Singer dispatches his best new tunes tonight

Contemplative and cool, the same tone evoked through Pete Francis’ lyrical persona, resonates in… Contemplative and cool, the same tone evoked through Pete Francis’ lyrical persona, resonates in his conversational voice, as well. Best known as lead singer of the reggae-infused rock band Dispatch, Francis maintains the soulful, reflective feel that characterizes the tunes of Dispatch in his own music. His newest album ‘mdash; Iron Sea and the Cavalry ‘mdash; features an assortment of songs stemming from a range of influences. Iron Sea incorporates jazz-inspired sounds to produce a soothingly mellow feel. Francis, who will perform at Pittsburgh Club Cafe Tuesday, credits a mix of artists and genres as inspiration. He includes older artists like Van Morrison, the contemporary band Radiohead, jazz great Miles Davis and soulful crooners Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett among his biggest influences. His admiration for a range of styles shines through in his own music, creating a multi-layered melodic experience. When writing songs, Francis also mixes in more abstract inspirations, as well ‘mdash; topping the list are insights he gains while visiting zoos. When I asked Francis how he would describe Iron Sea, he answered by posing the same question to me. ‘It’s kind of interesting, you know, when you get into a conversation, because it’s always hard for me to describe my music. What were your thoughts?’ He later described the songs of Iron Sea as sometimes chill and sometimes scientific. ‘Some have some wild instrumentation and guitar parts that I thought were cool,’ he added. The wild instrumentation he speaks of include his own efforts on guitar along with musical accompaniments by his backup band, The Flyers. ‘Sometimes I tour with keyboards, saxophone, bass drums and guitar,’ he said. ‘Other times I perform with an acoustic duo. This time, in Pittsburgh, it will be a drummer, a guitarist and also me. I play guitar. We’re going to have all sorts of instrumentation. So, this will be sort of an interesting experiment in sound.’ This interest in sound experimentation helped propel Francis’ solo career. ‘It’s great to play with new musicians and to experiment with musical styles,’ said Francis. ‘That’s why I wanted to basically learn more about writing, learn more about music.’ Although he now performs without the other two members of Dispatch, he confirmed that the band has not dissolved so much as veered off in different directions. After playing together for eight years, the members remain connected and have already put on a few reunion shows. Francis added that they plan to tour more in the future, as well. One of these reunion shows took place throughout the course of three nights in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The show not only afforded fans a chance to hear Dispatch perform together again, but also supported Zimbabwean charities. Francis proves that his soulful music expands beyond its lyrics and instrumentation. He uses his talents to garner support for different charities through his involvement with benefit concerts. ‘One [charity] is called the World Childhood Foundation,’ said Francis, ‘and it helps children in many parts of the world that are involved with sex trafficking.’ Francis is a musician whose career has endured more than a decade of changes in the music business. And he acknowledges the impact these changes have had on the industry as a whole and his own career. ‘What I think is interesting is how music is being distributed and how we share music,’ he said. ‘I am still interested in how music gets out to people. Also, I’m interested in performing live and how that brings people together, brings them to the shows. We’re in a whole new world where not as many people are buying CDs, so I think that’s one of the important things.’ His interest in performing live is apparent through his busy touring schedule, which he credits as introducing him to new and interesting people at each stop along the tour. So if you count yourself as interesting ‘mdash; and want to be moved by some soulful rock ‘n’ roll, of course ‘mdash; tonight’s concert may be the place for you.