So you want to be a rock superstar? The answer from four guys from Indianola that call themselves Index Case is “Yes” – Yes with an uppercase y.

And while rock stardom is something that most young, aspiring bands strive for, Index Case is one of the few bands that knows how to go about it and is making huge strides towards it.

“The word is spreading far and fast,” says guitarist Josh Parker. “Because the band is so young and immature, we have a lot of steps that we need to go through. Yeah we want rock stardom right now and a lot of money and cars, but in order for the band to survive and strive the way I really want it to, we need to take this time to tour independently and build a fan base.”

One of the biggest assets that the band has in its corner is its management team, which consists of ex-Tears for Fears singer Curt Smith and ex-35″ Mudder bassist Chad Calek. It was just a mere three years ago when Mudder was going through the same situation that Index Case is, just on a somewhat bigger level, so Parker believes that the past experiences of Calek can greatly help them.

“Chad told me, `We made every mistake in the book, so I’m here to make sure that you don’t,'” Parker explains.

If you have ever gotten into the gossip of local music, you have probably heard people moan about how they think that Index Case gets special show privileges and more attention because of its other Mudder contact, former vocalist and current Lazer 103.3 disc jockey, Cory Brown. Vocalist Joe Ansley dismisses these accusations as ridiculous.

“It gets kind of old but I have learned to push it to the back of my mind,” the lanky front man says. “Every time you go to the Local Licks Web page, it seems that we are the topic of discussion because of this, but I know why we get to play the shows and why we get the stuff we do and that’s because we work hard.”

Hard work is something the band prides itself on. And when Calek first approached the band about managing them, he told them he would need a full commitment. Parker says the band immediately decided to go full-force in order to make it work; that included bassist Korey Birkenholtz dropping out of school at the University of Northern Iowa. It also included a practice schedule that Parker compares to being in the military. Ansley couldn’t agree more.

“We practice almost every day and sometimes twice a day. We go in, shut the door and play exactly like we would in a show,” Ansley says. “And it gets hotter than shit in there, I mean sometimes we are just down to boxers.”

And beside rehearsal time, trying to get your band to the next level also involves a lot of cash, Parker said.

“We’ve spent an insane amount of money to make this happen over the years and I don’t think people understand what it takes,” Parker explains. “Even though this is pretty much our full-time jobs, you have to get other part-time jobs here and there just to stay alive while you are doing this.”

Both Ansley and Parker agree that at times they find themselves wondering why they continue down this path that has led to disappointment so many times.

“It’s stressful, I mean it’s your dream, it’s everything – but every day you are getting shot down by someone,” Ansley says with a sigh. “It’s a lot of lies man, a lot of lies.”

“I never would have dreamed what you have to do to try and make it,” Parker adds. “I thought we were doing great when we became the big dogs of Iowa and had a bunch of people coming to our shows, but that just doesn’t cut it.”

But don’t let the modest attitudes of Ansley and Parker convince you that they haven’t tasted some success, even if it has come in small doses. Just two weeks ago the band had the opportunity to play the main stage at Lazerfest, a chance it made the most of.

“Going into it we were like `Okay, we’ve played shows for about 1,000 people but this is about five times that so how many fans do we really have,'” Parker says. “But it was a really good feeling, especially when we played `Boredom’ and had so much support. I saw the reaction from people who didn’t know the song and they were kind of like `Wow, should we know these guys?’ So I would like to think that we made a lot of new fans that day.”

Gaining those new fans could quite possibly be attributed to two things: The sheer ferociousness of the band’s live show and what the band calls “being professional.” In fact, it’s hard to talk to either Ansley or Parker for more than a minute without one of them mentioning being professional. For Index Case, being professional is the rule, not the exception – it applies to everything from signing autographs (which, believe it or not, the band does a lot) to practicing.

“We try to make that professional appearance,” Parker says. “My brother always told me if you want to be a millionaire, hang out with and act like a millionaire; well I turned that into if we want to be a big-time band act like one.”

Index Case incorporates that professionalism into its live shows, which have opened many people’s eyes. And rightfully so say Ansley and Parker, who claim the band is first and foremost a live band.

Hence earlier when Ansley said the band practiced as if it were playing live. And if you have ever seen and Index Case show, you know that it means an intense practice because most live shows consist of Parker and Birkenholtz whirling and thrashing while somehow still playing their instruments.

Ansley runs from side to side while drummer Jordan Spence pounds on his drums hard enough to conjure up thoughts of Tommy Lee’s days in Motley Crue or Dave Grohl’s days in Nirvana.

“When we play, there is not standing around,” Ansley insists. “If a band is going to just stand there and play their songs then you might as well save your money and buy the CD and listen to that.”

“We have always been a live band and always try to put on the best show possible for us,” Parker says.

It all goes back to wanting to be a rock star. But not only wanting to be rock stars, which the band has accomplished on a local level, but also making it to the big leagues and showing everyone who Index Case is.

“I believe in my mind and my heart that we can compete with any band. Not necessarily compete, but reach the point where our music is as important as anybody else’s,” Parker says.

And although it seems as if this foursome is bound for some sort of higher success, the band swears that even if it doesn’t reach that level, it will all be worth it.

“I question it every once in a while, but it’s not a very long question,” Ansley explains.

“Even if 10 years from now we are at the same level as we are right now, I will be happy. I can’t ever imagine myself doing anything else.

“I would rather spend 10 years trying to make it than be working a 9 to 5 and dreaming about being in a band.”