NEW GLARUS - Jimmy Voegeli may be 51, but he still likes to play rock star.
"Hey, most of my favorite people are the ones who have never grown up," said Voegeli, of New Glarus, who fronts the highly acclaimed blues band that bears his name - The Jimmys.
His group tours constantly and has established a loyal fan base.
"Sure, I enjoy the adulation," he said. "Good thing is, I also enjoy the hard work."
His life offstage mirrors that mindset. After all, he's still a farmer, often toiling at his family's dairy operation along Wisconsin 69 in New Glarus.
"The music life is hard on family life, that's for sure," Voegeli said, "so it's nice to have my feet grounded with the family farm. It brings a good reality check."
So, what's it going to be? Rock star or farmer? Or will he always be both?
"I haven't made up my mind," he said. "That's the dichotomy of my two lives."
The answer may lie in what awaits the band later this month, as it makes its first trip to Europe to join internationally known artists at the Sighisoara Blues Festival in Romania on March 28. It may be coming a bit late in life, but could it be step one of taking the world by storm?
"Well, it's definitely a big step and a real feather in our cap," Voegeli said. "To get recognized across the pond means a lot."
One of just four acts, The Jimmys will be in exclusive company, playing alongside global acts such as the Bruce Katz Band, Candye Kane and Joe Louis Walker. A crowd of 8,000 is commonplace, which would be among the largest The Jimmys have faced.
"We'll be the least known," Voegeli said, "but that will allow us to make our mark.
"We'll be there for four days but will only be working for 80 minutes - one set. We'll have to make the most of it."
Not only was the invite an honor, but a testament to the band's determination. Band trombonist Darren Sterud played the festival with a different band years earlier, kept in touch with its promoters, and kept asking time and time again if The Jimmys could be given a shot. The perseverance, or pestering if you will, paid off.
"It didn't require any audition tapes or anything like that," Voegeli said. "People there trusted him enough."
What Voegeli marvels at most is the fact the band landed the big gig all on its own.
"To do this with no manager, no record company backing us, and to take on all the hard work by ourselves is unheard of," said Voegeli, who said promoters are often turned off by the idea of taking on a band with seven members. "That's a lot of hotel rooms, a lot of cars, a lot of expense. What we've pulled off with no support behind us is a real coup."
After Romania it's off to Norway for the boys for what is likely to be four club shows in four nights in Oslo. The venues are smaller, but the competition to headline anywhere in the region, especially in winter when the clubs are full, is fierce.
"Scandinavia is a huge mecca for the blues, especially American blues," Voegeli said.
Landing the Norway dates was equally ambitious.
"We use a publicist to get our CD out whenever we make a new one, and they got into the hands of a promoter in Norway. I ended up becoming friends with the guy through email, Facebook and even via Skype," Voegeli said. "Not only did he book us, he's putting us up at his house."
Voegeli chuckled at the level of trust. After all, aren't American bands supposed to be hellions?
"We're putting our best game-face on - he has no idea what's coming to him," Voegeli said. "Looks like we've fooled another one."
Truth is, in today's music world there's no smoke and mirrors.
"With the Internet, anyone can research how good you are," Voegeli said. "They expect you to have performance footage posted on YouTube and things like that, which we do have."
The upcoming trip shows The Jimmys are a trusting bunch as well.
Just last fall, a planned trip to play a show in Switzerland fell through at the last minute when the promoter pulled out on the band.
"The festival was every two years, so it wasn't like we could say 'OK, we'll just do it next year,'" Voegeli said. "What it ended up being was a year's worth of (planning) work down the drain."
All signs point to go for the upcoming trip, however, and Voegeli feels it's the band's time to shine. The stars may even be aligning.
"We're a great band, and we're ready to travel," he said. "This is where we should be."
The tunes will flow, the fans will cheer and Voegeli will be enjoying the spotlight as much as ever before.
But he'll also stay humbled - kind of like he feels on the farm.
"It sounds glamorous, but no matter how well it goes, I'll still be riding around in a van with six other sweaty guys," he said. "And that can even smell worse than the farm."
"Hey, most of my favorite people are the ones who have never grown up," said Voegeli, of New Glarus, who fronts the highly acclaimed blues band that bears his name - The Jimmys.
His group tours constantly and has established a loyal fan base.
"Sure, I enjoy the adulation," he said. "Good thing is, I also enjoy the hard work."
His life offstage mirrors that mindset. After all, he's still a farmer, often toiling at his family's dairy operation along Wisconsin 69 in New Glarus.
"The music life is hard on family life, that's for sure," Voegeli said, "so it's nice to have my feet grounded with the family farm. It brings a good reality check."
So, what's it going to be? Rock star or farmer? Or will he always be both?
"I haven't made up my mind," he said. "That's the dichotomy of my two lives."
The answer may lie in what awaits the band later this month, as it makes its first trip to Europe to join internationally known artists at the Sighisoara Blues Festival in Romania on March 28. It may be coming a bit late in life, but could it be step one of taking the world by storm?
"Well, it's definitely a big step and a real feather in our cap," Voegeli said. "To get recognized across the pond means a lot."
One of just four acts, The Jimmys will be in exclusive company, playing alongside global acts such as the Bruce Katz Band, Candye Kane and Joe Louis Walker. A crowd of 8,000 is commonplace, which would be among the largest The Jimmys have faced.
"We'll be the least known," Voegeli said, "but that will allow us to make our mark.
"We'll be there for four days but will only be working for 80 minutes - one set. We'll have to make the most of it."
Not only was the invite an honor, but a testament to the band's determination. Band trombonist Darren Sterud played the festival with a different band years earlier, kept in touch with its promoters, and kept asking time and time again if The Jimmys could be given a shot. The perseverance, or pestering if you will, paid off.
"It didn't require any audition tapes or anything like that," Voegeli said. "People there trusted him enough."
What Voegeli marvels at most is the fact the band landed the big gig all on its own.
"To do this with no manager, no record company backing us, and to take on all the hard work by ourselves is unheard of," said Voegeli, who said promoters are often turned off by the idea of taking on a band with seven members. "That's a lot of hotel rooms, a lot of cars, a lot of expense. What we've pulled off with no support behind us is a real coup."
After Romania it's off to Norway for the boys for what is likely to be four club shows in four nights in Oslo. The venues are smaller, but the competition to headline anywhere in the region, especially in winter when the clubs are full, is fierce.
"Scandinavia is a huge mecca for the blues, especially American blues," Voegeli said.
Landing the Norway dates was equally ambitious.
"We use a publicist to get our CD out whenever we make a new one, and they got into the hands of a promoter in Norway. I ended up becoming friends with the guy through email, Facebook and even via Skype," Voegeli said. "Not only did he book us, he's putting us up at his house."
Voegeli chuckled at the level of trust. After all, aren't American bands supposed to be hellions?
"We're putting our best game-face on - he has no idea what's coming to him," Voegeli said. "Looks like we've fooled another one."
Truth is, in today's music world there's no smoke and mirrors.
"With the Internet, anyone can research how good you are," Voegeli said. "They expect you to have performance footage posted on YouTube and things like that, which we do have."
The upcoming trip shows The Jimmys are a trusting bunch as well.
Just last fall, a planned trip to play a show in Switzerland fell through at the last minute when the promoter pulled out on the band.
"The festival was every two years, so it wasn't like we could say 'OK, we'll just do it next year,'" Voegeli said. "What it ended up being was a year's worth of (planning) work down the drain."
All signs point to go for the upcoming trip, however, and Voegeli feels it's the band's time to shine. The stars may even be aligning.
"We're a great band, and we're ready to travel," he said. "This is where we should be."
The tunes will flow, the fans will cheer and Voegeli will be enjoying the spotlight as much as ever before.
But he'll also stay humbled - kind of like he feels on the farm.
"It sounds glamorous, but no matter how well it goes, I'll still be riding around in a van with six other sweaty guys," he said. "And that can even smell worse than the farm."