(By request, Honeygirl's great Hugo's shot and a few "Best I Ever Had" screencaps today--thanks for asking. Tl; dr post! Shorter one next time, I promise...)There's a tiny bit of restlessness amongst Bucky Covington's online fanbase these days, even as so many of us are chiming in to wish the Covingtons all the best on their exciting journey to Nashville. Sentiments like this quietly plaintive "Where's Bucky?" thread at the official boards and this sweet, lonesome post at Bucky's too-quiet IDF board say a lot about the devotion of Bucky's audience--and about the unique connection that the American Idol experience inspires between performers and supporters.
I've practically taken MJ's wise observation--regular information keeps fanbases happy--as a mantra. There's no denying that Bucky's solid, passionate core audience (and if you're reading a blog called Buckymania, this probably includes you) would be thrilled with an authorized, regularly scheduled update, via newsletter or MySpace or an official site. (And this is a great time to remind you to sign up for Rocky's newsletter over at RockyCovington.com--go do it now and come right back!) In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's far more important for Bucky and the other two "national men of mystery" (Ace Young and Elliott Yamin, of course) than for the signed Idols, who have a big corporate publicity machine behind them, making sure their names and faces stay in the public consciousness.
But while we're waiting for that glorious day when Bucky's label is announced and the professional PR team gets into gear, the un-official street team is ready for action--and it's working out well. Big, big kudos to the fans at the CMT and Country Weekly boards, where the conversation about Bucky is encouragingly lively. Heaven knows we have fun talking about Bucky online anywhere, but the sincere enthusiasm for Bucky on those boards is a real treat for those of us who are looking forward to his debut, and it's a credible, honest heads-up to the country fans out there, too. It's hard to miss the reality that Bucky Covington has a post-Idol audience that is a force to be reckoned with--especially when it's right there in glossy print in the pages of Country Weekly magazine. (I'm still getting a big kick out of that survey, can you tell?)
(Bucky Covington at Hugo's, October 13th; photo by Honeygirl)
Right now, both Bucky and his supporters are in an interesting place. It's been a little over a month since the tour (and the national-level press coverage it created) ended. And even without the benefit of an official news team--simply by word-of-mouth news from family, fans and Rockingham friends, along with an enormously fun pair of performances in which Bucky showed off his tour-honed talents to the hometown crowd--he and his fans have been able to sustain a bit of a happy pre-Nashville buzz. Imagine what we'll be able to do (and enjoy) once that regular information is forthcoming!
The journey from "hometown hero" to Nashville hitmaker has never been easy, of course. But Bucky, Rocky and Sammy have several things going for them as they make their way to Music City. The key elements--talent, charisma and a beautiful, haunting, honest country lead voice--were there before any of us out-of-towners ever heard of Bucky Covington. American Idol and the subsequent national tour gave the rest of the country (and the world) a taste of what Bucky has to offer, and created an enthusiastic fanbase eager for much, much more.
The downside, of course, is that the very connected feeling that American Idol establishes between the fans and the artists they've come to care for is a double-edged sword. This is exactly the time that is the most precarious for unsigned Idols. The tour is over, the Idol organization is no longer actively engaged in their careers, and that steady drumbeat of news is silent. With no news, the more casual fans tend to drift off until the next year of Idol begins, at which point they become passionate about someone in the new season. (This is, of course, exactly what the Idol folks hope for!) Of course, a big fat juicy hit record tends to remind people of what they were missing pretty quickly. I'll talk about that in the next tl;dr post...The less casual fans--that'd be you and I--tend to handle the lack of formal news a lot less casually. Reassurance, news and updates from an official party--Bucky's label or his management--would go a long way to keep the devoted core fans engaged, keep the casual fans informed, and give the potential new fans--the possible CD buyers who may not have seen Idol but are hanging out at CMT or Country Weekly--a chance to get to know what and who the buzz is all about. It's more important now than ever.
And in the meantime? Yes, it's very tough, not having official regular information to go on. There's no getting around it--we're all here because we want to see Bucky and his band become as successful and prosperous as can be. (And speaking for myself, I also selfishly want a series of awesome Bucky Covington CDs for the road, and a national-level touring career so that I can rock out to Bucky and his crew every summer for the rest of my life...am I alone?) In the current info drought, though, we're left with one alternative...keep the faith. The quiet is enormously frustrating right now, but without a doubt, there's much going on behind the scenes. Here's hoping we'll get to celebrate some very good, very official news--and soon.Quick update next--see you later today!
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