shine a little brighter and the twilight last a little longer. And why have one when

Score one for bearded hipsters. One-half of the best duo in music recently announced seven dates out west to promote his three-disc set from a glorious Novemberstand at the now-closed Tonic.

Some of youse may remember hearing about Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There, a unique biopic about the life and times of the Lucious Bobby Dylan. The non-traditional film will use

The official website of Larry Campbell blew up Phil Lesh’s spot, announcing that the Peter Gallagher lookalike will be touring with the former Grateful Dead bassist in the fall, beginning on September 28th. Not surprisingly, the news was deleted from Campbell’s website within a few hours of being posted.

We’re extremely excited that Phil is getting back on the road, and we wait with baited breath to see the dates and who the other members of the ensemble will be. The item posted on Campbell’s website also said that he will be playing with Phil and Friends in San Francisco on July 21st. So make sure to keep a look out for some announcements from the Lesh camp soon.

• Who would have guessed Sly Stone could use a fax machine?
• Get excited about new tour dates from Bjork and New Pornographers
• The Police still bicker over every little thing
• Samantha Spector blogged live from the All Good Festival
• Kudos to the Dave Matthews Band for standing up for our troops
• Photographer Bob Minkin shares some amazing photos from the Grateful Dead’s 1979 Halloween show
• DeRo reported live from the scene at the Pitchfork Festival (there may or may not have been a casualty at Pitchfork, says Passion of the Weiss)
• Watch Rick Danko and Paul Butterfield’s 1979 concert in Boulder
• Here Comes The Flood has kind words for the Scarecrow Collection
• Check out The Greenhaus Effect for photos from High Sierra, the latest episode of Cold Turkey and the definition of Nappy Rides
• It doesn’t get much better than a compilation of Iron Maiden Mash-ups
• Vinyl sales are skyrocketing in the UK
• Engadget rounds up all the breaking news about Guitar Hero III
• Spinner is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Lilith Fair by listing 10 women who rock right now
• Tea Leaf Green has made recordings of their three recent shows in Fairfax, CA available for purchase
• Andrew Loog Oldham on the origins of Mods and Rockers

Have a great beginning to your week, and don’t forget to check out A Big Yes and a small no tonight in Brooklyn. The winners of our contest on Friday? Jeremy Welsh and Eric Mohl. Congrats to both. And as usual, read on after the jump for a long list of setlists from the weekend, including Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan, Dispatch, Genesis, Metallica, Morrissey, Tower of Power, and all your favorite jambands…