STREET EATERS RETURN TO TOTAL FEST.

Last year I had the wonderful, chance opportunity to walk in on a set by a band called Street Eaters at Total Fest IX and we're happy to announce that they'll be returning to Missoula this summer. I've always had a soft spot for two-piece bands, but to be honest, I'd gotten kinda burnt out on the novelty that many other bands have made of it, but this East Bay husband and wife, Johnny Geek and Megan March took the stage with bass and drums and totally killed it. Their songs are a fresh and explosive mash-up of post-punk and riot grrl inspired sounds with plenty of melody, hooks and occasionally, a bit of heavier, rhythmic bludgeoning to round things out. Top that off with a fascination for the natural world, camping, river fun and underwater exploration. All in all, a perfect fit for us fellow nature dorks in Missoula.

Megan and Johnny have been touring like crazy since they came through last year, have released a couple new EPs, and are about to drop a new full length record on super rad labels Plan-It-X and Bakery Outlet. Here's a fun video with some great bits of live footage (from last year's Total Fest) but there's plenty more great videos out there if you do some exploring:

STREET EATERS: EAT EAT EAT.

Errrr, speaking of things we're all kinds of fanned out on, howabout John Geek's bands/projects? Freakin' Triclops! somehow a band that did the heretofore unthinkably undoable and made punk rock and prog rock at the same time. It doesn't sound like it'd be a good idea, but when Triclops! did it, it was such a good thing. Back in '08, man, when Triclops! played Total Fest VII, their set blew more minds than really anthing that year. John made crowdsurfing work, even though the music wasn't exactly what you'd call "totally conducive" to that sort of thing.

Then of course you've got the mighty Fleshies, whose blown out, strained, desperate and hopeful (and participatory) punk rock made my Show of the Year List at least two years consecutively. No other band could have a dude in cop outfit, a guitar player named Mattowar and a usually naked, spastic but extremely on-point singer. Yeah, the Fleshies, man.

Going way, way back to the second half of the nineties you've also got John's awesome S.P.A.M. label, responsible for more expand-the-horizons-of-punk-to-include-total-outsiders than any label the Bay's had before or since. Dory Tourette and the Skirtheads? Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children McNuggets? The list goes on and on and on and on.

Now, roll forward to fall of 2009: I'd gotten a promo package from a Florida punk label called Bakery Outlet, and among the stuff they sent was an EP by a band called the Street Eaters. It didn't appear particularly special until I threw it into the car stereo. Once the dude started to sing (they're a two piece, bass and drums and both sing) I knew it was John, back, with his then girlfriend now wife, Megan. It's a nice combination of punk, cute, good and fun all at the same time. Yes, I'd be the first to raise some hackles at that description, so sample it for yourself. I don't want to damn this with faint praise or anything, let's just end by saying that Street Eaters rip.