Color It Folk Rock

The Red Cove in Ventura is one of the few remaining classic bars, one of those places where elbow-bending is the Prime Directive, as it would be at any joint that actually has customers when it opens at 7 in the morning. In addition to quarter pool, inexpensive drinks and a cheap jukebox, the Cove rocks from time to time. This Saturday night those L.A.-based visitors in The Painted iD will provide the soundtrack for the pool players. They better learn “Born to Be Wild.”

The band is named after the “iD,” that thing Freud concocted, and not that thing the cops are always asking about during embarrassing early morning chats. Attempting to end forever the Id-I.D. debate, the band thoughtfully quoted the dictionary on the label of its second and most recent CD. To wit: “id: one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is completely unconscious and is the source of psychic energy derived from instinctual needs and desires.”

And the “Painted” portion of the name is relevant as well. Here is a band that actually demands more of its audience than simply blind adulation and the purchase of a CD, or so says lead singer Tori Solomon.

“Every gig has a personality of its own. For just about every gig we bring a drop cloth and set up an easel with paint, then we ask the audience to contribute to the painting. We have seven paintings so far, and each has its own personality. We did one at the Daily Grind in Ventura and all the painters were . . . 15-year-old girls.”

In addition to Solomon, the iDs of note include guitar player Peter De Baets, Barry Schapira on drums and Ricardo Belled on bass. Together, they don’t rock, but they’re not supposed to, and thus, no mosh pit should impede the proceedings. It’s mostly acoustic music with strong vocals from Solomon.

“It’s folk rock with some pop, more or less. I write the lyrics and Peter writes the music. Lyrically, I want the songs to be thought-provoking, and not just ‘oooh baby, oooh baby, oooh. . . .’ We do originals--we’re not a cover band.”

The iDs have been around for five years, and have done the L.A. music thing to the point where they are tired of the L.A. music thing. The band has been playing a lot in Ventura recently. Why? For one, De Baets wants to move to the county; for another, have you been to L.A. lately?

“We’ve played in L.A. for four years, and sold tons of CDs. I think Peter wants to move to Ventura because he was the one who got us all those gigs up there. He just drove up there and stopped at every place he thought would have live music and left them a CD,” Solomon said. “We like the Ventura thing and we want to build a fan base up there. People actually go out to hear music in Ventura.”

* The Painted iD at the Red Cove, 1809 E. Main St., Ventura, Saturday, 9 p.m. Cost: free. 643-1101.

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In other news, Chicago West, that place out on the west end of Ventura, has not only been open for months, but has been having live bands lately on weekends. Which live bands? Why, local bands not dance-friendly enough for Bombay or Nicholby’s seem to have found a home at Chicago West.

Friday night, it’s Oxnard punk legends Ill Repute along with Slam Alice (which includes members of the Ace Frehley Fan Club) and Fang Boy & the Ghouls. Saturday night, it’s DJ music with Guy Coombes, but also live performances by the Loudhounds and Throttle.

The venue is on the westernmost end of Main Street--if you get to the Ventura River bridge, then you have gone too far. The site was formerly a cowboy bar called the Chapparal Club, then a rock ‘n’ roll heaven as the Midnight Hour, then The Bar, and now Chicago West. These days, the restroom works and the roof doesn’t leak, so it’s all good news at that end of town.

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There’s even more good news for local bands: Nicholby’s in Ventura is ready to rock out again. It was down to one or two nights of original music a week, but will soon be doing live music six nights a week. Owner Nick Taylor has hired Bill Benson, former guitar player for Raging Arb & the Redheads, to book the bands.

Nicholby’s is the venue that has acquainted local music fans with such artists as The Uninvited, Tito & Tarantula, Willie Chambers, Barrelhouse, Kathleen Wilhoite, Danny Blitz & the Jet Age Hoods, the Ziggens, the Rugburns and Eve 6, while also supporting local rock stars such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Raging Arb, Euphoria and Bloody Mary Morning. With these changes in the works, naturally, this means no more Boogie Knights on Saturdays. Oh, well.

’ We like the Ventura thing and we want to build a fan base up there. People actually go out to hear music in Ventura.’