“I just thought the energy The Funky Dawgz bring is really infectious.” – Pete Francis

Rock trio Dispatch is headlining a two-day event at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, and the group is bringing out Connecticut’s Funky Dawgz Brass Band for the shows. Friday’s performance will feature special guest Dr. Dog, followed by a sold-out show with The John Butler Trio.

After crossing paths in Connecticut’s local music scene, Pete Francis of Dispatch found common tones between The Funky Dawgz and his own efforts. “At the core of where we come together is being friends from college. Brad (Corrigan), Chad (Stokes) and I all met in Middlebury, Vermont and began playing acoustic guitars and writing together. From there we began reaching out trying to get gigs – very similar to what The Dawgz are doing,” said Francis. “The Dawgz approach is similar to ours, where teamwork exists. They just want to get out there, perform and hopefully will be asked back to play the following year.”

Francis met The Funky Dawgz at The Acoustic Cafe in Bridgeport, CT and talked to the band about collaborating together in the future. Since, both groups performed together at Gathering of the Vibes, on UConn’s campus and went on to record together at Francis’ home recording space, Dragon Crest Studio.

Check out The Funky Dawgz performing with Dispatch at Gathering of The Vibes:

The Funky Dawgz were featured on Francis’ latest project Dragon Crest Collective Vol. 1. Saxophonist Tommy Weeks helped write several parts and Aaron Eaddy (trumpet) rapped over one of the album’s tracks, “We Are The Grandmaz”.

With a name like Madison Square Garden, the bar is set high. The energy and diverse fan-base of both bands will create a weekend that will infuse all things music – brass instruments, jazz, rap, rock, fusion and improvisation all point to one thing – a great party. “When you have a place like MSG the people are there to have fun,” said Francis. The Dawgz have exactly that – a strong energy and fun stage presence.

Funky Dawgz Brass Band Brings Mardi Gras Energy To New England!

“I love that Funky is a part of their name; and to me funk has been some of my favorite music as a kid,” said Francis. From James Brown to jazz and psychedelic rock like Pink Floyd, Francis draws on a lot of different styles and is constantly trying to diversify his palette. “We are blending a lot and that is the beauty of having a live show in this era – You can still be fresh and fuse different styles, both in our separate sets and when we join together on stage,” added Francis.

Weeks felt that it has been a dream for The Dawgz to play at Madison Square Garden. “Sometimes just thinking about it gives me chills. When I first got the phone call, Pete said ‘have you ever heard of this little place called Madison Square Garden?’ (whispers) and I had to pull over on my way home from work,” said Weeks.

It has been equally rewarding for both groups to undergo this great collaborative project. Working with other people, creating new songs and then seeing fans react to this work speaks on multiple platforms. “Ideas are always coming out and you have to be there to catch them,” said Francis.

“For example, Dispatch recently recorded a song in Melbourne, Australia where we switched things up – I played drums, Brad played bass and Chad on piano on a reggae song. Everyone involved asked ‘what could we do to make this thing better?’ – almost like cooking a good meal with the right ingredients,” said Francis. Point being – both Dispatch and The Funky Dawgz know how to stir things up.

“With The Dawgz, we work in a similar framework – we are always playing with the same people all the time so they know what you are capable of,” said Weeks. “Your bandmates get used to your style which helps our musicianship because we are always pushing eachother.”

Despite The Last Dispatch, a free farewell in Boston in July 2004 the trio united for “DISPATCH: ZIMBAWAVE”, a three-night benefit at none other than New York’s Madison Square Garden. Dispatch was also the first independent band to sell out the arena – and yes, they have done it again!