Chad Stokes Urmston was born in
Sherborn,
Massachusetts. Urmston was a member of the band
Hermit Thrush which later gave birth to the band
Dispatch, which broke up in 2004. He currently is the frontman for the
Sherborn, Massachusetts-area band
State Radio, as well as a constant activist for improved living conditions in Zimbabwe.
Personal life
Born into a large family, which included the Antarctic Explorer, Antarctic Marathon runner and jack of all trades and certifications, Ben. Chad graduated from
Dover-Sherborn High School in 1994, and went on to attend both Middlebury College and NYU. He met
Pete Heimbold in 1995 and formed the band
Hermit Thrush, later meeting
Brad Corrigan and the three began to play together in a band called
One Fell Swoop that would ultimately become known as
Dispatch.
Dispatch was most well known for their grassroots college following and independent success. He is now touring with his new band,
State Radio. Chad writes the majority of his songs about historical and contemporary social issues, and advocates social change in many of State Radio's songs. He is engaged to Sybil Gallagher, who has a key role in State Radio. Three songs, Sybil I, Sybil II, and Sybil III found on
Us Against the Crown,
Year of the Crow, and
Let It Go (State Radio album) respectively, were written by him about her.
Activism
Chad has been known mostly for his political activity, and his band
State Radio has toured the country and spoken out against the war in Iraq. Chad has been known to also play solo acoustic shows at locations around New England in order to promote awareness of the genocide in Sudan. On September 26, 2008 State Radio played a benefit concert at the Learning center for the deaf in Framingham, MA. The concert's profits went towards the improvement of the school (Where his brother works). Not only did he and his bandmates stick around to meet fans after the show, he made sure teachers from the school got a chance to come on stage with the band to sign the lyrics for the deaf attendants. The majority of the attendants of the concert stood silently, sadly unable to hear any music. Chad also played a solo acoustic concert at the Amnesty International Annual General Meeting in Boston, MA on March 27, 2009 and raised awareness about Troy Davis.
Most prominently, Urmston is known for his work to help improve the quality of life in Zimbabwe. Inspired by his time spent in Zimbabwe and a particular friendship he acquired, Chad wrote the song
Elias. The song inspired a non-profit foundation, the
Elias Fund, with the goals of helping Zimbabwean youths find opportunities and empowering young Americans to take an active role in society. Further, Dispatch reunited for a benefit concert in
Madison Square Garden called
Dispatch: Zimbabwe. This concert was held on July 13, 14, and 15, and resulted in three sold-out shows netting over one million dollars for the
Dispatch Foundation.
State Radio also has done concerts for charity. Recently while on tour with the Dropkick Murphys they did an acoustic show for charity the afternoon before a performance in Durham, New Hampshire. This performance, entitled "Rock for Darfur", was organized by Oyster River High School student Brady Brickner-Wood and was to benefit the situation in Darfur.
Equipment
Guitars- 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior
- Modulus G3CT (Customized for Chad with a truck inlay)
- Guild D40AE Acoustic Guitar
- Gretsch G5135 Electromatic Corvette
Amplifier- Fender Hot Rod DeVille Amplifier
Effects- Menatone The Blue Collar Overdrive
- Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
