The Inkwell Rhythm Makers are a band out of Eugene, Oregon. Kit and Joe (the founding members of I.R.M.) have been playing
music togther for years. It wasn't until the summer of
2004 that they met a mysterious hobo fiddler that introduced us to two other characters named Apple and
Kate. They decided to recruit us into the Sourmash Hug Band and we spent the next year or so hitchhiking and riding trains up and down the west coast. Willis used to play with Bloody Castles Ragtime Band. Eventually there was some dispute between the members and the band broke up. One
day the saw
player from Bloody Castle's, Inga, started playing with Sourmash. Through her they started jamming with Willis. Eventually, after recording an album in the basement of our old house, the Alamo, we did some more playing and then decided to split the band up. Mike (the aforementioned mysterious fiddler) wanted to play more gypsy oriented
stuff. Joe, Kit and Willis wanted to play more
crusty, ragtime, jug band stuff.... so Sourmash went their way and we crawled into the inkwell. There are no hard feelings, everyone is still friends and
happy to play the
music we
love. Sourmash still plays all over the place and sometimes changes some members around to form the Hobogoblins, (check them both out if you get the chance). The Inkwell Rhythm Makers live in Eugene, Oregon and travel in a really
nasty red van appropriately dubbed "The Nard Mobile." Spend the night in it some time if you get the chance. P.S. they are not a jug band as much as ya'll might want it. they just can't subscribe to the title because, they don't have a jug. Simply put. But they do play "jug band"
music on top of 20's & 30's jazz, Ragtime, novelty, String Band
music, (country) blues, tunes. Along with some originals in the same vein.