State Radio's Chad Stokes (center), also a founding member of Dispatch, talked to City Paper about an upcoming Dispatch reunion and the namesake of State Radio's current tour -- Troy Davis, whose Georgia murder conviction has come under scrutiny due to shaky eyewitness testimony.
Why did State Radio name this tour "The State of Troy"?
We have a relationship with Amnesty International and heard about [Davis] through them. With his possible execution coming, there's no time like the present to really try to get his story out there.
How do you think your politics have affected your fan base?
I think it's alienated some who think we're too overt, but I think for the most [part], people understand that this is just how we feel and it's just our form of expression. Ultimately we're here to kind of create the dialogue, not to necessarily tell people what they should think.
What prompted the upcoming Dispatch reunion tour?
It had been a few years since we'd gotten on stage together. I think everyone just felt like it was a good time.
How has time changed Dispatch and the way you guys work together?
I think everyone's a little bit more honest with each other because we're all more grown up. We're not teen-agers anymore.
Can we look forward to new music from Dispatch?
We'll hopefully release [a digital EP] at the end of May, and have those songs [on] a larger, proper album in late fall.
STATE RADIO WITH THE GOLDEN DOGS 7 p.m. Sun., April 3. Mr. Small's Theater, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $16. 866-468-3401 or www.mrsmalls.com
