Ever heard of Chad Stokes? Probably not. Ever hear of Dispatch ? I'm willing to bet you have. Chad is one of the founding members of indie roots band Dispatch. In the early 1990s, Chad's band Hermit Thrush merged with the Woodriver Bandits to form the band One Fell Swoop, later re-named Dispatch. Following their college days, the band took their talents to the Boston area and began to see a surge of fame in the New England region. In 1998, the release of the band's hit song, "The General" gained them national attention. The band unfortunately hit a rocky road and has been on and off since the 90s but they have being performing consistently since their 2011 reunion. I had the honor of seeing them perform at last year's Firefly Festival and they put on a fantastic show.
What is even more impressive, however, is that Chad is also the frontman of the very popular band, State Radio. Chad formed State Radio in 2002 following the breakup of Dispatch. State Radio has built up a loyal fan base over the years and has many critically acclaimed songs, such as their biggest hit "Right Me Up."
On top of his incredibly busy schedule as a member of two bands, Chad somehow found time a few years back to launch a solo career under the name Chadwick Stokes. Chad is continuing to do solo work, releasing an album just last month. The coolest part about Chad's solo career is what he has dubbed the "Chadwick Stokes Living Room Tour". I first came across this last year when I was looking into band's to potentially play at my graduation party. I received an email from State Raido promoting this tour. Essentially, if you were able to get 50 people in attendance, Chad would travel to your home and play a private concert in your own living room. Unfortunately, I was unable to book Chad due to the fact that he wasn't in the area at the date of my party but to have a modern day artist interact with his fans on such a first hand basis is simply remarkable. Chad just announced more dates as a part of his 2014 Winter Living Room Tour. He will be in the Pittsburgh area on Feb 15.
If you haven't heard any of the work of Dispatch, State Radio, or Chadwick Stokes I highly recommend it. They all have very unique sounds and produce great work. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of Chad performing in living rooms all across the country if you are interested.
A special thanks to Cori Leach for suggesting a review of Chad Stokes. I can credit her with really getting me into the likes of State Radio and their sound.
- Kevin
What is even more impressive, however, is that Chad is also the frontman of the very popular band, State Radio. Chad formed State Radio in 2002 following the breakup of Dispatch. State Radio has built up a loyal fan base over the years and has many critically acclaimed songs, such as their biggest hit "Right Me Up."
On top of his incredibly busy schedule as a member of two bands, Chad somehow found time a few years back to launch a solo career under the name Chadwick Stokes. Chad is continuing to do solo work, releasing an album just last month. The coolest part about Chad's solo career is what he has dubbed the "Chadwick Stokes Living Room Tour". I first came across this last year when I was looking into band's to potentially play at my graduation party. I received an email from State Raido promoting this tour. Essentially, if you were able to get 50 people in attendance, Chad would travel to your home and play a private concert in your own living room. Unfortunately, I was unable to book Chad due to the fact that he wasn't in the area at the date of my party but to have a modern day artist interact with his fans on such a first hand basis is simply remarkable. Chad just announced more dates as a part of his 2014 Winter Living Room Tour. He will be in the Pittsburgh area on Feb 15.
If you haven't heard any of the work of Dispatch, State Radio, or Chadwick Stokes I highly recommend it. They all have very unique sounds and produce great work. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of Chad performing in living rooms all across the country if you are interested.
A special thanks to Cori Leach for suggesting a review of Chad Stokes. I can credit her with really getting me into the likes of State Radio and their sound.
- Kevin