Pete Francis coming to ETSU
Sarah Olivo
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: The Scene
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He is a singer-songwriter based in New York City. Dispatch produced music for almost 10 years and then they separated to release four studio albums, a live CD and a DVD. Gaining dedicated fans without the assistance of a major record company, becoming pioneers in the music industry, playing to capacity crowds at major venues across the country and selling more than 600,000 albums, Dispatch took the music scene by storm and stayed strong for nearly a decade.
In 2004, Dispatch celebrated a remarkable eight-year run by performing a farewell show in Boston. More than 110,000 fans were in attendance, making it the largest independent music event in history. Three years later, the band reunited at Madison Square Garden in New York City and played three sold-out performances that benefited charities raising money to combat famine, disease and social injustice in Zimbabwe. They made history once again as the first independent band to headline the Garden.
Now Francis has released his solo album, "Iron Sea and the Cavalry." His songs are described as the poetic tension that exists between textured imagery and pure improvised rock 'n' roll, resulting in a dynamic, Americana sound that is entirely his own.
His Web site, www.petefrancis.com, says Francis is "transforming his passion for art, poetry and music from around the world into tangible songs ... 'Iron Sea' showcases Francis staying true to his indie roots. Pushing the boundaries of his own creativity, Pete Francis rips through folk, jam, rock, pop and reggae numbers seamlessly."
The pulsing first single, "Shooting Star and the Ambulance," leans towards the abstract, while tunes like "Johnny Ocho's Lullaby" and "Armies of Angels" will make you want to get up and dance. Francis toured the East Coast in 2008 and recently has been showcasing the new songs and his new band, at festivals that include Langerado, Wakarusa and Mountain Jam, while headlining shows at hotspots like the Highline Ballroom (NYC), Paradise Rock Club (Boston) and 9:30 Club (DC). Known now as the Pete Francis Band, students at ETSU are getting another chance to see Francis' music live and in person.
"Buctainment brought Pete Francis of the band Dispatch to campus last fall," said senior Olivia Karavatakis, a member of Buctainment. "We had very little prep time to get ready for the show due to touring dates. We had only two weeks to set up for the show, including advertising and getting all the contracts signed.
"Over 200 students attended last year's show and covered the Common Grounds. Because we had so many students inquire about the show and had many ask us to bring him back, Buctainment decided to contact his manager and work out another deal."
Francis will be performing on March 25 at 8 p.m. in the Common Grounds located in the Cave.
The show is free for students. "I really hope we have a great turn out again this year" said, Karavatakis. "The show will be an acoustical performance of original songs and possibly a few known Dispatch songs that Pete wrote."
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