CHAD STOKES - Well, I decided that I should write a short section on a few of the people I have toured the country extensively with and are of interest to me. I figured that I could tell one story that I liked about each person. I would like to start this trend with Chad. Now what can you really say about Chad Stokes? He is essentially the brainchild of the most successful independent band in the history of the world. Now think about that. That’s quite amazing. The dude wrote a hit song and it went viral. It ran rampant through the Napster world and filled colleges with the beautiful sounds of ‘The General’. I actually saw Dispatch while I was in college. I really liked their show. It was energetic and I loved Brad’s drumming. Their demo CD that was handed to me (by Chad himself on the Boston College campus before the show) I didn’t dig too much however. You see, I was into, and still am into for that matter, hard rock. I wanted my face to be rocked off. Tool, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, System of a Down, Slipknot, early Pearl Jam… Dispatch didn’t quite fit into that category for me. I loved Phish though too (who Chad does not like), Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, even Bob Marley. But I did not like OAR, or their cousin at the time, Dispatch.

When Chad gave me that CD on Boston College’s campus, I was a Freshman at Boston College. Chad had dreads and he handed me a CD. The crazy thing is I still have that CD. I listened to it, didn’t dig it, but kept it. Maybe someday I would grow to like it. I like to give music some time to sink in. Or maybe someday I would play in a band with the lead singer of the band. Who knows? Either way, it is a weird story, and one I think that Chad actually likes. I think I am the drummer of State Radio because I didn’t play like a folk rock or reggae drummer. I am a rock drummer who plays a lot like Dave Grohl. Not as awesome, but same style. I think you can hear it in the direction State Radio has gone. And you will hear it in the record that will be released soon. Oddly enough, now I actually like Dispatch. Maybe it’s because I know the guys in the band, and have formed friendships with them, or because I like their shows and have a lot of fun at them. Either way, thank goodness I kept that CD!

An odd thing that makes me remember that Dispatch concert in college was that I went to that show the day I got my left nipple pierced. Yeah, I had a nipple ring. I had it for about 8 years. I had it from when I was 19 until I was about 27. Anyway, that was a painful experience. I never had anything else pierced, ever. Not my ear, not my lip, or tongue, just my nipple. The girl who pierced me told me I had to relax when I was getting it done or I was going to pass out when she actually pierced me. I remember the whole day and the concert very vividly. Almost the most vivid of any concert I went to that long ago. It’s strange how it all panned out.

Chad taught me almost everything I know about properly writing songs. I thought I had it down before I met him. Not even close. He is the structure master. He arranges songs like a true professional. He has an amazing grasp of melody and harmony and what your ears want to hear. He is the definition of a great song writer. Really study how he puts songs together and you too will see the genius. I am lucky enough to be able to see this process at work and be present during the decision making.

Chad is also a great singer. He is one of the best singers out there right now. He has great pitch and a very unique but awesome voice. This true combo of talent and uniqueness that appeals to the masses is very rare in a singer. Chad is exceptional. Combine that with his songwriting, and firm grasp on playing the guitar, and you got a winning combo. Chad was never the greatest guitar player, but he really nails his parts and that’s what matters when you have a golden voice and write great songs. He plays tight enough on guitar to compliment the sound and throws in some cool licks and tones to boot. It works for him. And that’s the most important thing, to make your songs work. On the same token, I think he is a better guitar player than he gives himself credit for. If he had an affinity for learning to shred instead of writing songs, then I’m sure he could get to the level of shredding he wanted to.

Putting all this background in perspective, and seeing who we are dealing with, my main story about Chad is a favorite of mine. It might seem trite to some, but it was memorable to me for sure.

The story begins and ends in a bathroom in some city in the Mid-West. Maybe Milwaukee or maybe even some place in Iowa or Idaho or Minnesota. Well, you get the point, some place like that. It is in a little diner somewhere. The weird part about the diner is that it had 2 stalls in the bathroom and a urinal. So was it a diner after all? Maybe, maybe not. But who really cares at this point. It doesn’t have too much to do with my story. The point of the story is that I was finishing up taking a pee and then Chad walks into the bathroom. Chad usually has one pair of pants on the road (that he will wear for the whole tour), frequently has his curly afro flowing and unwashed, and definitely wears 2 different socks with his Chuck Taylors, or boots, or whatever shoes he is wearing. Point being, he is a sight to behold, and even looking at his feet from outside the stall (when he is taking a poopoo), you notice his wild and unkempt style because he is wearing 2 different socks.

On a side note, I can’t really say much better about my own style on the road. The road is a fierce place and Chad always describes it as ‘survival’ to get through a long grueling tour. Often times there aren’t showers available to us and I go several days without a shower and wardrobe change as well. Like Chad, I actually don’t mind the feeling of being unshowered. Some people must shower or they don’t feel right all day. I don’t mind it. Maybe because I clean myself so thoroughly when I shower that I am twice as clean as the normal person to start. Yeah, that must be it. Similar to Chad’s theory of survival, he also has the same philosophy for major shows we play. Whenever we finish playing a big show he always considers it a success if there aren’t any major train wrecks that happen during the show. Like an amp blows out, major equipment or production malfunctions, major mistakes that make a band stop a song with a big thud of embarrassment. You know, things that stand out to an audience member as really amateur. He definitely trusts us as musicians to know we will be tight enough to play alright if there is nothing major going on. Which is cool because we all take being professional musicians seriously, and want to perform at a professional level every time we go out there.

After that nice snippet, let’s get back to Chad’s hygiene. I am also guilty of this, but one time Chad’s toenails were so long that he remarked to me that he was surprised he could even fit his shoe on. That was absolutely amazing. Our good friend, The White Buffalo, actually had noticed my lack of toenail hygiene when he was on tour with us. He bugged me for a few days to cut my toenails because I was wearing sandals and he had to look at them. And when I finally did cut my toenails (in front of him mind you) he criticized the way I was cutting my toenails and tried to teach me the proper way to do it. He called me ‘Hank’ as in ‘Hank Azaria’ the famous actor. Apparently, I look like him. Either way, I can officially say The White Buffalo, Jake Smith, taught me how to properly cut my toenails. I kind of forget his pointers right now, but I’m sure they will come back to me when I get the clippers out to saw off the major toenail-age that has built up over the months I neglect the duty of cutting them.

Back to the bathroom. Chad walks in. I am finishing up my pee and begin to wash my hands. Chad makes a bee line to the stall and sits down. We were kind of in a rush at this point, about to embark on a major drive and had used up most of our allotted meal time already. In effect, this was a risky move to go in and take a crap right now. If it didn’t come out right, and ended up being a 10 minute extravaganza, then Sybil (Chad’s wife and our tour manager) might throw a small conniption fit because of Chad holding the band up. But this time Chad was on a mission. I’m pretty sure the way the conversation started was I pulled that middle school prank of wetting a paper towel and tossing it into the stall of the person who is taking the poop. In effect, a wet object comes flying in the stall and hopefully hits the pooper, preferably in the face, or even better, the private area. I think I missed him completely with my throw, but the throw did get Chad into a very introspective mood.

“If I had to give you one piece of advice,” Chad suddenly said. At this point I am all ears. Chad rarely gives serious tips and as I said before, Chad is the independent music promoting master. I am ready to take this advice and soak it in for all its worth. This could be the golden moment, where he hands me the key to independent music freedom. The way he said this was the lead in to enlightenment. Like we were going to share a peak moment together and enjoy this advice in perfect harmony.

“When you’re on the road, if you have a chance to take a shit, then take it.” Okay then. I burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”. “Yeah, that’s one thing that I wish people had told me when I started touring”. Epic Chad Urmston. That almost describes him to a tee. Throwing you curveballs but still throwing you gold. Because I have found it to be very true, that while touring you have to take your chances to shit very seriously. If you have the chance to shit on a road trip, then take it. And if people complain, you can tell them that Chadwick Stokes of State Radio and Dispatch told you it was the right thing to do.