The Jimmys at the Redstone Room -- March 15.
Friday, March 15, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Having spent the past 12 years solidifying their singular brand of blues and R&B across the Midwest, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean, the Madison, Wisconsin outfit The Jimmys headlines a March 15 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room, the group lauded by Alligator Records' Bruce Iglauer as "excellent musicians" and "wildly fun entertainers" who are "a treat for any fans of roots rock, old-school R&B, and straight-up blues. Every performance is like a party!"
With the group's lineup including Chris Sandoval on drums, John Wartenweiler on bass, Perry Weber on guitar, Pete Ross on saxophone, Mike Boman on trumpet, and Joe Goltz on trombone, The Jimmys are led by Hammond Organ Artist Jimmy Voegeli, who received MAMAs (Madison Area Music Award) for "Keyboardist of the Year" in 2010, 2012, and 2015, as well as WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) Awards for "Keyboardist of the Year" in 2011 and 2015. Prior to forming The Jimmys, Voegeli played with the Westside Andy and Mel Ford Band (voted "Best Blues Band in Wisconsin" and "Best Band in Madison" numerous times) for 18 years, the group receiving a Grammy Award nomination for "Contemporary Blues Album" in 2003. That same year, Voegeli traveled to Europe with The Crashers in support of their album Love School, touring alongside Dan Baird and Homemade Sin. Over the years, the keyboardist has also been on stage with such greats as Pinetop Perkins, Rusty Zinn, Guitar Shorty, Joe Bonamassa, Perry Weber, Rev Raven, Billy Flynn, Tab Benoit, James Solberg, Shirley King, EC Scott, Clyde Stubblefield, Ben Sidran, Ken Saydak, and Dave Specter.
Since The Jimmys' 2011 album debut with Gimme the Jimmys, the band has released a quartet of additional recordings – 2013's Hadaya Do That ThingL Live, 2015's Hot Dish, 2016's Live from Transylvania at Sighisoara Blues Festival, and 2019's Gotta Have It – and have consistently been beneficiaries of rave notices. In a four-star review of Hot Dish, Downbeat magazine wrote, "Wisconsin’s seven-piece club band, helmed by deft singer/keyboardist Jimmy Voegeli, makes a good case for international notice behind the rousing entertainment of their third record since forming in 2008. They run the stylistic gamut – jump blues, shuffles, boogies, golden-era R&B, even New Orleans traditional jazz – using an honest, crisp expressionism that pegs them as eclectics of a particularly interesting sort." And recording artist Tinsley Ellis effused of the album, "The Jimmys have mined pure R&B gold with Hot Dish. From the opening hit of the Ray Charles influenced 'Lose That Woman' to the sultry swagger of 'Freight Train, Hot Dish is a winner from top to bottom. Try to not dance when listening to 'Funk Schway.' It simply can't be done!"
The Jimmys headline their Redstone Room engagement on March 15 with an additional set by Lauren Anderson, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $15-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
