Saddle Ridge in Hampton is, as the name implies, a country/western styled bar. One with a massive dance floor and multiple bars: one on the top floor near about a dozen pool tables, two along opposite walls, and two stand alone islands with the dance floor and stage smack in the middle of it all. Plenty of space for line-dancing (the choice dance for Saddle Ridge' top demographic) and lively enough to keep everyone entertained. It happened to be Valentineıs Day so the obvious decorations, flowers, cut-out hearts, pink and white balloons-
Just kidding. None of that crap was around. Not with a band like Butter scheduled to play.
Now there are plenty of live bands playing the Hampton Roads area. And, seventy-five percent of the time, youıre going to be sitting in a relatively small localıs bar listening to a cover band of varying quality with only the stereos and instruments telling you that, yes, this is in fact a live show. The better live bands put a bunch of energy into playing; hitting the notes with emphasis, jumping around, bobbing to the rhythm, and basically just having a damn good time.
What sets Butter apart is the classic stadium rock effects they bring to the table. Sure itıs a little cheesy to see fog roll in off the stage as colored lights arc around the room, but when you got some pounding live rock going and people right up beside the speakers dancing, it makes the whole experience stay with you long after last call. Speaking of stadium rock, drum-stick twirls, tosses, power stances- the only thing missing? A stage dive.
The perpetrators of this Amazing Technicolor show? Scott Travis on drums and vocals (he also plays for another band touring this summer, but as for which? He asked me to keep it on the down low), Rob Torgler, flying fingers on guitar and vocals, Dr. Cox look-alike Ross King on bass guitar and vocals, and Matt Mayle bringing lead vocals, tambourine skills, and a little bit of glockenspiel (google it if you don't know what it is). Don't forget the light and sound magician Glenn Morneault, whose artistry brings the already great band another notch higher. From classic covers like "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones and "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to more recent songs like "Juicy" by Better Than Ezra and even a couple line-dancing county/rock songs (it is a country/western bar after all) like "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean, these guys rock pretty much every sub-genre you can call rock.
The story of the band name is one I'ev been asked to tell. Unfortunately I can't string it out into the novel or movie script it deserves, so here's the Cliff-Note version: the band plays covers and does original songs. So it isnıt just a cover band trying to emulate songs or, in effect, the margarine of that band. No, these guys are a cut above and their doing their own thing. They're the real stuff. Butter.
Telling jokes in between sets, using British accents for the hell of it, and posing at the end of certain songs, these guys just flat out have a good time. It's everything a live show should be. Just like the name implies, this band is smooth. Like Butter.