Inna Rude Mood: News

IRM rocked an overflowing capacity crowd at It's All Good in downtown Ventura last night. Maggi ventured out on the street a few times, testing the limits of her wireless bass technology. Ruben sported his signature white sunglasses and Adam celebrated his birthday with shots of Patron. Just another hot night in downtown Ventura where it seems that new businesses open every week to service nighttime revelry. IRM made it's best discovery of the night after packing up. Jimmy's pizza by the slice is located a few doors down from It's All Good. It serves slices of pizza until 3am to everyone who wanders in. IRM sampled the pepporoni and cheese, liking what they saw. It appears a new post-gig routine has been started. Also, the Watermark was hopping as the newest "it" restaurant in downtown. It's dress code and valet parking are geared to keeping the riff-raff at bay that might spill in from San Sewer and it's been doing great business since opening. All this nightlife opportunity is great for the downtown area as it is increasingly attracting people from all over the county to sample Ventura. Great times for local bands and also for people who like a fun night on the town.

Well, I guess IRM passed the audition and it didn't even require the band to send Ruben to the owner's casting couch. IRM played their little hearts out to a small but vocal cadre of die-hard party people on a rare Sunday night showcase intended to determine whether IRM and Keynote wanted to date. Apparently, it was a better match than could have been predicted by the local temple's matchmaker. Thanks to Natalie for making it all happen and it now looks like IRM's East Ventura's life dreams have been realized. Yes, IRM will again be gracing the East side of Ventura with its substantial presence on a regular basis starting in January of 2009. IRM hadn't played at the Keynote for 7 years and was pleased to see that the stage was larger, the dance floor was big and the club was set up for people to groove, not watch TV, play pool, throw darts or argue over shuffle-board calls while doing their best to ignore the band (aka a certain Irish-themed sports bar in the general proximity where IRM has been known to play regularly prior to 2008). While IRM was not really looking to play more gigs, the band will likely switch a Keynote gig off with another existing club on an every other month basis to keep things fresh in 2009. Don't say that we didn't warn the trailer parks.

IRM rocked the crowd at Star Lounge last night and left everyone tired and satisfied. The night started on a bad note with Maggi suffering a head injury from a fallen light rig. She quickly recovered, as there was no blood spilled, and was ready to play with only a minor headache. It started slow during the first set played to the 20 people who had not bothered to go to the VC Fair to check out the Doobie Brothers. The band used the opportunity to dust off some of their backcatalog blues covers that hadn't seen the light of day for a while. The crowd then built up during the second set when Captain Ron made a special guest appearance with his main San Diego squeeze, Marva. One patron who appeared a little intoxicated danced in front of Ruben with her back to him all night, trying to attract his attention with frequent hip thrusts and other attention-getting moves. It must have worked because he eventually gave her his big stick(s) at the end of the night and who knows what they did when they disappeared into the men's room for a while. The third set got a little wierd as it always does with a youngish crowd dancing up a storm and begging for more when the band finally shut down with Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right to Party." After a quick check with bartender Dirty Marie (who had earlier been nicknamed Mona Lott by Scott), IRM launched into the opening riff of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" and sent the crowd home with a good verbal ear spanking. Next stop on IRM's highway to hell would be the Keynote Lounge, where IRM has not shown their faces for five years since the time when a surly bartender killed the band's buzz during a weekend gig. Hopefully that person has vacated the premises like Elvis and won't be making an appearance anytime soon.

Let's be honest, IRM had a fair to middling time at the Palms last night. It was a slow Saturday night for the summertime and the restaurant was not enjoying their usual 60-90 minute wait for a table. The club has been getting some noise complaints from a newly opened Bed & Breakfast down the street and essentially the entire night is now a dinner set (ie, low volume). IRM did their best to inject some energy into the room and it was working for a while, until Crazy Little Thing called Pete left the building. It was all downhill from the end of the first set and the band ended the night playing Pixies and Hendrix to their own amusement. Maybe it's time to take a month or two off from the place and then move back to Friday nights?

IRM's lazy guitar player finally posted pictures taken by the girlfriend of IRM's even lazier drummer. They feature all of the action that can be captured by a photographer who sat in the same seat during an entire two hour concert (only kidding, please don't be mad Melissa). Actually, she expended more effort than anyone else to capture the moment and for that we are eternally grateful. Check out the pics in the photo gallery of this website and you will also be eternally indebted to Melissa from a karmic standpoint.

IRM rocked It's All Good Friday night. For the first set, the band broke out some blasts from the past from it's extensive SRV catalog. SRV fans were well represented in the house and roared their appreciation. Next up was some danceable classic rock and the patrons decided it was too hot to dance. Finally, IRM launched into it's third set with guns blazing and the kids went beserk. The military was in the house letting off steam and they formed a mosh pit that threw elbows at a few regular dancers. No harm no foul. The night finally ran it's course with an epic rendition of Highway to Hell.

IRM rocked the hot and mugged-out patrons of the Star Lounge last night. The smarter ones sat next to the front and rear doors for some respite from the heat while the ones who just didn't care shook what they had on the dance floor. The Star Lounge interior had been improving every month but it seems to have stalled with installation of air conditioning vents that don't spew any cold air out. The owner is probably spending all of his money preparing the Watermark for it's grand opening and that should add some excitement to downtown Ventura. IRM was happy to see some old friends show up through the night, including some armed forces pilots who had been away for six months landing jets on aircraft carriers. Next stop on the IRM's neverending tour of dive bars will be the famous "It's All Good" in downtown Ventura next Friday night. Be there and grab a seat near the door if the humid weather continues.

IRM made it's fourth consecutive appearance at Ventura's massive fourth of July Street Fair and enjoyed playing to the food court crowd. The band recognized many faces in the audience, even the bartenders from some of the clubs that they frequently perform at. As in past years, some of the best entertainment occurred in front of the stage with various eccentrics grooving to the music and dancing like they just didn't care. Overall, it was an opportunity for the band to showcase it's versatility and perform some of it's most popular cover tunes over an hour and half.

IRM cut a large swath through downtown Carpentiria last night, leaving shell-shocked patrons in its path. The summer crowds have returned to this sleepy little hamlet and enjoyed rocking through the wee hours of the next day. Many people were in town for Saturday's Rods & Roses car event and they wanted to hear some rockabilly. IRM served it up and the crowd got down. Lauren, formerly bartending at O'Learys, was gracing the bar with her presence and serving up cold ones. Next is a fourth of July Street Fair in the quaint beachside resort of Ventura. Hopefully this great weather holds up and everyone can enjoy the fourth of July weekend.

It was truly a scorcher of a week in Ventura and little relief offered up by the weather gods at night. IRM once again rocked a packed house at "It's All Good" and the summer started with a tremendous amount of people doing the pub crawl down mainstreet. Did we mention summer dresses? It was enough for Scott to deploy a few wolf whistles from his aging strat throughout the night.

Maggi wandered across the street a few times during the sets and attempted to get arrested for soliciting (patrons to the establishment, that is). This has become her signature move at the club and one always guaranteed to bring a scowl to Ruben's face as he attempts to keep the beat steady during such shenanigans. There were many familiar faces in the crowd as well as some new ones that were stoked about IRM's diverse setlist. Can you stay 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and the best of today?

What is the meaning of life and where is this all leading? As far as IRM is concerned, it all leads to one place; Ventura's Fourth of July Street Fair. IRM will once again hold down the unwashed masses gathered around the food court near the main festival stage. The band will play a one and a half hour set of its best covers, and only hope that there are enough pulled pork sandwiches to go around. Be there or be somewhere else that can only suck more.

Month after month IRM enjoys a predictable cycle of rocking gigs preceded by unique witty emails. Band members are often asked who writes the emails and the answer is always the same, Maggi! How does Maggi find new themes for each one that she somehow twists and ties into something relevant to a classic rock cover band gig? We wish we knew the secret as we would have applied it in creative writing class way back in high school.

Admit it, you read every Maggi email start to finish even though you often have no intention of going to the IRM gig being promoted. You learn all kinds of trivia that could one day prove very valuable in brainiac board games or as a contestant on Jeopardy. What more could you ask for? If you find yourself asking what the hell is this person talking about, tell your two eyes to wander to the left and identify that little input box where you can offer up your email and join the unwashed masses on IRM's email list. You'll start your own free subscription to Maggi's emails, which we hear are even bigger in Japan than they are in the old US of A. All IRM asks is that you also check out an IRM gig every once in a while whenever you seek a fun night on the town!

IRM is so certain that you will enjoy an IRM gig that we offer an iron-clad 100% no excuses money-back guarantee that also applies even in cases of physical damage (unlike Fryes electronic's warranty that is never worth the purchase price). Whenever you attend a gig and find that you aren't having as much fun as you believe that you are due, just tell a band member (preferably when the band member is playing a song and intently singing lead vocals). IRM guarantees that you will promptly receive a full refund of the gig's cover charge and a very very very sincere and personalized apology from each band member (although the bassist/drummer may not be held responsible for what their surly guitar player might tell you). This offer will continue indefinitely into the future until such time that IRM actually plays a gig that requires a cover charge to hear the cover songs! Peace out.

IRM had the privilege of serenading the volunteers raising money for cancer research on Saturday afternoon. IRM rocked the crowd while perched atop a stage in the in-field of the Buena High School Football stadium. This was Chad Carlson's second year captaining a team to participate in the 24-hour walk-a-thon. This year, his team raised more than $1200 with much of the help coming from Melissa and Amy Griffin. The kids had a great time, staying up most of the night in the stadium. They sang karoake, watched movies and played all over the place. Some even walked around the track a few times.

IRM once again rocked the socks off of Main Street's It's All Good bar. The night started with a large crowd due to the exciting end of the Lakers playoff victory. It only got bigger as the night progressed and the siren song of IRM's tuneage wafted onto Main Street and lured in the unsuspecting patrons. Bartender Jimmy was the DJ during breaks and broke out some Mickey Avalon. If you haven't heard "Jane Fonda" and "My D*ck", you need to surf over to iTunes and check it out. And they say that nice jewish boys cannot rap; well, given Mickey's tatoos and colorful history as a male escort on the street of Hollywood I'm not sure that "nice" would apply. Just like a complex Pinot Noir, every sip into Mickey's simplistic beatbox and rhymes brings new pleasure. Anyway, IRM is off to do some charity work today with a free concert to the masses gathered at Buena High School Football stadium for the annual Cancer walk fundraiser. Come for the free food, free music, free exercise and topless sunbathing (males only).

IRM rocked The Star Lounge very close to Ruben's B-day. How close was it? Well, close enough for two women to bring gifts and an awesome cake that they shared with everyone. Ruben and his main squeeze are now off to Las Vegas to see if they can scare up any luck. The gig was fairly uneventful except for an incident in the second set. Some intoxicated people came in and a gentleman started dancing with a lady who had incredibly skinny legs squeezed into white pants. Ruben kept looking for panty lines but couldn't find any. Apparently she was free ballin' it that evening. Anyway, Maggi ended up giving her some underwear just in case she wanted to slip it on. Well, the drunk guy flashed a $100 bill at the band and requested some Journey. Although he was spurned by IRM as they don't know any, he dropped the bill into the band's fish bowl tip container and continued to dance. When a second drunk guy joined the heavy tipper and the white pants lady on the floor, things quickly got out of control. The second drunk guy fell into Maggi's stage space, wiping out her mic, stand and Bose controls. The bouncer picked the dude up and asked he and his friends to leave. Maggi wound up with some equipment in need of repair but at least the $100 was still sitting safely in the tip jar.

IRM rocked a ballroom full of attorneys at the Mandalay Beach resort in Oxnard. The private event was part of an continuing legal education meeting for public defenders based throughout California. These weren't the starched shirt white-shoe attorneys preening at a cocktail party, but beer-swilling liberals who support permissive drug laws. They danced early and often. With a shout-out to their clientele, they thoroughly enjoyed the Sublime tune "Smoke Two Joints." Hey, isn't medical marijuana legal in CA? Yes, but apparently the feds continue their war on drugs and regularly bust the state-legal dispensaries. All you can do is chill and wait for the man to catch up to current culture. Anyway, the event was fun and some didn't want the night to end, even though the hotel workers were giving IRM the dreaded "stink eye" as they waited for the crowd to disperse so they could change up the ballroom. The band announced their two last songs and after that, one female patron promised either male band member a special treat if they would only play one more song. IRM has played alot of gigs over the years and invariably there are always some who require just one more despite the hours of music that preceded the end. Such intoxicated patrons usually either yell at the band or throw $s at them. This was a unique approach that would have required the female to eventually kneel in front of said band member and administer a personal breath analyzer test. Anyway, the attempt fell flat as this was certainly not Vegas and there was no spirit of "what happens in Oxnard, stays in Oxnard." Yet, on an unrelated note, Mr. DelaRosa is planning to celebrate his Cinco De Mayo day birthday in Vegas with his main squeeze and has promised to place a roulette bet on lucky 33 and split the winnings with his bandmates.

The old town was hoppin' last night even before IRM took the stage (or actually corner of the floor) of It's All Good. A portion of Main Street was blocked off and hordes of skateboarders sought the autographs of people whom IRM had never heard of before. Let's face it, the middle-aged band is hopelessly out of touch with today's youthful culture. That is until they whip out their old-school classic rock that somehow still remains hip for today's youth. IRM had a fantastic crowd at It's All Good and they stayed with the band for the long night, dancing and singing like nobody was watching. This club continues to get better and better for IRM (with the exception that the venue pays IRM the least of any place they perform). Well, if things continue to build each month as they had, IRM is definitely going to ask for a raise. The club did tremendous business throughout the night, as some cute women graced the dancefloor. The night ended with a group sing-along to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Next up, a private party for Ventura's Public Defenders attending a conference.

IRM enjoyed performing at the Star Lounge. Par for the course, the venue has improved with each month. Now they have a brand new black ceiling and larger dance floor area. They still have the cleanest bathrooms in any venue in downtown Ventura. Next month, owners promised a new light show aimed at bands. That's probably good because IRM's light & sound system blew a fuse at the venue on their last song of the night. Patrons were left to an acapella version of Sweet Child of Mine. What could have caused such a problem? IRM had the same sound system, lights and fans running that they have for over a year of gigs at the Star. Wait, what was that little thing plugged into Maggi's power supply. Could it have been her little personal heater that she tried out for the gig because she was cold? We won't know for sure what caused the power outage until the CSI has finished all of their analytical tests and cleared the crime scene for Karoake on Saturday night. Yet, strong money is betting that the source of the power failure was sitting at Maggi's feet, keeping her warm. Oh ya, it was also the anniversary of King's assassination and IRM marked the occasion with the U2 tribute "Pride, In the Name of Love." At least that song didn't get cut short by the power failure.

It must be spring if the Palms again has a 90 minute wait to get a table in the dining room. After a slow winter, the venue is picking up again in anticipation of the huge summer crowds that are drawn to the quiet little coastal town. IRM had a great time playing for some old friends and making some new ones. The dance floor was rarely empty and all present seemed to enjoy the music and good times. If you haven't tried out the Palms, don't miss IRM when they play there next Month.

IRM also had a decent write up in the newspaper about its recent participation in a Camarillo Fundraiser. Check out the article in our press/reviews section on this website.

IRM had a most excellent time rocking It's All Good this past Friday night. The club was looking rather fine with the new black backdrop for the corner stage. IRM's lights have never looked better. Bartender Jimmy was blasting the tunes all night and the place was never empty when IRM started doing their thing. Whether dancing or listening to the cool tuneage, the crowd was amped from the get go. IRM substituted it's usual tip jar for a "Relay for Life" container for American Cancer Society. Patrons contributed over $50 to the container over the course of the night (way to go!!). Although Ruben offered free breast exams to check for unusual lumps, no one took him up on it except a large man with large mammories. Ruben passed on that offer and eventually left with his drum kit and dignity still intact. Next up is The Palms in Ojai, be there or be someone that's not there.

IRM had a fun time rocking out with the kids at little Johnny Messina's school fundraiser. The occasion was a fundraiser spaghetti dinner featuring a silent auction and live music by IRM. John performed drums on two songs as his proud mother, who happens to have an "in" with IRM as it's feature bass player, beamed as she sang lead vocals. John also had a friend playing guitar on the Green Day song, "American Idiot."