Some recent news from **TEAM DISPATCH**
- - -
7.15.2008
DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE - Live at Madison Square Garden is now available! Visit Dispatch's store to buy today.
6.5.2008 – June 2008 Newsletter
From the Band
Dispatchers,
Summer is finally here! It's hard to believe that nearly one year ago, we gathered in NYC to raise our collective voices for the country of Zimbabwe. One year later, Zimbabwe remains on our minds. A few pieces of exciting news for the month of June.
DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE - One-Year Anniversary Special
In partnership with our friends at MTV, we are working with filmmakers to cut together a One-Year Anniversary Special of "DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE - Live at Madison Square Garden" that will air on MHD, MTVU, and MTV2 this July. The 60-minute special will include an update on Zimbabwe, and highlights from the shows at Madison Square Garden last summer. Be sure to check the July Newsletter for details of where and when you can tune in.
DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE - Audio on ITunes
On July 15th, 2008, the one-year Anniversary of the DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE weekend, ITunes will be releasing all of the audio from the "DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE - Live at Madison Square Garden" DVD. The audio is currently only available in the retail package of the DVD (with a redeemable DropCard), but now will be available for all on ITunes. A portion of net-proceeds will benefit The Dispatch Foundation's continued work in Zimbabwe.
DISPATCH - Added to ITunes Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand
For our friends outside of the United States, it has been difficult to get our music in the past. Now, in addition to the US and European ITunes Stores, ITunes Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand carry all of the DISPATCH records! Additionally, all of these ITunes store will also carry the release of the audio from DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE on July 15th!
Visit DISPATCH in your Territory.
DISPATCH Online Store
Each month we are trying to bring you new items in the DISPATCH Online Store. This month we are featuring a limited-edition DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE Cinema Poster, used in Theaters for the premier earlier this year. 100% of proceeds from the sale of this item will benefit The Dispatch Foundation's continued work in Zimbabwe.
We will also be featuring a shirt designed by Chaz Maviyane-Davies, a Zimbabwe native living in Boston, MA who uses his art to protest oppression. 100% of proceeds from the sale of this item will benefit The Dispatch Foundation's continued work in Zimbabwe. You can see both of these items in the Featured Merch column to the right.
In Zimbabwe, there continues to be a widespread shortage of food, electricity, fuel and medicine; inflation is nearing two million percent. The election run-off has been scheduled for June 27th, and politically motivated violence continues to increase. At least 50 have been killed, and thousands displaced, tortured or abducted. UNICEF reports that 10,000 children have been displaced. Also, both the Anglican and Catholic churches are reporting intense suppression of rights.
In neighboring South Africa, the last two weeks has seen a backlash against immigrants (mostly from Zimbabwe and Mozambique). Shops have been looted, shacks burned; over 50 have been killed and 35,0000 have fled. President Mbeki labeled the crisis a "humiliating disgrace."
Make your voice heard. Our friends at Avaaz will deliver a petition to world leaders, demanding free and fair elections. Sign the petition now...
Our Work
The one-year anniversary of our weekend in NYC is approaching. To commemorate that weekend, we will begin introducing you to the people and the projects that The Dispatch Foundation is supporting. Thank you all for making these projects possible.
Zimbabwe: Manuel continues to improve. He remains at home, and will most likely work with a local doctor. His parents are thrilled to have him back from Harare!
We have refrained from releasing details about our grants in Zimbabwe. Attention on similar programs in Zimbabwe has brought retribution and we continue to be concerned for the safety of our contacts on the ground. We have identified five small, grassroots organizations that are supporting youth through HIV education, school fees, orphan support, and support of young girls. Each of these organizations is currently active and we continue to identify new organizations.
From Waterside School: on July 11, Dispatch played a show at Webster Hall in NYC to support the Waterside School in Stamford, CT. The school serves underprivileged students (Kindergarten through 5th grade). Parents of the students all must volunteer and service to community is an integral part of the curriculum. The kids start at Waterside with limited opportunity and emerge hopeful and confident.
The Dispatch Foundation, on behalf of our fans, will donate $24,000 to seed a music program. Currently, the school only a part time music teacher and a single piano. With our help, Waterside will create a full music curriculum.
From the Band
Summer is here and we’ve got some exciting news to get your season off to a great start!
First up, DISPATCH has launched a new series of lyric-inspired t-shirts! The first three (created specially for The General, Prince of Spades and Two Coins) are available now at the Official Dispatch Store.
We’ve also taken all three immensely popular DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE commemorative posters and combined them into one large Special Edition Re-Issue! These posters sold out immediately at Madison Square Garden, so grab your one piece limited edition re-issue poster before it’s too late!
And finally, we are very pleased to unveil the new and fully loaded MySpace. Take a peak today!
From The Dispatch Foundation
ZIMBABWE ELECTION UPDATE
Parliamentary and Presidential elections were held in Zimbabwe on March 29th. There were two main parties running, the MDC and the current party in power, the Zanu PF. Parliamentary elections were released, recounted and released again; and the MDC has won a slim majority. Last Friday, after a 5 week delay, the Presidential election results were released and the MDC won a majority of the votes. However, the party was short of the numbers necessary to prevent a run off. A run off is now required to occur within three weeks. Throughout the delay, there have been widespread reports of violence against MDC supporters. According to one report, a loaf of bread cost 7 million Zimbabwe dollars at election time; last week a loaf of bread cost 40 million, and this week bread is impossible to find. Also this week, teachers are threatening to strike unless violence ceases.
MANUEL UPDATE
Manuel shouldn't be alive. He shouldn't be writing his name or trying to communicate. He shouldn't be feeding himself or walking. And he certainly shouldn't be smiling. The Dispatch Foundation and The Elias Fund were with Manuel and Elias in Zimbabwe for several days in February and brought greetings and love from the States. The support from from his family and from his family of friends has given Manuel incredible strength. And now, Manuel is home with his family and is walking! He continues to struggle with his speech and his right arm is paralyzed. But, he is smiling nonetheless.
REEBOK 4 REAL
For the last year, Reebok has been working with 6 Boston area high schools on a Humanitarian Education program called Reebok 4 Real. As part of this program, each of the schools chose an activist, created awareness for that activists' platforms, and raised funds to support their efforts. The Boston Community Leadership Academy chose a Zimbabwean Human Rights Lawyer, Otto Saki. Last month, Chad and State Radio were part of a concert fundraiser and silent auction at the school.
MILLENNIUM CAMPUS CONFERENCE
Also, the Millennium Development Conference at MIT was a terrific success. The MIT Global Poverty Initiative and the Millennium Campus Network hosted 1,700 students for 3 days in Cambridge, MA. Keynote speakers included Senator John Edwards, Paul Farmer, John Wood and Jeff Sachs. Topics ranged from health to economics and public policy. The weekend focused on alleviating poverty. For instance, Room To Read builds a new library every 6 hours somewhere in the world! Brad was in Boston for the weekend, spent time at sessions, and he and Braddigan played a show to raise funds for Grassroots Soccer.
Forget trying to slap a label on Dispatch. You're welcome to give it a shot, plenty of people have, calling them at times a heartfelt acoustic trio, a wailing rock band, a devil-may-care funk act, but the band defies epithets at every turn. When they hear a description of their music, they just grab the closest instrument and switch things up in an effort to keep the stereotype-slingers at bay. It's nothing personal, it's just that they find inventiveness more interesting than playing it safe and churning out the kind of neat little ditties that people listen to for a week and then forget. While Dispatch has managed to keep itself comfortably outside the chintzy glare of pop music's spotlight, the industry nonetheless noticed them. Rolling Stone hailed Who Are We Living For? as one of the 10 best albums of 2001, and more than a few heads turned when that record debuted at 18 on Billboard's internet sales chart (ahead of Sting!). For almost ten years, the three members of Dispatch cranked out music on their own label, Bomber Records, without help from a major record company. Propelled by the word-of-mouth and internet campaigning of their massive underground fan base, Dispatch has seen coast-to-coast sellouts at major venues like Roseland (NYC), the Fillmore (San Francisco), the Fillmore (Denver), Central Park (NYC), the Electric Factory (Philadelphia), the Fleet Pavilion (Boston), the 9:30 Club (DC), and many more. But the concert to top all concerts was The Last Dispatch, a free musical farewell at the Hatch Shell in Boston in July 2004. When the three college friends decided to call it quits, over 110,000 fans from 25 countries mobbed the unsuspecting venue, making it the largest independent music event in history (outdrawing Phish's swan song by 50,000 and the multi-band fest Bonnaroo by almost 20,000). In July 2007, the trio reunited for "DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE", an unprecedented three-night benefit at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Dispatch became the first independent band to sell-out the legendary arena (three nights no less) and more importantly, proved the healing power of music as the band and fans collectively raised funds and awareness for poverty stricken Zimbabwe.
I was turned onto you guys by a friend of mine. "you gotta listen to outloud" he kept telling me. "you'll love it" Ive been hooked ever since! Song after song, I can bob my head and just chill. Puts me a good mood. Wish you guys were still together. would love to see ya on tour. Much love and well wishes. <3 Courtney
I was just thinking how insane it would be to actually know you guys. that would be so crazy! growing up with you or something. I dont know. that might be weird. but it would be awesome.
You guys are awsome I first heard of you on the train to NYC your fans were all headed yo the madison square garden show and every single one of them were crazy excited... keep up the great tunes guys
a friend told me about you guys, said to check them out, she game me Gut the Van. ever since the first track ive been hooked. we guys are exactly what i was looking for in the music that was lacking today. AWSOME STUFF KEEP T UP
Hey Guys. I'm an ex Zimbabwean, I wanna change what Zimbabwe has become.. I'm only 14 years old.. But I wanna do anything and everthing I can to help that country..
It may not make a huge dent... But as long as it takes, as much as I have to do... I'll do it.
