Dispatch Speaks Truth to Power on New Album

Singer-guitarist Chad Urmston says his indie folk-rock band Dispatch has always wanted to tour with longtime musical friend John Butler. This year, things worked out, and the two groups have hit the road together on a 35-city tour.

Dispatch just released its new single, the classic rock-sounding “Whisk Me Away,” from its ninth studio album Yellow Jacket, and in this phone interview from an Atlanta tour stop, Urmston talks about the new album and the band’s nearly 30-year history.

You just played the first show of this tour. How did it go?

I’m glad we’re out of the gates. There was a lot leading up to the first show. The crowd was great. It was a great little city to be in. we spent a few nights getting ready. We played a bunch of stuff we never rehearsed with John before as well a big song at the end. It was more of a nightmare for our crew than for us.  

How did the tour come about?

I feel like every year, either John [Butler] comes to us or we come to him asking to play together. For the past few years, it’s been such a nice connection. Musically, it works well. It just lined up this year. We talked about who we would like to bring along — our old friends G. Love and Donovan Frankenreiter, and it’s been great to reconnect with them.

The title track is great. I love the horns. Talk about what inspired it.

I wrote a bunch of songs just before last summer. We had some reggae festivals on the horizon, and I wanted to play more reggae and ska. It’s a bit of a throwback for us to go back to where we had messed around wth that genre in our younger years. Bassist Matt [Embree] and [percussionist] JR [Reilly] had a huge love for reggae and ska and had spent their careers playing that. We wanted to utilize that in this new way that feels tailored to the five of us. The horns are so fun, especially at festivals and playing outside. I play with Mike [Sawitzke] on the record. I’m playing guitar and singing, so we are looking for horn players on this tour. Last night, we had this guy Ivan play with us. His dad was my Uber driver from the airport. He told me about his son, and he was amazing.

You’ve released “Whisk Me Away,” the first single from your new album. What inspired the decision to have Matt Embree sing lead vocals?

I just love his singing so much. He’s the forntman of Rx Bandits, one of my favorite bands of all time. It’s fun to get him out in front a little bit and have his voice be singularly heard. It’s a treat for me to sit back and hear him sing.

Talk about what the recording process was like for the album. You went to Boston to work with Craig Welsch at Rear Window Studios. What was that like?

We worked with my old friend Craig, who did the first State Radio record. He’s a real genius when it comes to getting reggae and ska sounds. There is no one like him in my opinion. To work with him with Dispatch was really fun.

What inspired you to start improvising early on in your career? Were you Grateful Dead fans?

We were a mixture. We liked the Dead as much as we liked Nirvana. I think it probably came from a necessity of being thrown into a situation where you have to play for four hours. Back in the day, our founding member Pete Francis was a great guitarist, and I loved letting him go. There’s a beauty to that. The Dead are the best example. I love the songwriting too. Matt, who is a brilliant guitarist, benefits from a few songs that are open-needed. We get to be in the moment and get to really listen to each other.

Talk about the album’s theme, abuse of power.

Well, we live in some crazy times right now. We have a president who wants to be king. People are being arrested on the streets for speaking their minds and speaking truth to power. It’s a scary time for so many. Of course, it will come up in our music. I’ve always been a topical writer. We don’t want to be the frog in the boiling water who doesn’t know how hot it is. Everyone has to not let this autocracy wash over us. The resistance needs to be strong.

What was it like to record with Ani DiFranco on the very twangy “In the Street”?

I love Ani. She’s amazing. I got to know her a few years ago, and I have been a big fan since I was a teenager. It was a thrill. We sent here the song. She said yes and sent it back right away. It’s so fun to hear her inflections and to know that she has such a storied career and is such a badass.

What made you want to write a song referencing Emily Dickinson’s poetry in “Trinket”?

I had been reading a bunch of her stuff. It was when I was looking back at my sketches of songs and focusing on the more reggae stuff. I thought her poems were way better than anything I could come up. and there is a whimsical nature to “Trinket” and how it sounds.

The album ends with the tender “Darker Light.” Talk about it. I find it a hopeful moment.

That song feels like the credits roll. It’s over and it’s a departing message. [Singer-multi-instrumentalist] Brad [Corrigan] was working in Nicaragua for years and spent time in a trash dump where people actually live. He spent time there learning about it and helped create a school. That song took his lyrics, and I put them to music. His film just came out and he is doing the festival circuit. That song is part of it. I wasn’t pleased in the moment because we just went to the studio to see what would happen. I don’t like that to begin with, and he also thought we should film it. I wasn’t comfortable with it but am proud of him and how it turned out.

Talk about how important giving back has been.

We always try to go out there with some kind of cause or mission. My organization has a music program. We train and educate venues and bands about how to spot sexual harassment and stop sexual assault. We’ve been doing it almost ten years. Different bands have taken that on. Before every tour, we do the training to set the tone. This industry needs help in that department. We are also trying to do meet-ups with immigration injustice organizations and inviting them to shows to meet the moment, which is somewhat overwhelming at times.

You’re coming up on 30 years as a band. Will you mark the anniversary?

We talk about it, but I don’t think there will be a big 30 Years of Dispatch celebration. This tour almost feels like that. With Dispatch, I never know. We have a lot of stuff going on. I think 30 years might be next year, so I doubt we will hit it hard after this tour.

After all these years, it sounds like it’s still fun.

I love these guys. We’re about to go on a hike through a bamboo forest, and I think we will see a Braves/Diamondbacks game since we have the night off. It comes down to the friendships, and that’s been really nice to hold onto.

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez