"Out Loud" by Dispatch...no no "The General" by Dispatch

I'm in Chicago for a work conference.  It was a cool (or make that a really cold) couple of days.  I've never been to Chicago, but I had these images in my mind about Al Capone style gangsters, deep dish pizza, and lots of wind. When I got a schedule I found out our training stuff ended early in the evening so I decided I was going to rent a car while I was in town to do a little exploring.  Last night I did experience some deep dish pizza from Gino's East, which is suppose to be one one the best spots around town, and I also experienced a lot of nasty wind when I was walking around the city taking in the views.  Chicago is a pretty beautiful city, but I probably wont really feel a strong need to come back in January.

Tonight I had a great time getting to see some old friends. I met Georgi and Lacy back in the summer of 2007 when I was working at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming.  They are both beautiful spirits, that are filled with laughs, smiles, and dreams.  I haven't seen Georgi or Lacy since either late 2007 or early 2008, and it was a really wonderful opportunity to get to catch up with them and hear all about the path that they have been on for the last few years, and dreams about where they're headed in the near future.  I remembered how much I loved sending time with Georgi and Lacy because they are just happy people that love life.  Georgi and Lacy also met in the summer of 2007 back at the lodge and I remember when they started dating and I thought they were a perfect fit.  So as I'm back in the hotel room and writing this blog I feel really blessed by the opportunity to see some old friends, but I also haven't forgotten that this is a music blog.

Dispatch is a band that I first listened to when I was a senior in high school, but really got into when I was a senior in college.  I remember listening to the "Gut the Van" album a lot the summer that I was in Wyoming. "Out Loud" is an awesome Dispatch song.  It was the first song I heard from them when a girlfriend from high school put it on a mix cd for me.  I think that mix cd's might be too cheesy or outdated to be cool now, which is sad because I don't know if there is a gift I would rather receive from a friend than a heartfelt mix of songs.  So I love "Out Loud," and it would always be a great SOTD, but right now I am watching a documentary about the last dispatch concert, which is appropriately titled "The Last Dispatch."  On July 31, 2004 the band was going to perform a free concert as their last show in a park where they estimated somewhere around 10,000 to 20,000 people would show up, but on that day 110,000 people from all over the globe came to see Dispatch making it the largest independent music event in history. The last song that Dispatch played was "The General."  You can go ahead and start criticizing me for choosing their most popular song, but the truth of the matter is that there is a reason its popular, its a great song.

"The General" is really a great example of good jam band music.  It is light, fun, and good for bobbing your head to while you're listening.  When I listen to this song I think about those great warm summer nights with shorts, flip flops, and tie dyed shirts. So you should listen to the General, and you should check out Dispatch.  I am happy to be able to tell you that Dispatch decided to at least have one more dispatch, and is playing a few shows around the United States for the first time since their "farewell" show.

I would love to hear your favorite summer time music while we're all trying to feel a little warmer.