Pete Francis & The Dragon Crest Collective (w/ The Funky Dawgz Brass Band) — LIVE @ MAXWELL’S

Like a many established artists in the music industry, Dispatch’s Pete Francis knows Hoboken primarily through his dealings with the Guitar Bar… and our stellar deli scene.

“Jim Mastro and Boo Reiner basically built our pedal board set up,” says Francis. “I also remember the deli up the street—Luca Brasi’s. They have the best mutz and salami sandwich I’ve ever had.”

Pete and Dispatch have been busy lately, with Dispatch having just returned from a tour of Australia, now gearing up for their only North American shows this year—a sold-out gig at Madison Square Garden July 11, with another date added July 10. In the meantime, Pete is focusing on his new endeavor—the Dragon Crest Collective.

“It’s a lot of fun, working with all these other artists, collaborating on pieces of music,” says Francis. After writing and recording in his Connecticut-based home studio, Francis is having a great time taking the show on the road.

“I’m excited for Maxwell’s,” says Francis. “We’ll have the Funky Dawgz Brass Band joining us, who play New Orleans-style Jazz. Plus rap/hip-hop elements come into play, like on our song ‘We Are the Grandmaz.'”

Francis is no stranger to experimental music, with Dispatch coming of age during his Middlebury College days, in Vermont’s Phish-fueled late ’90s era. “There was a definite scene,” he recalls. “I ran into Jon Fishman at Archer Studios [Colchester, VT] when he was working on his Pork Tornado project. Dispatch was there recording tracks—including ‘The General.’—Vermont was and is an amazing place.”

Promising a fusion of Dispatch favorites and innovative new sounds, Pete Francis & The Dragon Crest Collective will be at Maxwell’s THIS SATURDAY, May 9th.