Ellington

After a brief first listen, you may think you are hearing just another punk band. The Street Eaters, though, prove to be more than a three-chord angst fest. Comprised only of drummer-vocalist Megan March and bassist-vocalist John Mink, you have to stop and ask yourself, "Wait—there's only two of them? Don't I hear a guitar?"

No, you don't. That's John's lush, melodic (yet still aggressive and powerful) bass playing, which seems to envelope space with layers of texture. It complements March's equally melodic, delightfully vibrant drumming. Their music has a fuzzy, vintage feel in places; the opening riff to the song "Nation Builder" is eerily reminiscent of the intro to The Doors' "L'America."

Mink says the song "Nation Builder" is specifically in response to our country "sending convicted felons to fight wars. To us, it seems like a really bizarre way to try to reform people and keep them from the path of violence. These people are fighting for these nation-building dreams of the rich and privileged."

March adds, "In the song, the character goes through the act of walking into the ocean to try to escape the world of violence."

In creating their music, the San Francisco Bay-based duo has a basic rule: be assertive and totally uncompromising. Instead of head-butting, The Street Eaters have a solid give-and-take method in their creative process that really works for them. When brainstorming for new material, they have a jam session to get the creative juices flowing and then go into the studio to record.

On occasion, March has written bass lines and given them to Mink to expand upon in his characteristically rich, gritty style. As for lyrics, March says that sometimes the melody is worked out for a song before the words come. The lyrics, however, are not merely an afterthought: "These dreams are built of death and fire ... I will swim away/ I will die today" ("Nation Builder").

Indeed, this band has many things to say. They sing about subjects you may not normally expect a punk band to address, such as domestic violence, women's reproductive rights, adequate health care and environmental issues. With all the unrest around the world, this is a band that feels it's important to remember we all have our own microcosms of problems that deserve our attention.

The Street Eaters, both born and raised in California's East Bay area, have been together for three years, but they have both played in numerous other bands, including Neverending Party, The Fleshies, Triclops!, and Harbinger. Mink claims they are "younger than the Big Bang, but older than the '90s." As it turns out, Mink is 36 and March is 28.

The Street Eaters' first album, "Rusty Eyes and Hydrocarbons," is available July 12 from http://www.bakeryoutletrecords.com. The duo is touring, including shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Reno, Denver and Milwaukee. They will rock Sam's Lounge July 2 in Jackson.