Street Eaters first came together as a duo. Megan March played the drums and John No played bass. They created a barebones style of music, combining bedrock rhythms and memorable melodies to address the personal, political and social landscape they found themselves in.
“We called our music ‘truewave,’” March said. “It’s a play on the different genres that were happening at the time we got together. It sounds like what we were aiming for with our music, finding strength and truth within melody.”
March and No both played in other bands before starting Street Eaters. “When I was 16, I was a volunteer sound engineer at Gilman Street,” March said. “Growing up in a community with a thriving, local punk music scene made going on stage seem that much closer. After we became a couple, it seemed incredibly convenient to write some songs and start a band.
“At our first show, we only played two and a half songs,” March continued. “We decided to write some more and go on tour, keeping it as two-piece, so we could maximize the minimum and fit everything we needed into the car we had at the time. Over the years, we got louder and our amps got bigger.”
They booked and promoted themselves and toured North America, Europe and Japan. They started their own record label, Nervous Intent, then produced and released five albums, several singles and the Simple Distractions EP.
The sessions for Simple Distractions included Steve Oriolo on lead guitar and marked the band’s transition from a duo to a trio. “We went on tour with the Screaming Females for a few months in 2017,” March said. “One night, Marissa [Paternoster, Females lead guitarist] suggested covering the Gang of Four song, ‘Love Like Anthrax,’ live. After playing with her, it dawned on us that we could do whatever we wanted, without limiting ourselves. It opened our minds to what sonic doors could be blown open with a guitar, so we said, ‘Let’s get a guitar player.’ Steve joined us in 2018. It does make touring more complicated, but that’s life.”
The music on Simple Distractions still hews to the stripped-down style of the band, with Oriolo adding short, sharp solos and rhythmic fills. “Sophia” is a mid-tempo rave-up. Its start-and-stop rhythm creates a tense undercurrent as March sings about an AI robot torn between wanting to become human and destroying humanity. “Loose Grip” is a love song, with Oriolo’s distorted guitar textures underscoring the brisk tempo. The lyrics urge the partners to let go and be themselves.
“Letting go of control in a relationship gives someone the space to come to you,” March said.
Oriolo was busy with several other bands, so after he left, March and No invited their friend Joan Toledo to play guitar with them. “I played with her in Difficult, a side project of mine,” March said. “She’s a transwoman from Florida. She moved to the Bay Area because getting quality transition care is easier here. We were about to play our first show together when the lockdown happened.”
Unable to play live, the trio began rehearsing and writing new songs. “Joan was on the front porch with a small practice amp,” March said. “I played on a drum pad, just inside the front door. John was next to me, using a small amp. After a few months, we decided to become a pod. We started playing together in our house. After rehearsals, we’d watch TV; Joan would sleep over and we’d have breakfast together in the morning. It brought a sense of normalcy and community in that dark, dark time.”
March and No still write the songs, with Toledo’s guitar parts fitting perfectly into their wall of sound.
“Joan’s solos are really tasteful,” March said “She plays in the mid-range of the guitar neck and is very unique and textural. It adds another voice to our compositions.”
The first music released by the trio was “The Point,” an online single. It was posted on the band’s website, with a pay-what-you-wish message, telling fans the proceeds would go towards the legal costs of Toledo’s transition, such as new ID, passport and such. It was cut live, with Toledo playing a catchy lead line to complement No’s driving bass and March’s dynamic drums and mellow vocals. It describes a car barreling down I-80 with the windows rolled down, chasing the dreams of a better, different life.
“Adding Joan’s guitar has been liberating, but our style hasn’t changed,” March said. “We sound like the same band, with a little extra that wasn’t necessarily ‘missing’ before, but we’re really glad it’s there now. It’s great having a third person in the room, keeping the energy high. We have a lot of fun playing together, reading each other’s minds, making something bigger than us in our little soundproofed room.
“Putting things out digitally is great, and we’re also working on a full album that will come out in the near future,” March added. “The powerful thing about making music and art is you’re creating a different reality in space and time. It lets people feel what you’re feeling, as much as they want to let it in.”
Street Eaters will play 7pm Saturday, July 27, at Oakland’s Stay Gold Deli, 2635 San Pablo Ave. 510.350.8729. The band’s next single, “Cuts,” will be released July 26 on their website, streeteaters.com, which also lists dates for their upcoming Northwest tour.
