Inna Rude Mood: News

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."

IRM attempted to spread Valentine's Day cheer at Good but was denied by the limited number of patrons. It all started when the owner of Good asked IRM to change from it's normal Friday night gig to the Thursday night, in an attempt to capture more business from a VD crowd. The band was skeptical and has always avoided gigs that don't fall on a weekend night. Although the people who did show seemed to enjoy themselves, it was a fairly empty venue for most of the night as IRM bashed out their uptempo classic rock sets. The sidewalks of downtown Ventura were mostly deserted and it seems like many party people decided to postpone VD revelry to Friday night. We'll see, as members of IRM attempt to make up Good's VD massacre to their significant others that were left behind.

IRM rocked The Palms in Carp last night with some new tuneage from Mr. Jackson, Mr. Wonder and Mr. Nowell. Many familiar faces in the audience and some striking new ones as well. Lauren, bartender formerly from O'Learys, was holding down the fort behind the bar for the night in her new digs, The Palms. The wolves were on the hunt and quickly surrounded any isolated ovary that took the dance floor. The pair of ovaries grinding their way through the night attracted much interest but all were eventually denied as, apparently, this pair was really into themselves in the biblical way. Sounds good to me. Next stop on IRM's 2008 world tour will be a special one-off Valentines Day gig this Thursday night at It's All Good in downtown Ventura. Pair up with your favorite pair of ovaries or testicles and join in the fun.

IRM hit the shores of It's All Good last night and performed like barking seals for the masses of seamen and seawomen who washed up into the reef. Per usual, at least a few friendly faces were in the crowd, some of whom IRM hadn't seen in a while. Good to see that everyone's enjoying the start of the New Year.

The owner of It's All Good asked IRM to move it's usual 3rd Friday of the month slot ahead one day to line up with Valentine's Day. IRM agreed, despite the negative comments and reaction from significant others and spouses. Does this mean that Ruben and Scott are off the hook this Valentine's Day from making any effort whatsoever? Probably not, but they are likely to start out in the doghouse and will need to do something worthwhile later that weekend if they want to get back into good graces with the womanfolk. Does this mean that you now have a fun place to gather after your Valentine's DInner where you no longer have to engage in meaningless chatter and feign interest in your dinner partner's day? A place where you can further liquor up and lose any lingering inhibitions prior to engaging in that perverted activity that you have been planning for weeks? A place where you can test the waters by dancing dirty and women can receive IRM signature thong underwear if they forgot to wear their own pair? A place where you can limber up and stretch your appendages adequately enough to attempt that unusual position later in the evening without throwing your back out? If this is the type of experience you have been waiting for this Valentine's Day, look no further and make sure that you stop by It's All Good for a nightcap on Valentine's Day. Even if you don't have a date and feel like a loser, don't sit at home stewing over your wasted life, instead join IRM and see if one of them will dance with you. If you are really lucky, maybe Ruben will sing a special song verse to you and ask that you accompany him home to spend the night. Apparently it doesn't seem to matter whether you are male or female, much to the chagrin of his significant other. I guess they are always open to a threesome.

IRM regrouped in 2008 with a kickoff gig at Frankys. Every time IRM performs at Frankys, the owner has always upgraded the restaurant/bar in some manner. This time was no different as much of the interior showed recent signs of a facelift. The owner, Joe, has some new partners and all have big plans for the business. We wish them much luck going forward.

friends showed up to groove and IRM shook off the rust from an extended break over the Holidays. IRM debuted a few new tunes and the crowd was into paryting mood. Not one, but two Birthdays were celebrated. Darryl and TIffany each had a posse of celebrants partying through the night. Towards the end of the gig, a killer blonde with friends showed up and had fun dancing and singing along to some tunes. Ends up the killer blonde was Terri Nunn, the lead singer of Berlin. You know, the band in the 80s with hits such as "No More Words," "Take My Breath Away," "Sex," and "The Metro." Apparently she had just performed an acoustic set at the Pierpont Inn for a children's charity event and was looking to unwind with her friends. Unfortunately IRM didn't know any Berlin material so that she could jam with the band, however, Terri was excited to receive a pair of signature IRM thong underwear. Apparently on the right person, it can serve as either women's undergarments or a fashionable pirate eyepatch. We even have the blurry iPhone picture to document this momentous occasion. Onward and forward.

IRM banged out a double-header this weekend respectively at It's All Good and The Palms. The Friday night crowd at Good swelled to one of IRM's largest of the whole year. People were out in downtown Ventura ready to P A R T Y. Standing room only as various party people got their groove on with their best dance moves. Yes, we did see a few people doing the "dice move" too many times (just like in the movie "Knocked Up"). What can you say when you have so many funky white people packed into such a small place. IRM debuted the full spectacle of their upgraded LED light system and, despite Ruben complaining of burned retinas, the system seemed an improvement from the past floodlights.

Saturday night brought a date with the slutty little Palms in Carp. The restaurant and town were nearly deserted when IRM was setting up but quickly came to life when the first squeal of feedback escaped from Maggi's too hot mic. The party people slunk from all dark corners of the town (similar to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video) and quickly gathered at the only live place in town. Although there were rumors of a fight in the men's room, it turned out to just be a few of the fellas messing around. What is it about Ruben's male Latino cousins and their inability to keep their shirts on in the Palms? Not sure, but it happened once again. IRM knew what to do whipped out their sublime tunes for a low-rider sign-a-long. One girl in the group got a little carried away and apparently believed she was still working at the Spearmint Rhino, rather than it really being just her night off. Anyhoo, she went down on the floor and did some things with her long legs that would be inappropriate to describe here. But if you want to know, just ask Ruben as he couldn't keep his eyes off this fetching Latina. Speaking of Ruben, he doesn't deserve his girllfriend. She is the most loyal fan he has ever had and helps him almost every gig with his equpment. She is simply the best at handling his equipment. Not only that, but she often handles Scott's equipment as well. And if that weren't enough, she has even been known to handle Maggi's equipment. Maybe some day Ruben will make an honest woman of her, but I wouldn't hold my breath as she apparently is not waiting for a visit from Jared anytime soon.

IRM is off for a few weeks and hopes to see you in the new year. The band promises to learn some new tunes and freshen things up for 2008. Enjoy the Holidays and we'll see you on the other side.

2007 has been a most enjoyable year for IRM and there is only one more weekend of gigs before a little holiday break. The band would like to thank everyone who supported them over the past year and flip off those who did not. IRM has harvested quite a few email addresses with real people attached to them over the past years and we love that some fans show up regardless of zero advertising in the local rags. A very special and warm thanks go out to the Messinas, Carlsons and Melissa/Amy combination. Melissa wins the prize for attending the most gigs in 2007, followed closely by John. Yes, Melissa is still alright, even though she refuses to dance ever and totally dominated both Ruben and Scott in Fantasy Football this season!

Looking ahead into next year, IRM has already locked in a monthly gig at their three favorite hangouts, Ventura's "It's All Good" & "The Star Lounge" and Carp's "The Palms." It's doubtful that the band will gig much more beyond that as a certain guitarist bandmember's work commitments are expected to increase in the first six months of 2008. But, don't let that fool you, even when Scott is supposedly working at the various trade association conventions that he attends, he always manages to work in some fun. You can see in this picture how he recently was insulted by none other than the very old comic, Don Rickles. Jesus, Scott looks almost as bad as this guy who could be his grandfather. Although Don smelled like cabbage and told Scott he looked the Nazi in "Sound of Music", Scott was able to eventually pry the mic out of the old man's fingers and sling a few insults in Don's face as well. Apparently that is not usually the case with Don's chosen targets and after sharing the audience's laugh at his expense, Don hugged Scott and told him that his wife was very good the prior night.

IRM rocked O'Learys for the last time after deciding not to book a monthly gig for 2008. It was a band decision of just having too many venues to book on a monthly basis and too few available dates to gig.

IRM first started playing at O'Learys in 2001 when downtown Ventura was dead and people went to the East side clubs for nightlife. Over the years, the downtown area has become the local hub for people seeking live music and dancing while O'Learys has turned into more of a sports bar for darts, shuffleboard and pool players. IRM's set has evolved over the years away from blues and catering more to a dancing crowd, so their gigs have been much better attended at downtown's dance clubs. With day jobs and family obligations competing for limited weekend nights, IRM needed to prioritize gigs for 2008 and O'Learys drew the short straw. IRM left the door open to play at O'Learys again in the future and wishes the owners much success. The last gig was fairly typical with 2/3rds of the bar ignoring the band while the few others danced and got into the groove. IRM will soon wrap up their 2007 gigs over the next two weekends and then take an extended holiday break for a fresh return in the new year.

IRM celebrated the Thanksgiving Day weekend with a double-bagger of gigs. First up, the legendary Palms restaurant in the sleepy hollow of Carpinteria. The locals pretty much slept through the gig but the band brought it's own cheering section of youngsters from Southern parts unknown. After grilling their own steaks and getting hopped up on caffeinated beverages, they proceeded to take over the dance floor and show the oldsters how it's done. It just might have been the most active "dinner set" that IRM has ever played at the Palms. Once the kids got kicked out at 10:30pm, the place became inhabited by the denizens of the local campgrounds. Apparently, it was so cold at the campsite that the parents decided they needed to fuel up on alcohol in order to survive the night. One such happy camper was a guy who identified himself as the original "Bubba" (aka, the owner and namesake of the Thompson Avenue dive bar that spawned the first few gigs of the scrappy upcomer, Rude Mood). He got a little too excited during Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and lept across the stage banister to land on top of Ruben's drum set. Wait, did I mention that Bubba weighed at least 380 pounds and believed he had the mobility of a swan lake ballerina? Well, things didn't turn out too good for him. He fell backward into Ruben's drum kit and almost crushed Ruben along with the tom tom drum siting atop the kick drum. He then lept over the rail and fell onto the dance floor as steam began to escape from Ruben's ears. Later Bubba apologized to Ruben and tried to impress him with a story about he had once spit into Kurt Cobain's mouth while working security at a double-header gig in LA that featured Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine. We cannot say that Ruben was impressed because he really was not.

Things went much better for Ruben on Saturday night at Frankys. Although no one was present at 8:59pm, once the clock struck 9pm, the club crawlers slunk into Frankys. The crowd was up for a good time and Frankys was soon turned into Studio 54 with owner Joe's flashing light show. It's a different type of crowd that finds Frankys, usually one that did not intend to go out dancing. They walk past the club and cannot help but check out the scene. As a result, IRM picked up some new names for it's e-mail list and handed out some thong underwear to some hotties. Anyway, we'll see if the one in the wife-beater t-shirt returns for part two next weekend.

IRM played it's first wetting down party at a private shindig thrown by a bunch of seamen. Apparently it's traditional for advancing Navy pilots to spend a portion of their paycheck on a party for their friends. Then their friends thank them for the generosity by throwing them in the drink. Here, we weren't on a ship but we did have quick access to Oxnard's own Love Canal in the rear yard. Or, they could have just put them in the center of the room for a group golden shower of thanks. But no, nothing of that sort took place as people were too busy having their own good time. In this case, it was a great group of guys who are serving in the Navy out of Point Magu. Some fly planes onto aircraft carriers that sail out of San Diego. The bed-wetters were Dave (Raw Dog), Nate (Benedict), Mike (Poon-Kakes) and Will (TUFI). We just want to point out that Raw Dog also means War God when the letters are rearranged but that's a little off subject. Anyway, they are renting a great party house in Oxnard and had everything needed for a good time. A bartender named Clint, a beer pong table, a keg tapped from inside a refrigerator, a roaring backyard fire, a margarita machine, a pinata & ax handle, pigs in a blanket, thirsty people, a fog mahcine and, of course, IRM. In fact, if we could find anything to complain about it would have to be the ratio of men to women. There were way too many guys drinking alone as the poles far outnumbered the holes. The band rocked the party and kicked it into high gear when it eventually turned into karoke night. First off, Moonpie gave his best Johnny Cash impression on Cocaine Blues and RIng of Fire. Then, Mike of Poon-Kakes fame belted out Sweet Child of Mine and Enter Sandman. Finally, the four guys throwing the party gave their best on a rendition of Louie Louie. Luckily no one was recording the jam session so we can still claim that everyone who performed was an excellent singer. All in all, it's great to see that the military is made up of such great people and let's all hope that these guys don't find harms way and continue to enjoy life. IRM blue flames it all the way up to Carpenteria this weekend so check it out after you gorge on turkey.

Well, IRM rocked the house at It's All Good last night amid much drinking and general debauchery. Friends were plentiful in the audience, with even Captain Ron from Ohio making a rare appearance and scaring all the single women. He was in town to shape up John's sailboat and prepare it for the journey South for the winter. He was telling his usual tall tales and even took a turn at the mic later in the evening, doing his best Marty Robbins impersonation to some Johnny Cash tunes. Did I say that some bass players were in the house? Ok, I"ll say it. Some bass players were in the house. Another killer blonde who claimed to be Maggi's bass teacher strapped it on for a song or two and showed that more than one chick knows how to finger a G string properly and rock some classic rock tunes. Later in the evening, a bass player who claimed to have played with Steve Miller jumped onto the stage (well the area that a stage would have supported the band had there actually been more than just a level concrete floor) and strapped on his upside down top-to-bottom stringed bass, looking like a wild Jimi Hendrix. He soon began beating the tar out of the strings and jumping around like a mad man on some superfine funk bass lines. After a few tunes that got the crowd on their feet, he called out for some Jimi Reed and then proceeded to lay a swath of funk that cut through downtown Ventura and can still be smelled today if the wind is blowing in the proper direction. All in all, it was a good night at the club but not the best since much of the audience called it an early night and left the band holding their proverbial jock straps for the third set. Luckily just as the empty seats outnumbered the ones with cheeks, a gaggle of Navy seamen pilots stormed the club and injected some new life. Well, it's likely more of the same tonight as IRM has engaged itself to perform at their private event in some supersecret hanger location in Oxnard. If you never hear from IRM again, just send the search party to Oxnard with instructions to sniff out any place with an inordinate amount of empty containers that once held some type of alcoholic beverage.

IRM had a great time performing at the Star Lounge in downtown Ventura last night. All the signs of a hot night were present before the opening bell for the first set as Cowboy Will loomed into view and Melissa grabbed her favorite table across from Ruben. People kept filling the place like sardines in a tin can and the new dance floor took a lickin' while displaying the light show recently improved by Maggi. IRM test drove some of their new tunes as many friends showed up for the evening and even more interesting interpretive dancers broke out their best moves. After singing Happy Birthday to a patron, the band slipped into overdrive and the capacity crowd kept wanting more, even as the set was set to wrap up. IRM bowed to peer pressure and played three more songs until finally throwing in the towel on the evening, sending the throngs back into the streets upon completion of last call. Overall, the gig was one of the more memorable ones for the band and bodes well for the venue in 2008 as IRM has already committed to playing the first Friday of every month next year. If you haven't been to the Star Lounge ever (or even in the past six months), do yourself a favor and check it out. Since being under new ownership, the place gets nicer every month and the next scheduled improvement is a raising of the ceiling and coverage with cool black ceiling tiles. This will improve the acoustics of the venue even further and set it up to be a destination spot for party-people in search of great live music.

IRM enjoyed performing at It's All Good this past Friday night, once again connecting with many new people. The club "It's All Good" continues to get better for IRM everytime that they play it. The night started with many local musicians relaxing with a drink and checking out IRM during the first set. Downtown Ventura is establishing such a great live venue scene that there are many places for patrons to hop from as they hit each bar in the scene. Good probably still has the best location of them all given its huge windows overlooking the middle of Main Street and prime location next to the movie theater that dumps out fresh meat every half-hour or so. LIke a spider attracting flies to its enticing web, the movie goers first peer into Good's storefront and then soon join in the revelry inside the club.

In contrast, O'Leary's has been struggling lately due to its location. It's really too bad since this has been a great social gathering spot through the years and the owners work hard to maintain an inviting atmosphere. Once a destination spot for neighborhood denizens on the East side near the Government center, its popularity has taken a huge hit with the emergence of popular new clubs in downtown Ventura. With those clubs staying open until 2am now, they even struggle to attract the "last call" crowd that used to fill up the place even on dead nights. IRM performed at O'Leary's as best they could on Saturday night but failed to generate much excitement from the small crowd. Did I say small? It was so small that IRM knew almost all of the patrons in the place, including the owners who were trying their best to be excellent hosts. IRM did have some fun playing some tunes that they hadn't played for a while and also, late into the third set, they took requests from the 4 remaining patrons in the club. It didn't matter that IRM didn't know the songs, they played the requests anyway and even let one of the female patrons sing some karoake to a song she had requested. Except she was more drunk than anyone had anticipated and quickly forgot the words once the spotlight was on her performance. See, it's not as easy as it seems when you're singing along in the seats. If you don't know the words cold, you often cannot remember them and it's easy to panic with a blank mind. That's of course why Ruben still carries the words to "Funky White Boy" to every gig and glances at them despite having sung the tune for more than six years and on thirteen different continents (actually I made that last part up, but not the part about needing to look at the lyric sheet every gig). If you don't believe me, check him out whenever he sings. Anyway, did I say that no one was in O'Leary's near the end of the third set? Well, that's how Maggi was able to walk the entire length of the bar during the last song and not have to worry about kicking over a drink or step on someone's hand. IRM has enjoyed performing at O'Leary's for the past six years. We've made many friends and enjoyed countless good time. But, there is only time for so many gigs each month due to band members other lives and, going forward, IRM will not be gig monthly at O'Learys once the new year starts. So, if you want to catch IRM playing their final two 2007 gigs at O'Leary's, then come on down the first Saturday of November and December. Be sure to request a song, any song, and IRM will play it if you also happen to only be one of a few people sitting in the bar at the time.

IRM had an outstanding weekend with fun gigs at Star Lounge and Palms. First up was Star Lounge on Friday night. The crowd was amped and cowboy Will kicked up the energy at the first song with his enthusiastic dancing. Who is cowboy Will you say? We're still not sure but he showed up with a cowboy hat and the women in the bar couldn't keep their eyes off of him. Like a male exotic dancer, he shook his thing while executing splits, twirls and skippy jumps. Ruben was definitely jealous of Will's dancing skills, especially after Ruben's dorky dance performance. The crowd swelled quickly and often, with another outstanding evening ripping it up at the Star Lounge. It now features a new wooden dance floor and still has the best maintained public restrooms of any dive bar.

Saturday was the avocado festival in downtown Carpenteria and the biggest night of the year at the Palms. Security was on hand to keep the large crowd outside the club calm as they waited for the capacity Palms to empty. But who would leave such excitement? IRM could not believe their eyes when Cowboy Will showed up for the second night of the row. Is this a new stalker for bassist Maggi, or just some guy in a cowboy hat, tank top and tight jeans who truly loves to dance? It turned out to be the latter. Will joined the capacity crowd of dancing fools and everyone had a great time. Does IRM have any pictures to show the widespread mirth and merriment? Of course not because no one brought a camera. Well, there's always next year.

Once again, IRM had a most excellent time rockin' the fun crowd at The Palms. The night always starts with a low-key dinner set while restaurant patrons scarf up remaining tidbits. Then, at about 9:45pm, the band gets to crank it up and place really rocks. In addition to some very friendly regulars who live in Carp, there is always fresh meat checking out the club for the first time. The crowd was ready to party on Saturday night and IRM started to cook. IRM pounded them into submission with classic rock and funk songs, until few were left standing beyond the IRM trio when the final call bell rang at 12:45am.

On a sidenote, why is it that a drummer, who can keep time until the cows come home, doesn't have any rhtymn when it comes to dancing. IRM has certainly seen it's share of awful dancing over the years, but nothing compared to the spectable of Ruben shaking his thing with two girls while a guest drummer pounded his skins. Now we understand why Melissa never dances. She doesn't want to encourage the broken dancing machine inside Ruben from coming out and revealing it's ugly form. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he dances better to Latin music. I don't know about you, but I highly doubt it!

One final thing, Scott always enjoys talking about guitars and equipment with any guitarist during any break. But, please don't ask to sit in with IRM. This has only happened a few times over the past 7 years of the band and has always ended in regret. It always seems to be a guitarist who's had a few drinks and believes he's going to show the crowd how great of a guitar player he truly is. These things never end well as the deck is stacked against the player. It's challenging enough to play guitar in a trio since every mistake is naked for everyone to hear. When you've never rehearsed with the bass/drummer, you don't really know the song as well as you think you do, it's not your guitar/amp and you've had a few drinks, the performance never lives up to expectations. If you're one of these guitar players, do yourself and everyone else a favor, DON'T ASK TO PERFORM! If IRM wants to jam with you, they'll ask you. But they probably won't because IRM is being paid to perform for a crowd and that doesn't include an open mic talent show. Finally, if you do ask to play and are told "no," don't get angry and sulk in front of the band for a set with your arms crossed, giving the band the death stare. You put out a negative vibe that makes the gig much less enjoyable. Final, Final, if IRM eventually relents and let's you play so that you'll stop sending out negative vibes, don't stand with the guitar "working on your tone" while the band is expected to start playing. You probably are a most excellent guitar player and just need to find your own band and gig. When that happens, one thing you can count on is that Scott will never come to your gig and beg to perform in your place.

IRM rocked the house at "It's All Good" last night. This club on Ventura's Main street has turned into a great little club. Located adjacient to the movie theater, it benefits from fresh meat everytime a move empties out. Owner, Lisa, has been running the joint for a year and works hard so people can enjoy her place. The crowd is generally a mix of young and middle-aged, with the 40s crowd leaving around midnight and the youngsters hanging in until closing.

Last night was typical, with 12 people present when IRM set up and then quickly swelling to capacity by the third song of the first set. The only wierd thing about the place is that it often empties out for a while when the band goes on break. I guess that's the result of so many good bars to hop around in downtown area now. But, soon as the music cranked up, the place with build back to capacity. Last night's crowd was amped and ready to party. There was a lot of energy in the room and many dancers.

Maggi tested the limits of her wireless bass as she roamed the club. At one point she walked outside, crossed the street and was playing on the sidewalk across from the club. I guess people can hear the band pretty good from outside as well. Anyway, the venue is perfect size for IRM's Bose units and the overall sound is crystal clear without being too loud. Come check it out the third Friday of each month. IRM just reupped for all of 2008, so you'll know where to find us on the 3rd Friday of each month in 2008.

Next victim is the Palms in Carp where Maggi is expecting a big crowd of friends. Let's see if they show or blow.

IRM blasted through three sets off classic rock gold last night at O'Leary's second biggest celebration of the year. What, you've never heard of Half-Way to Saint Patricks Day Party? Well, truthfully, neither had IRM, But, it doesn't take much of an excuse to party hardy at O'Learys and plenty of people got their groove on. IRM enjoyed returning to the performance space in the rear of the bar and had a straight shot across the bar's midsection.

Next weekend, It's All Good and the Palms. Peace Out!

IRM rocked the Star Lounge in downtown Ventura last night. The venue is always pretty hot and this evening, there were barhoppers galore. Some fine fine fine ladies in black dresses captured Ruben's attention while he sang his funk tunes. He kept peeking at their dirty dancing through his sunglasses, but his girlfriend was on to that move. Ruben was feeling pretty good about himself, since his fantasy football team's QB, Peyton Manning, had such a strong performance in Thursday nights matchup with the Saints.

The Star Lounge manager asked IRM to sign up for another long term commitment of first Friday of the month dates. The band likes the venue and has agreed to it. So, look for IRM at the Star Lounge on the first Friday of every month in 2008, except in January when band is on vacation hiatus.

Next up is the oddity that is O'Leary's second biggest bash of the year. Of course the number one date is always the Saint Patrick's Day party. And the astute owners get more mileage out of it by holding a half-way to Saint Patricks Day party in September of each year. IRM is headlining that date rather than their usual First Saturday of the night gig. Put on your green and come out to enjoy the party!

IRM had a wonderful time performing at a friend's block party yesterday afternoon. Yes the temps were sweltering but the beer was cold and the party people were hot. Hey, who among you said that Ventura teachers don't know how to party? They waved their hands like they just didn't care and generally let it all hang loose in the middle of the street. All in all, it shaped up for one great celebration.

The gig featured a "bands reunited" moment worthy of VH1. The members of internationally ignored Fido hadn't played together for a few months and, being all present and accounted for at the party, hit the stage to the roaring crowd's approval to blow through some Pretenders and Talking Heads. Leader Karen Reynosa was in fine form, belting out lead vocs and playing with her trademark slashing rhythmn guitar style. Karen promised the crowd that the band would soon enter rehearsals for a long-awaited tour of Ventura's hottest dive bars. Keep posted for new developments.

IRM performed at "It's All Good" last night for the second time this month. The gig made up for a scheduling mishap in June whereby the band didn't show up for a gig due to a misunderstanding on dates. About five people were in the house for the first tune and then it quickly swelled to capacity within a few songs. The Good thing about the club is it's excellent location for attracting barflys like, well flys on shit. Located between Main streets Movie theater and Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor, it's a can't miss destination even for those who didn't know that they wanted to have a drink and check out some live club entertainment.

The crowd swelled during the second set almost as large as Ruben's head after a decent gig. All eyes in the house were on the cute blonde with the little red pants who was shaking her thing with a female posse. At least two people were celebrating Birthdays and then that number swelled as IRM started handing out free thong underwear to celebrants. Everything was going great and then the girl in the red pants decided to depart during IRM's third set and, we are not kidding, had half the bar following in her wake. Actually, it was probably just bedtime for the older folks who don't tend to party until 1am like the younger folk. IRM ended the evening taking requests and playing anthem rockers to the diehard party people. Next up is a private shindig for a friend celebrating a completed divorce.

IRM destroyed wimpy music at two local venues this past weekend by putting forth an awesome display of classic rock aggression. First up was "It's All Good" in the heart of the revitalized downtown Ventura. The band cranked up the setlist and unleashed it upon the awaiting hordes. Alright, there wasn't truly a "horde" until the start of the second set, but they did release the beast nonetheless. There were simultaneous Birthday parties going on, and you know those are hard to come by. Each Birthday featured a young lady prepped for partying. With friends buying shots by the tray-full, it wasn't long before one birthday girl was trying on her new IRM thong underwear and giving the crowd a fashion show. The other eventually ended up vomiting in the bathroom for 15 minutes, but let's not put a damper on that fine fine fine evening.

Next up was the sleepy hamlet of Carpenteria. Not much really goes on in that town when the sun goes down, however, what life remains tends to crawl and slink it's way into the Palms on Linden Avenue (again, the heart of Carp's downtown). IRM is fortunate to count the hardest partiers in Carp among the entitled e-mail recipients of witticisms from Maggi. They came out in full force this evening and, surprise surprise, one was even celebrating a 50th Birthday. His party (let's just call him Jim for sake of argument) began strongly in the first set with a special song and a bouquet of balloons tied to his butt. Let's just say that IRM hasn't seen so many balloons coming from a man's butt since the drug mule for the DelaRosa cartel was finally captured in San Diego with 10 lbs of cocaine working its way through his small colon. Anyway, Maggi was in rare form during the night, using her wireless contraption to do it on the sidewalk and on the street. As she was bragging about her many talents as a skilled pianist. She admitted that she played a grand piano and also like to play an upright organ when offered the chance. Well, what can you say about such a multi-talented multi-tasker from the rural enclave of Camarillo. Melissa and Amy were in the house, with Amy proudly showing off her unbraced perfect teeth.

Well, next up is the IRM Fantasy Football league draft day. Ruben, Melissa and Scott will each have a team and you can keep posted to this column to see how eventually comes out on top. The serious money is all gravitating to Melissa's projected team since Ruben announced his attention to choose all Ram players. Wow, wonder how well that team will do the week or two that the Rams have a "bye" game during the season. Stay tuned or just ignore the whole thing. It really doesn't matter.

IRM had a decent night at O'Learys. A decent sized crowd was present and in the mood to hear some rock but not dance. No problem! IRM put "Funky White Boy" style tunes on the back-burner and cranked up the classic rock for the appreciate throng. Aerosmith's "Dream On" was greeted with loud shouts that startled Maggi until she realized that they were shrieks of appreciation. IRM also pulled out some new additions to the setlist like "White Rabbit," "Come On" and "I Love Rock & Roll."

Later in the week, Franky's owner Joe contacted IRM to try and get them back for a few dates. After realizing that Aug/Sept were already too full with gigs, a new date in late October and November were added. Finally, at a rare rehearsal, IRM broke out some new potential tunes that will debut in some upcoming gigs. Keep your ears open for "Hey Ya!", "Rehab", "Tainted Love", "Wall of Sleep", "Radar Love", and "Redneck Woman." Yes, that's "Redneck Women", the country-western tune. IRM has long spurned requests from the audience to play some of the new-fangled country-western tunes. But, after checking out some of the new artist's offerings, they discovered that the CW songs were really just like classic rock tunes with the familiar I-IV-V blues progression. We'll see how this fares and then determine whether this is the first of many or the last. In the meantime, Maggi's off to Utah and will return for next weekend's gigs.

Oh ya, one final thing. Ruben's chicka of many years took some pics of recent IRM gigs that now appear in the photos section. Look for Mr. Ruben with his cute Mickey Mouse ears worn for his Birthday party on Cinco de Mayo. What, is he six years old or something?

IRM did their best to light a fire under the sedated crowd at the Star Lounge last night. Although there were sparks flying from some notable exceptions, the night never really took off out of third gear. Maybe it was the Tanya Tucker show at the Ventura County Fair that attracted all the usual rabble-rousers from this great dive bar. Or, maybe it was the 4H sheep show. Who knows, IRM can only hope for better days at O'Learys this evening. The Ventura County Fair, which apparently tried to win a prize this year for featuring the worst burnt out entertainers, has REO Speedwagon on it's main stage. That's right, REO Speedwagon. "Heard it from a friend, who-----heard it from a friend, who-----heard it from another" that your band sucked in the 70s and continues to suck today.

IRM did make a few new friends. There were visiting surfers from Pismo beach, in town to test Ventura/Oxnard/Malibu's best surfing spots. Also, Jim and his wife from Santa Clarita were fun to speak with about guitar gear. Maggi made a new friend with an English accent who liked to talk about books. And Ruben, we'll let's just say that he finally convinced Melissa and her fine sister to grace the Star Lounge with their presence and he wasn't letting them out of his sight. All in all, how can you go wrong when the Pizza/Pizza man shows up with $5 pepporoni pizzas exactly when you need some carbs to wash down with the beer/wine.

IRM served up some delicious classic rock to the hungry crowd at the Palms last night. There were not one, but two, wedding parties in the house and the people were primed for a good time. One bride to be (Kimeree?) particularly liked dancing to Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" and then immediately requested Aretha Franklin's "Respect." Her groom-to-be better watch his step once that marriage kicks into gear or he may turn into one of those unfortunte late night overboard casualties that sometimes afflicts newly married couples on their honeymoon cruise. IRM also spotted guest drummer Carrie in the audience and pulled him on stage to lay down the beat for SRV's "Cold Shot." Later in the evening, he also teamed up with his guitarist friend Billy to kick out the jams on some Led Zep and AC/DC. Oh the horror!!!

IRM's live sound was the best ever, if I may say so myself (and I will). Scott finally mastered his new Bose system and produced the best drum, guitar and vocals tones that had appeared in a long time. Linking up 4 subwoofers for the new Bose kick drum preset did wonders for the lower register and everyone in that place felt a wallop in the chest each time Ruben's foot worked the kick drum pedal. Also, Maggi had a new preset for her vocal mic that had it cutting through the mix like a hot knife through warm butter. Some treble tweaks to her bass also removed the mud that had been slogging down her tone and her bass tone was able to sparkle through the night without having to overcompensate with volume. With the updated Bose system, IRM is going to change from three to two systems for regular sized gigs and will still fill the room with clear sound as never before. Come on down and hear it for yourself. Next stop on this ongoing rock-n-roll tour of great dive bars is the nationally-ignored Star Lounge in downtown Ventura.