Having never used GarageBand, been in a band used iMovie or done anything on YouTube unless it was for a school assignment, I would not classify myself as the typical communication student at Ohio University. I have always enjoyed appreciating media over creating it myself. Regardless, an artist that inspires me to be a creative person is the band Dispatch. I am a longtime fan of Dispatch and whenever I think of or listen to this band I am reminded of how eclectic their music is. In the 15 or odd years that they were an active band they never stuck to one genre or style of music.
Each week I record a two and a half hour show that streams online for the Nightshift radio show from WOUB. The first show I ever completed was in November and I have noticed a significant difference in what I was playing from when I first started months ago to what I am playing now. Each Sunday when I am sit down to create the next weeks playlist that is available to anyone listening I have found that I am more confident in the type of music that I will play. I am more open to playing new and different types of music. At first I was timid and played it safe focusing on music that I figured everyone already knew about. Dispatch encourages and inspires me to branch out and be more open to different genres of music.
I am aware that over the past months I have been more open to different bands; my interest in Dispatch and their influence on me shows a subconscious reaction in my creative process. Looking back I am able to see how my shows have changed but it was not until this assignment that I realized that I was slowly but surely becoming more confident on the radio. I now make the conscious decision to try new things when it comes to the radio. For other bands that appreciate the music that Dispatch made and the fact that while Dispatch gained success in the independent music industry but that they never signed to a major record label has influenced many other bands. Other artists are able to see that they were capable of creating music that can reach many different types of people and stay true to their beliefs in the industry. While the lyrics may not always be a conscious thing in their work, musicians make choices based on what they already know and have learned in the past.
When listening to just one Dispatch CD you can hear a reggae song, folk, funk, and even fast acoustic rock. Needless to say when I was currently listening to one of their first albums “Who Are We Living For” when sitting down and hearing it from start to finish it encompassed the tension and release effect. While the CD flows and stays true to the band there are so many different types of songs that you are able to listen to the whole CD without getting bored of listening to the same sound over and over on each song. It’s safe to say that musicians and artists are more willing to step out of the box and explore the possibilities of music. An example I think of a recent change in the usual sound from a band is that of Iron & Wine. Lead singer Sam Beam spent the past three years working on his latest release which to some was a disappointment simply because it did not have the same sound as his other releases. The album has his recognizable voice and strong lyrics, however it is more electronic and is no longer just acoustic. Personally it took a few listens to accept that this was a record by Iron & Wine, but I realize that I can appreciate his new work because he decided to try something new.
Although Dispatch is no longer together one thing they focused on frequently in their work was politics and world problems. The love they had for the work they did trying to make the world a better place such as the charities they were involved in and support for politicians translated into their lyrics quite clearly. In quite a few songs such as “Elias” it is obvious that the band is telling the audience their experience with a third world country and that the listener should be aware of the conditions in countries like that. In songs like “Elias” and others the band used a didactic approach. The band did not always focus on this and left many other songs up to interpretation, otherwise known as letting the audience be an active listener. It is important to have an equal mixture of active and didactic songs within a band and Dispatch is one example of this.
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