BUCKY COVINGTON WITH JYPSI
(Written by: Cathy Anne)
Friday January 25, 2008 @ Penn State University
in York, PA

JYPSI- I was not familiar with the opening act for Bucky Covington at the Penn State show, but I was in for a treat. Jypsi is not your ordinary country band. At first glance, you are drawn to each member's flare for a funky individual fashion sense, which is reminiscent of that of the "flower children" of the 60's, but with an updated pizzazz. Their unique style is a combination of colorful vintage clothing, hats, beads, and big earrings.

The group is comprised of siblings ranging from ages 16 to 26--three sisters, Lillie Mae and Amber Dawn, who sing and play fiddle; Scarlett, who plays mandolin; and their brother Frank, who sings and plays lead guitar. The group shared with us how they came to be; telling us that it was their father's dream to have a family band. So, in 1994, dad packed the kids in a bus and began touring the South and Midwest states singing gospel and country songs, and living life on the road. Dad has since left the "Jypsi" life and the kids have grown into their own.

Jypsi is a country band with a focus on bluegrass flavor--upbeat and fiddle-driven. To hear Lillie Mae sing and perform, you would never think she was only 16 years old. She is a confident seasoned performer as are her siblings. Frank owned his instrument and shined showing us his guitar-licking prowess. The blending of this family's voices, instruments, and vibrant personalities delivers a great show. I think Jypsi just might take their bluegrass-infused music up the charts.

Jypsi's set included their new single "I Don't Love You Like That," which was released about two weeks ago and a song that has special meaning to them, Ronnie Milsap's "Stranger In My House."

I got the chance to spend some time with Frank who shared the names of his backup band on this tour: Darren Terrio on bass and Greg Stocke on drums. Tonight Rick Vanaugh from the Grammy-nominated band Time Jumpers filled in for Greg on the drums. Frank let me know that Jypsi will be playing at Layla's (located on Lower Broadway in Nashville) during the week of the CMA Fan Fair and would be opening for Seal at a benefit being held at New York's Hard Rock Cafe on January 29th. By the time you read this, that benefit event has already taken place, so keep your eyes out for Jypsi as I think you will be hearing a lot about them in the future.

BUCKY COVINGTON - I had the opportunity to attend Bucky Covington's concert before a packed house at Penn State University (York, PA) on January 25, 2008. We remember Bucky as the country boy who was one of the top finalists on Season 5 American Idol. Bucky, who is blessed with a gravel-throated country voice, has since evolved into a charismatic entertainer who rocks out country-style and mixes it up with a barrel full of laughs and a great head of hair.

Bucky not only broke records with his self-titled CD debuting at #1 in April 2007, he was chosen as Country Aircheck's #1 New Artist, and was selected by Clear Channel as one of only five country stars in the "Best of 2007" class.

Immediately upon Bucky's taking the stage at Penn State, the audience knew it was going to be a fun night. Bucky, who entices you to laugh along with him, hiked up his jeans and explained that he had forgotten his belt and would be pulling up his pants all night so they wouldn't fall off. Throughout the night, each time Bucky pulled up his pants, the women in the audience would scream. Bucky's contagious effervescent personality continually got the crowd to laugh, clap, sing, and even dance. At one point Bucky responded to a fan with his infamous "growl" which has been known to cause women to get weak in the knees.

The show started full throttle and Bucky kept it revved up with songs from his CD including "American Friday Night", "Empty Handed" (which is featured on the NASCAR 2008 video game), "The Bible and the Belt", and his newly released top twenty single "It's Good To Be Us." His "Tennessee moon" during the song "Back When We Were Gods" was a hit with the women. He slowed it down a bit when he delivered a heartfelt "Hometown" with such emotion that I believe God was listening too.

Bucky shared several of his favorite songs with us, Pat Green's "Wave on Wave" and Toby Keith's "Should've Been A Cowboy". Most notable were his great renditions of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" and, surprisingly, a crowd pleaser was Pink Floyd's "The Wall".

Rocky Covington, Bucky's twin brother, took the spotlight for Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" grabbing the microphone from his brother and jokingly pushing him out of the way so Rocky could own the stage. Rocky's moment to shine was met with cheers and screams. It is apparent that Bucky's fans love Rocky too and they enjoy seeing the interaction between these two brothers.

The camaraderie and playfulness between Bucky and his band made each song even more memorable. Each band member delighted us with a solo showing us a bit of what they do best; so I need to give them a mention as well. Kudos to Jeff Cease (lead guitarist); Don "Ducky" Medlock (acoustic guitar), Steve Cook (bass guitar), Rocky Covington (percussion), Jefferson Jarvis (keyboards and harmonica), and Tom Hurst (drums).

Responding to chants of "Bucky, Bucky, Bucky", Bucky returned to the stage for an encore performance of his debut hit "A Different World" which ended the concert on an upbeat, crowd participating note.

You can view my pictures of Bucky and his band HERE . (Pictures 1-26 were taken by Pizzi)

View my Jypsi photos HERE

More Photos
submitted by Cathy Anderson