Sipping pine needle tea with Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos

Chadwick Stokes takes a sip of tea from a paper cup before giving his bandmates a gentle nod to play their first song. The delicate plucking of his guitar indicates they’re opening their set with none other than “Pine Needle Tea” — a softer song from one of Chad’s past solo albums, The Horse Comanche (2015). The crowd instantly grows quiet and begins swaying to the boys’ dulcet harmonies. Warm conversations between strangers dissolve as all but the band unite in silence. Just minutes earlier, my younger sister and I had chatted with a newly married couple who sported shirts from Chadwick’s first living room tour in late 2013. Standing behind us is a group of old collegemates, all sporting Dispatch tees, who offer us french fries and eagerly inquire about our favorite tracks by Dispatch (formed in the 90s) and State Radio (organized in the early 2000s) – two bands also led by the renowned voice and spellbinding presence of Chadwick Stokes.

The concert felt like a homecoming celebration with family and friends. Strangers smiled and twirled around with one another amidst Chadwick’s all-too-familiar croons. I found myself shamelessly belting every lyric to “Hit the Bell with Your Elbow” alongside a grey-haired couple in their mid-60s, equally as enthusiastic. The band performed a mix of songs from their new self-titled album, as well as Dispatch and State Radio oldies, some of Chad’s solo work, and a notable cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.”

Chad and The Pintos create music centered upon America’s turbulent political climate. In college, Chadwick followed an unconventional, interdisciplinary path to study music’s role in revolutions. In every record he’s ever contributed to, Chad has utilized his voice to shed light on injustice through song. The track “Blanket on the Moon” off the latest album is about America’s flawed immigration system. “We should be a more welcoming country,” Chad verbalized before performing the song, “to immigrants, refugees, everyone.” Even before realizing the powerful messages within each song, the album cover itself is a statement: a photograph of the band at a women’s march with a sign that reads “THE FUTURE IS STILL FEMALE.” Moreover, Chad and his wife’s nonprofit organization Calling All Crows (est. 2008), as well as Dispatch’s most recent release “Year of the Woman,” center around empowering women across the globe. The political and emotional charge within the musical and humanitarian efforts of Chadwick and his peers creates a global sense of inclusion and cohesion that only continues to grow.

Towards the end of the night, the band performed a new song they have yet to record – posing the possibility that Chadwick and the Pintos will continue to produce music together and potentially complete a second album. The boys will be finishing up their current tour in the Pacific Northwest over the next two weeks. However, if you’re eager to see Chadwick live, he’ll be playing with Dispatch in mid-July for a benefit event at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside of Denver, Colorado. If you’re a California local and can’t make the trek to the Rocky Mountain state, follow @chadwickstokes and @dispatchmusic on Instagram for updates on upcoming concerts, as well as @callingallcrows to get involved in future philanthropy events. Should you have the opportunity to attend a future function, be sure to pack a hot thermos of pine needle tea and play the corresponding song during your drive over.