While we're here, here's a note about that Take The Pledge campaign announced in yesterday's post. The fine print at AlarmPledge.com reads as follows: "You may share the Pledge as often as you like, and enter the Sweepstakes daily." Every time we share the Pledge at Twitter and/or Facebook,$1 will be donated to help injured firefighters and their families via the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Help the Good Guys.
Bucky's fans are ready, willing and able to help out...we can't all make it to every concert or fundraiser, but we can definitely help to make this campaign a rip-roaring success. (By the way, if you haven't watched Bucky's commercial for the Kidde"Be a Hero, Save A Hero" drive, which will air on 11/1 during the CMA Awardson ABC, click here and enjoy.) See you again this evening!
Bucky Covington sang his hit "I'll Walk" to a delighted crowd at the 2009 Iowa State Fair; many thanks to the very talented Judy Lang for the striking concert photo. Click the image to see Bucky's concert schedule at his official site.
Bucky Covington and his band are off the road until the 15th, when they'll rock the 8 Seconds Saloon in Indianapolis (limited seats available at Ticketmasternow), but you can catch him all weekend on GAC'sTop 20 Country Countdown with Nan Kelley--click here for more details and airtimes. He'll be talking about his plans for 2010, and we're eager to hear a little more news about I'm Alright, his second album. The latest word is that Bucky's in the studio putting the finishing touches on this one, and we're looking forward to at least one more pre-album-release spring/summer single before we've got this much-anticipated CD in our hands this fall.
Bucky's current single and video, "Gotta Be Somebody", is doing splendidly on GAC and CMT...could this be the start of lotsof audio-visual goodness this year? Sure hope so--as you might have guessed (this blog's called Buckymania, after all), we dig Bucky live in concert, on the radio and on the tube. Voting for Bucky (ahem) at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown and CMT's Pure 12-Pack, bringing friends and neighbors along when he and his band are performing in town and requesting him at your local country station keeps his name, face and-most importantly--his music before the ears and eyes of brand new listeners.
Bucky Covington introduces Jeff Cease during their performance in Iowa last summer; thanks again to the very kind Judy Lang for sharing the shot.
Those three elements--live shows, radio airplay and excellent promotional music videos--are key to the success of a rising country music star, but there's a fourth dimension that deserves a little consideration these days, as well. Social networking is a buzz-phrase that's gone from exciting to somewhat shopworn in record time, but there's no doubt that the fan-friendly concept behind the phrase is worthy of serious attention. (Just ask Taylor Swift!) Keep an eye out for a social networking survey on the sidebar soon.
You've made it through the madness at the mall--why not celebrate your shopping success with a little night music? Request Bucky Covington's"Gotta Be Somebody" at your local country station, or call up your favorite syndicated host or hostess:
Too shy to call? That's okay, some of our best friends are surprisingly bashful. Shy requesters can hop into the fun via email (check your favorite country station's website for the exact address and/or eQuest link), via Twitter (lots of radio stations take requests-by-tweet, and Blair Garner and company are terrific at keeping After Midnite fans informed ) and through Facebook, where most of your local and syndicated favorites are eager to connect with you. (Here's Whitney Allen's, for example; Cody Alan's got one, too.) Texting's more your speed? Keep up with what's happening on the Lia show--and participate in her polls--by joining her Text Team. Just text "Lia Join" to 95487, and you're in.
Bucky Covington, doing a little networking of his own earlier this month; click the image to see his video interview with WQYK'sRandy and Dave (after a brief ad) at WQYK.
No matter which way we connect--we need to connect. Social networking is one of the best (and most enjoyable) ways of letting country radio know for a fact that we're diggin' Bucky on the airwaves. Look for a new Social Networking section on the sidebar sometime this weekend--here's hoping it'll help get our wishes heard.
By multiple requests, Bucky Covington in concert in Turlock, CA; click here to enjoy a beautiful set of live show photos by the very kind Minnie. Thanks again, Minnie!
(Click here to get the badge at left for your MySpace, webpage or email signature.)
Thanks to the very kind Buckyflowers for sharing a bit more about this week's Country Weekly and its "Hottest Bachelors of Country" special section; head over to the previous post's comments if you can't bear the suspense of not knowing who's on the list, and click here for a tiny sneak peek at Bucky's page. (It's just a tiny sneak peek, though--the only way magazine publishers will know we want to see more of Bucky Covington in future issues is if we "vote with our wallets" when he's featured in the current edition! Writing a "thanks for spotlighting my favorite new country star Bucky Covington" letter to the editor is a nice touch, too. Ahem...) Look for the March 24th issue of Country Weekly--with "hot country bachelor" Bucky and the editor's mailing address--on newsstands now.
At Country Aircheck(.pdf file, with a nice "New Faces" photo), Bucky's time on stage at the CRS New Faces show got a hearty thumbs-up: Bucky Covington rolled out on a motorbike and admitted, “I’m glad I didn’t bust my ass” before launching into his well-received performance, highlighted by “The Bible And The Belt”.
Once you've caught up on all the news, how about a little unwinding time with some fellow Bucky Covington fans? This month, there's a "social" focus at Bucky's official fan club, but whether you're a member , a member-to-be (click here to find out how to join) or a just-passing-though admirer, it's fun to hang out online with like-minded music lovers--and it's also a great way to network with people who'll join you in supporting your favorite artists.
The top spot for social networking by far is MySpace.com. Bucky's official MySpace(sponsored by Lyric Street records) is here, and you'll notice that he's got lots and lots of "friends" online! To join the party, open up a MySpace account, and add Bucky as a friend by clicking the link on his profile page. That'll give you access to exclusive contests, including the current "It's Good to Be Us" sweepstakes with the grand prize of concert tickets and a meet and greet with Bucky. You'll also get bulletins on events and breaking news, access to terrific photos and videos, and the opportunity to say hello to Bucky via comments on his profile. Be sure to add his video widget (below) to your profile, and spread the word to your friends...
A new but very cool fast-growing niche site on the social networking scene is DigitalRodeo.com. Digital Rodeo is aimed specifically at country music fans and artists, and the pace there is spirited, albeit calmer and cozier than MySpace. There are some special features that make this a nice addition to your online profile collection; unlike MySpace, you can opt to automatically accept and add "neighbors" (a perfect term for the rather neighborly feel here) and you can download, stream and buy music from both major label and small label/independent artists right there on the site. Bucky doesn't have an official profile on Digital Rodeo at present, but his current tour mates Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan--and many of your favorite country stars--do.
The customization options at Digital Rodeo are a little more limited than MySpace's, and profiles are simpler (this could actually be considered a plus!), but you have plenty of opportunity to express yourself with a blog, a photo album, uploaded videos, fancy backgrounds and more. Alas, the flash video widget can't be added to profiles there, but you can add a nice "It's Good to Be Us" banner or CMT Music Awards badge to your "Interest" section--here's my fairly plain Digital Rodeo profile if you'd like to see how it's done. (And yep, I'll happily be your neighbor...)
Finally, the popular Bebo.com social-networking site has just been livened up with a bunch of brand new, Bucky Covington-admiring members, courtesy of my misreading of the Bebo auto-email tool. (I thought it was emailing people I knew who were already Bebo members; it emailed everyone in my Yahoo address book. Whoops! Sorry, y'all.) But even if you're not a recipent of my unintended spam, check it out. It's a truly fun little networking spot, with quick and easy profile layout adjustments (there's a big list of profile skins--one button and you're set) and options for adding blogs, photos, videos, polls, widgets, quizzes--lots of ways to express yourself. You can include the "It's Good to Be Us" video widget to your Bebo profile--as a matter of fact, there's a one-button setup built right in to the widget. Log into Bebo, then press the "Get Code" link in the video widget, hit the Bebo button inside, and voila. (Here's my Bebo profile, with video widget--add me and message me if you need tech help...)
Once you're on board at Bebo, feel free to join the Bucky Covington Motorcycle Club, a fan group and mini-site with a forum, videos, polls (the current one is "What's your favorite Bucky Covington tour so far?"), daily condensed blog/news updates from Buckymania, and a not-so-hidden agenda of making that sure Bucky has fans representin' just about everywhere that people hang out and have fun online.
The widget's down below--and "It's Good to Be Us" is always in style online and on the radio. If you're browsing here in the wee hours, be sure to ask for it at After Midnite; the very gracious Blair Garner and company would no doubt be happy to oblige. Happy networking!
Here's an update about that Chattanooga fundraiser on 11/10: Bucky Covington, Help the Good Guys and the Chattanooga Firefighters Association Local 820 invite you to a pancake breakfast at Chattanooga Fire Station No. 1 (218 E. Main St.) to benefit Tristin Greer, the son of Senior Firefighter Jason Greer. Tristin is battling neuroblastoma cancer. The breakfast begins at 8 am and lasts until 11--so get on up and enjoy some sweet buttery goodness for a great cause!
