Unknown Band Becomes Slightly Less Unknown Thanks To “Pollstar” News Item

Today’s Pollstar has a piece on Dispatch, who will become the first unsigned band to headline Madison Square Garden when it plays a benefit show/reunion there in July. The article was supposedly predicated on this question:

Underneath the band’s noble efforts is a question that unifies most people in the music business: Who the hell is Dispatch? It was never signed, has one television appearance in its eight-year history (“Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn”) and had dismissive radio play.

We were wondering the same thing, but the article never gets to that point, instead hinting that Dispatch was beloved by Napster founder Shawn Fanning, and that “they’re not doing it for the reasons most people in the music business do things.” Which is all heartwarming and sweet and stuff, but, um, what about their music? Sure, Dispatch’s MySpace page claims that the band is “unclassifiable,” a boast that always makes us roll our eyes, but you’d think a music journalist wouldn’t be cowed by that sort of puffery. Giving at least a brief nod to Dispatch’s sound–and their fanbase–would help explain the band’s drawing power more than soft-focus anecdotes about how they’re into keeping things real.

P.S.: They sound pretty jammy to us. Which explains a lot, really. (See? Context!)

The Next Dispatch [Pollstar] Dispatch [Official site]