MONROE - Local favorites The Jimmys rocked the Concerts on the Square series Thursday, but lately they've been doing more than just playing music.
The Jimmys are vying to be picked for a slot in the pilot of a reality television show, "America's Coolest Band."
And while the show has yet to be picked up by a network, the band's Jimmy Voegeli said he thinks it has plenty to offer by providing a behind-the-scenes look "to show what it takes to be in a band."
He said each episode takes place in a different area. For example, the pilot is set in the Madison area, where Voegeli cut his teeth on the music scene, playing for 18 years with Westside Andy and the Mel Ford Band.
Four bands compete on the show for the title of the "coolest" band in that area, Voegeli said.
"It was a great experience," Voegeli said. "They had good questions about my life and the band."
Music promoter Broadjam compiled a list of area musicians for the show, and that's how The Jimmys name got on the show's radar.
Voegeli said he received an e-mail, out of the blue, to see if his eight-member band would like to participate in the pilot.
When the production crew contacted him, Voegeli said the crew found it interesting that The Jimmys did not practice regularly as a band.
But then Voegeli, who was raised on a farm, offered to get the band together at his barn off of Wisconsin 69, just outside Monticello.
"They were wide-eyed," said Voegeli, an award-winning musician who, in 2010, netted a Madison Area Music Award for best keyboardist.
The crew is still editing the show's pilot episode but Voegeli has high hopes for its success.
"It's in its infancy but it seems promising," he said.
Voegeli said he was grateful for a chance to do something different.
"I never know what to expect from these, if you will, opportunities, but it seemed like a nice little chance to take," Voegeli said. "Who knows, it just takes one song or one little break. As my drummer, Mauro Magellan, says, 'There's plenty of room at the top, it's just really crowded at the bottom'."
The Jimmys are vying to be picked for a slot in the pilot of a reality television show, "America's Coolest Band."
And while the show has yet to be picked up by a network, the band's Jimmy Voegeli said he thinks it has plenty to offer by providing a behind-the-scenes look "to show what it takes to be in a band."
He said each episode takes place in a different area. For example, the pilot is set in the Madison area, where Voegeli cut his teeth on the music scene, playing for 18 years with Westside Andy and the Mel Ford Band.
Four bands compete on the show for the title of the "coolest" band in that area, Voegeli said.
"It was a great experience," Voegeli said. "They had good questions about my life and the band."
Music promoter Broadjam compiled a list of area musicians for the show, and that's how The Jimmys name got on the show's radar.
Voegeli said he received an e-mail, out of the blue, to see if his eight-member band would like to participate in the pilot.
When the production crew contacted him, Voegeli said the crew found it interesting that The Jimmys did not practice regularly as a band.
But then Voegeli, who was raised on a farm, offered to get the band together at his barn off of Wisconsin 69, just outside Monticello.
"They were wide-eyed," said Voegeli, an award-winning musician who, in 2010, netted a Madison Area Music Award for best keyboardist.
The crew is still editing the show's pilot episode but Voegeli has high hopes for its success.
"It's in its infancy but it seems promising," he said.
Voegeli said he was grateful for a chance to do something different.
"I never know what to expect from these, if you will, opportunities, but it seemed like a nice little chance to take," Voegeli said. "Who knows, it just takes one song or one little break. As my drummer, Mauro Magellan, says, 'There's plenty of room at the top, it's just really crowded at the bottom'."