Sunday news: fresh photos from Milwaukee and more (updated with photo and podcast links)

Bucky Covington checks out the scene in this great shot by the very talented Midask9, who shares more of her beautiful images from Friday's Northern Lights Theater concert in her new Photobucket gallery. Thanks again to Midask9 for letting us in on the fun!

How about some excellent concert photos to start off your Sunday? The very talented Midask9 was at Bucky, Jason and Cole's Raisin' the Bar concert at the Northern Lights Theater on Friday, and she's got some stunning shots from the show in her Photobucket album. (Fans of Bucky's tourmates Jason Michael Carroll and Cole Deggs will want to check these out as well--they're fantastic.)

On the sightly-off-topic "breaking news from Lyric Street" front, here's an interesting tidbit from this WKRN story about gracious Idol alum Melinda Doolittle's fundraising efforts in Franklin. It looks as though Phil Stacey's fans will be spared that long, agonizing autumn wait for a label announcement--he's been signed to Lyric Street, and his album is due in April. Congratulations to Phil and his many fans--welcome to the neighborhood!

The Raisin' the Bar tour will resume in a few days; the next scheduled concert is that Longbranch Saloon show on the 16th. But Bucky and company won't be idle--he is definitely a man on the move. Here's a repeat of our quick overview of this week's off-tour shows:

11/13: Bucky's part of the Kicks 99 Guitar Pull in Augusta, GA with Dierks Bentley, Jo Dee Messina, Blake Shelton, Van Zant and Eric Church; tickets to this one are completely sold out, but WKXC is graciously giving some away. Check out the station's site, then tune in for your chance to win. This show benefits the United Way "Million Pennies for Kids" account.

11/14: Bucky's got another Guitar Pull on his schedule, this time in Savannah; the Kix 96 Guitar Pull at Savannah's historic Lucas Theatre features Bucky, Jason Michael Carroll, and Jeff Bates, and the proceeds benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Tickets are $25; you can buy them by phone at 912-525-5050, online at the Trustees Theatre Box Office or in person at the Savannah College of Art and Design Box Office.

11/15: Bucky and Jason will participate in the WQDR Children's Promise Broadcast to benefit the North Carolina Children's Hopsital. From the station's site:

94.7 QDR Today's Best Country invites you to check out the behind the scenes action at the North Carolina Children's Hospital November 15th as the Q Crew broadcasts live all day. Please plan on making a donation on the phone that Thursday at 1-866-NCKIDS or stop by the hospital for performances and autographs from Keith Anderson, Van Zant, Lee Brice, Jason Michael Carroll and Bucky Covington! The shows are free and the work the hospital does is life saving for our kids in NC. THe QDR Children's Promise Broadcast, Thursday November 15th...Be a part of the miracle this year and thank you from the Q Crew!

After that, the Raisin' the Bar party rolls on--Bucky, Rocky, Don, Shaun and Hans will rock the house November 16th at the Longbranch Saloon in Raleigh, North Carolina. No advance tickets for this show-- admission at the door is $20, and it's probably a good idea to get there very early. Here are the rest of your chances to see and hear emerging stars Bucky Covington, Jason Michael Carroll and Cole Deggs & the Lonesome on this once in a lifetime bill:

November 16 Longbranch Saloon Raleigh, NC*
November 17 Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN [TM]
November 23 Coyote Joe’s Charlotte, NC [tickets]
November 24 The Blind Horse Saloon Greenville, SC [tickets]
November 28 Uncle Ron's, Lincoln NE (402) 474-2332
November 30 Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO [TM]
December 1 Billy Bob’s Texas Fort Worth, TX (11/5 at [TM])
December 5 Northern Lights Clifton Park, NY [tickets]
December 6 Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse Burgettstown, PA [TM]
December 7 Crocodile Rock Café Allentown, PA [TM]
December 8 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, MD [tickets]


Bucky's new single "It's Good to Be Us" is now #31 on both the weighted and Top 500 charts this morning--the Top 30 tease continues, but this week's impressive video countdown debuts (a big #1 at CMT's Pure Country 12-Pack and #6 on GACs Top 20 Country Countdown) are signs of very good things to come. Keep requesting "It's Good to Be Us" at your favorite local or streaming country stations, hit up those"Top X at X' countdowns this week, call your favorite syndicated country radio host and give Bucky a good word, and show Bucky's beautiful video some love at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown and at CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack, too.

We'll close with a look at some enjoyable stops along the information highway. (When's the last time you heard that phrase?) Kathy has a sweet post at Team Covington this morning; if you're a member of Bucky's official fan club, you'll remember that a call for questions to Bucky went out a while ago. He answered them on video, and his interviewer is none other than his hitmaking friend and tourmate, Jason Michael Carroll. Hop over to Team Covington for more details. For more info on the official fan club, stop in at Bucky's site.

Also via Team Covington, here's a cute new feature at Bucky's MySpace blog--got a photo of you and Bucky together? There's a Fan Photos blog post in progress, and you can add your picture to the comments there. The images will be part of an upcoming Fan Photos slideshow and album on Bucky's official MySpace. Add him as a friend and join the fun!

Finally, Lovincon has a fantastic concert recap and picture gallery from her great night at Friday's Northern Lights show, and you'll find it all in the Bucky Covington fan thread at AmericanIdol.com. (Thanks to Lovincon for sharing. Cute cake!)

Edited to add a link to this November 1st podcast interview with Bucky at Minneapolis' K102, shared at the AI.com board by CharlotteNCGuy, and this sweet first glimpse of the People Magazine Country Music special issue on the Idol alums who call Nashville home, via OverThePond. Many thanks to Ogopogo for her very kind heads up on all the Fox board happenings! (That People Magazine special issue is on newstands now, by the way; in some areas you'll find it bundled with the beautiful Chevy Country Music Calendar. Bucky Covington and a big beautiful red Silverado truck grace the photo for September 2008--be sure to pick up a copy soon.)

And one more blast from the recent past to wrap it all up for now--Gator Country 99.9 sponsored Bucky's show in Jacksonville a while back, and they've got a little (literally) photo album from that concert. The photos are tiny, but they're very good...

More soon--have a great Sunday!