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MoreButter Radio :: Powered by Butter
Hot Buttered Rum |
What started as a simple attempt to bring the May 2006 Hot Buttered Rum Yosemite Meltdown to a handful of far-flung friends — with an e-mail to the band bearing the subject "crazy, crazy idea" — has now spread into a full-blown social event connecting Butter fans across the globe. MoreButter Radio brings live Hot Buttered Rum shows into the living rooms of fans that cannot, for whatever reason, make the live show. Broadcast team members transmit the show from the soundboard over the internet to a central server that multiplies the signal and spreads it to listeners throughout the country — and world!?
Adam Gromfin and "deadesq" Dave Fleishman are the brains behind this entirely fan-operated endeavor. They have recruited broadcast team members throughout the country (most notably, Craig Satzman, Andrew "Ziegy" Ziegwied, and Chris Poli), who sport their "Broadcast Team" uniforms while quarterbacking live broadcasts. Before going live, Dave and Adam extensively tested the MoreButter Radio concept from their homes, offices, and even a moving vehicle climbing California's Interstate 5 Grapevine.
The simulcasts have taken on a life of their own, with listening parties bringing Butter fans physically together to listen to a show, even when the band is thousands of miles away. On one recent broadcast from Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont, over 100 listeners tuned in for the raging show. Such listeners interact online in a Butter-powered chatroom accompanied by a live setlist fed by the database that is the backbone of morebutter.net. Fans gather on the chat page to discuss the show, upcoming meltdowns, and all things Butter.
"One really great thing about the broadcasts is overcoming the geographic boundaries presented by the band's extensive touring calendar," recounts Adam. Recent broadcasts — from both coasts, and several stops between — have confirmed the truth of that statement, as fans from all over the country (and even Turkey, England, and Mexico!) have tuned in. Dave explains, "The broadcasts give the home audience a good excuse to gather and talk about one of our favorite topics — Hot Buttered Rum — while we're all listening to the same show at the same time. These are 'uplinks' on steroids (or Butter!). Rather than simply holding up a cell phone, we can bring our friends a clear signal and a fun space to interact."
The broadcast venues are chosen carefully, ensuring that each broadcast provides the highest quality sound. The broadcast team advances the venue to make sure it has solid internet access, a cooperative staff, and a good working environment. No stone gets left unturned.
For more information on upcoming MoreButter Radio simulcasts, visit www.morebutter.net/radio. "See" you at an upcoming show!
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