The times they are a changing and they may not be for the better.







There is hope.







Music used to be full of protest songs and artists raising awareness of various social causes through varied formats. Now it looks like an abandoned city complete with tumbling tumbleweeds. In the barren landscape, Chad Stokes (aka Chadwick Stokes aka Chad Urmston) is beacon.







The Dispatch/State Radio frontman is currently out on tour raising awareness for women’s rights around the globe with Calling All Crows and playing songs from his “Horse Comanche” which is due out on Feb. 3, 2015.







The Swerve Magazine recently had the chance to talk with Stokes about the state of music and the world in general.







The Swerve Magazine: You have seen the music industry change drastically from the start of your career with Dispatch (in 1996) through State Radio and with your solo career.







Chad Stokes: The labels are dying because they don’t have the revenue that they are used to. You also have that no one is really buying albums anymore. They are just listening to a song or two from an artist that they like and then they are moving on to another.







The album is not holding up the way it used to.







SM: We are now in the age of streaming music with Spotify and Pandora.







CS: It definitely is the new template.







SM: Dispatch and State Radio benefited from the early days of file sharing, especially when other acts were complaining about losing control of the music.







CS: I’m still totally in favor of it. The industry has changed so much in my career. File sharing and free music have been a large part of it. It is still, for my own personal story, it is still a huge plus.







I’m not that down on Spotify because, well, there is some money coming through. I’m okay with getting the music out there for free and hope that people come to shows. I think that it used to be that shows supported an album. Now an album is just a way to get people out to shows. It has reversed.







SM: Something else that has changed is there are not many artist that engage in the socially-aware songs, the protest song, or a lyric drawing attention to something socially/politically relevant. It is what drew me to your music. The first single from your new album “Our Lives, Our Time” continues that.







CS: I wish there was more of that. I think that the superstars are not doing it and that is what is disappointing. There are bands that are at the State Radio level that are doing it, you just don’t hear about those bands that much. Dispatch makes a splash every couple of years, but it is something I wish more bands were doing. I also don’t think that every artist should be doing it.







I’m with you as I love protest songs and songs with that kind of social justice meaning. It brings two passions of mine together.







SM: You have various organizations that work on getting the word out on different causes by engaging people through acts of public service. Do you get a sense or see that people are tired of the way the world is working and want to change things in some way?







CS: I think that is why the Occupy Movement was so inspiring to me, because it was people standing together. Standing together not in front of a video screen, not in front of a computer screen. They are actually arm-in-arm trying to make change and taking the power that is ours. Or it is supposed to be ours as people of this country as we are governed by the people.







They are trying to make a difference There is so much wrong with where this country is headed and with what decisions that have been made over the years. It is up to us to hold it to a higher standing.







With the service projects that we do before shows, we see a cross section of kids that are so motivated. It is inspiring. I feel, especially with State Radio which is more overtly political, the people who come to a State Radio show are involved. It is like us preaching to the choir. They are really impressive people.







SM: Do you see us turning it around at some point?







CS: I hope so. I hope that because of things like Occupy and the Arab Spring generated interest in connectivity through social media. People are able to see things, like when Michael Brown was killed, people can see it. As long as they are not content to stay online forever and they will get up and do something.











I got a lot of hope for the little ones that are coming up because I see so much great parenting going on. I’m a new dad () and I see a lot of parents now. There is a different connection between kids and their fathers especially. The difference between my dad’s connection to his and then my connection to my dad… my dad spoke to his dad. I grew up in the 80s where the dad was always still away and now I feel like there are more connecting with little kids. I see a lot of those connections between fathers and kids that I didn’t see 20 years ago.







That is something. I am hopeful.





