MediaCast brings Primus live from San Francisco to the World Wide Web (click for plain text version) San Francisco-- Before they wrap up the latest tour promoting the band's new album Tales From The Punch Bowl, Interscope recording artists Primus will park their bus alongside the Information Highway with a live "Netcast" of their concert on May 7, from the newly renovated Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. As the concert is taking place, MediaCast- a full service multimedia company that specializes in live Internet broadcasting- will be busy uploading video, audio, backstage interviews, chat sessions, and still images to their Web site located at: www.mediacast.com. Viewers who log online can expect to see and hear the event regardless of their modem speed, operating system, or connectivity. MediaCast's own Living Web Pages will allow viewers with little or no technological expertise to participate in the concert as it's happening. For those who can take advantage of advanced technologies such as CU-SeeMe and RealAudio, the Web site provides all the software, instructions, and technical support needed to experience the event without difficulty. Participants in the netcast will also be able to enter an online contest with prizes including free tee-shirts and the new Primus enhanced CD. The key difference between a Living Web Page and any other web page, is that much of the content is acquired live. The Web pages are then constructed on-the-fly, and made accessible while the event is taking place. These pages feature a continually updated photo gallery of digital images with accompanying text that may include background information, on site commentary, and lyrics. Sound clips are also added to the pages in the form of RealAudio, MPEG, and AU files. Video clips, in the form of QuickTime movie files, are posted to the Living Web Page as they are captured, edited, and finally digitized. The site also incorporates a MediaCast specific creation called WebVideo. This new technology takes advantage of features included in Netscape's web browser that allows for the display of a constantly updated live color video stream. Prior to the show, the Netcast will feature Primus band members in a live chat session moderated by Michael Goldberg, the former Rolling Stone Magazine Editor and creator of the music oriented online magazine--Addicted to Noise. This chat session with the Internet community will feature questions submitted before the show, and will utilize a wide range of live interactive technologies such as CU-SeeMe, M-Bone, and ICB/IRC, to bring in participants from all over the globe. Primus, a San Francisco Bay Area based trio, has jumped into the high tech arena by recently unveiling their official Web site (www.primussucks.com). This comes only after an onslaught of unofficial Primus Web sites that have been put up by adoring fans everywhere . Les Claypool, the bassist and lead singer of the band, even has a specially designed road case to transport his Macintosh. His computer is wheeled into the hotel room each night for surfing, composing, and creation of the comical artwork that have become a trademark of the band. The MediaCast and Addicted to Noise Web sites will feature weekly updated teasers for the upcoming netcast in the form of stories from the road. The MediaCast site will also feature video segments and sound bites that will document the tour and be posted throughout the month leading up to the online show. Primus has just released their 5th album as an enhanced Compact Disc, titled Tales from the Punchbowl. Along with the normal audio, the enhanced CD includes surreal graphics, games, profiles, and other interactive content for use with a computer's CD-Rom drive. The band's albums have previously attained Gold and Platinum status, and their musicianship has won them acclaim in Rolling Stone magazine as well as other musician-geared publications. About MediaCast: MediaCast's goal is to present live events to a global audience via the worldwide distribution channels of the Internet. The company is a collaboration between Media Synergy and WildCast. Media Synergy has a five year history of multimedia production. This experience includes broadcast quality capture and editing of more than 300 live musical performances, cultural events, and corporate communications programs for use in national television, radio, and CDs. WildCast features many of the pioneers in the emerging field of Internet multicasting. Their team features a founding member of the Internet Underground Music Archive (I.U.M.A.) as well as team members who have been instrumental in the development of the music oriented online magazine Addicted To Noise (ATN). MediaCast is a full service company for archival and real-time Internet broadcasting. Whether it be a rock concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil or a Keynote address from San Francisco, Media Cast's services bring your event live--in real time--to the global audience of the Internet and the World Wide Web.