DISPATCH signs with Whirlwind FX LAB

By Will Young

The big events come along once every three or four years. Take the Olympics or the World Cup – major happenings known as much for their rarity as for their unique ability to pull together a community of people. And while nobody would think of comparing a Dispatch concert to these global events, for their devoted fans the band’s 2011 concert tour, the first in a decade, is very big news indeed.

For those not aware of what happens when the members of Dispatch – Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold and Chad Stokes – get together to play, take a look at what happened during their last hometown appearance, 2004’s concert at Boston Hatch Shell. “The Last Dispatch” drew an audience in excess of 110,000 people from 25 countries – from as far away as Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The event which was expected to draw about 20,000, became the largest independent music event in history and was documented in a feature film THE LAST DISPATCH.

Or consider, for example, the band’s 2007 appearance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Inspired to play together again to raise money for charities in Zimbabwe, the band quickly sold out the first night in just minutes, making Dispatch the first independent band ever to sell out the storied venue. “Dispatch: Zimbabwe” went on to sell out three consecutive nights at the Garden, moving more than 60,000 tickets in all. It was their first time playing together onstage in more than three years.

“It just blows our minds,” says Heimbold. “It’s amazing to us that people continue to spread the music years after we stopped touring, and we’re very grateful that our fans are so passionate.”

Founded in 1995 at Middlebury College in Vermont, Dispatch built their incredible following through a grass-roots DIY ethic that wholly ignored the usual routes to rock stardom: major labels, radio airplay, MTV and mainstream media coverage.

As the band’s fan base grew, they began releasing albums on their own Bomber Records label. Starting with Silent Steeples (’96), followed by Bang Bang (’98), Four-Day Trials (’99) and Who Are We Living For? (’00), the four albums, which feature the band’s eclectic musical style built around their patented harmonies, have sold a total of more than 600,000 copies in all.

Along the way the band got some help from an unexpected source. The same file sharing services like Napster and Limewire that were beginning to erode sales at the major labels were a boon for Dispatch. “We spent most of our time touring around the Northeast,” says Heimbold. “But once we got out to California, we were totally surprised to see that the audience already knew all the words to our songs.”

We at Whirlwind couldn't be happier to have these guys on board and look forward to their continued success. Thanks guys for the amazing music, and thanks for choosing Whirlwind.