Material Issue

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Material Issue was a power pop trio from Chicago. Its trademark was a brand of dense, rich, manic powerful pop and its music revolved heavily around themes of love and heartbreak, with a number of song titles using girls' first names.

History

Formed in 1985, Material Issue was the brainchild of frontman Jim Ellison, who also played guitar, sang lead vocals, and wrote most Material Issue songs. Material Issue's early line-up included Danny Thompson (drums) and Lance Tawzer (bass and backing vocals) and performed as an opening act for Naked Raygun, The Effigies, The Replacements, Chris Isaak and The Golden Palominos at Chicago area clubs including Cabaret Metro (now Metro), Gaspar's (now Schubas), The Exit and Club Dreamerz. This early Material Issue line-up recorded demos at Short Order Recorder and with producer Steve Albini at Chicago Trax Recording.

Ellison met Material Issue's bassist Ted Ansani while both were attending Columbia College Chicago in 1986. Drummer Mike Zelenko was recruited when the duo found him through an ad in the Illinois Entertainer later that year. With the Material Issue lineup set, Ellison – with Ansani and Zelenko eager to join him and ready to follow – set his sights on conquering the pop world.

In 1987, Material Issue released an EP on their own Big Block Label (so named for the big block engines of the 1970s muscle cars Ellison loved) which operated out of Ellison's bedroom at his parents home in Addison, Illinois. In 1988, "Sixteen Tambourines" appeared on College Music Journal's compilation and CMJ glowingly referred to Material Issue's music as a "hooky brand of high-powered psycho-pop". In 1989, their buzz grew further with the release of the single "Renee Remains The Same" which got heavy airplay around Chicago. Over the next two years, the band toured extensively across the midwest and found time to record what would become their debut album International Pop Overthrow (IPO). The album was a compilation of various demos recorded between roughly 1988-1991 and produced by Jeff Murphy from the Chicago area power pop band Shoes, and recorded at Short Order Recorder, their studio in Zion, IL.

In early 1991, Material Issue broke onto the national scene with their debut album International Pop Overthrow (IPO) which sold over 300,000 copies for Mercury Records. Ironically, their debut video for the single "Diane" appeared on MTV's 120 Minutes in late December 1990 which was the episode of the final appearance of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson of The Replacements in sort of a fitting segue between the lesser-known music genres of the two decades. Also, Material Issue and The Replacements shared the stage at Taste of Chicago in 1991, which was the swansong for The Replacements. IPO had extensive national airplay with "Diane" and "Valerie Loves Me", which was their biggest hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

1992 saw the follow-up to IPO with Destination Universe which was also produced by Jeff Murphy at Short Order Recorder, and included the searing power pop gem "What Girls Want" in addition to the richly emotional ballads "Next Big Thing" and "Everything". Material Issue continued to tour heavily across the country in support of both albums. 1994 saw the release of Freak City Soundtrack which featured the hit "Kim The Waitress" (a cover of The Green Pajamas, written by Jeff Kelly). However, by the time Freak City Soundtrack was released, the momentum they had generated in the previous five years began to subside. Freak City sold fewer than 50,000 copies as the Seattle scene and the emergence of ska dominated both mainstream and alternative music markets. Other Chicago acts to break national following Material Issue, such as Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, and Liz Phair, had music more fitting for the times and Material Issue, feeling left behind by their label, parted ways with Mercury in early 1995.

The band produced many singles, as listed here:

Material Issue continued touring, selling out venues throughout the upper Midwest. In the summer of 1995 the band co-headlined the first Edgefest in Somerset, Wisconsin (named for its sponsor, Minneapolis alternative radio station 93.7 The Edge). In 1995, the group, with Liz Phair, recorded a cover of the Banana Splits’ theme song titled The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) for the successful tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall for MCA Records. Throughout the remainder of 1995 and into 1996, Material Issue had recorded a set of new songs that they had hoped to shop to a new label. However, the band came to a tragic and sudden end when Ellison committed suicide on June 20, 1996 by carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage. No one knows for sure what compelled Ellison to end his life but the loss of their record label in 1995 as well as an end to a long term relationship on his 32nd birthday (April 18, 1996) are likely contributors to his decision to commit suicide. A suicide note was found by police, but the contents of that note remain known only to Ellison's family. The recordings from the work done in 1995 and 1996 was released posthumously on Telecommando Americano in 1997 by Rykodisc. Telecommando Americano was the final Material Issue release, and also included the 6-song EP released back in 1987 as a bonus.

Legacy

The legacy of Material Issue as the consummate 1990s power pop band lives on in the International Pop Overthrow festival that plays in Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago each year. The IPO festival (renamed IPO from Poptopia in the late 90s to honor Material Issue) is the largest showcase of power pop music in the United States and brings in power pop bands from all over the world to showcase what is new in the world of power pop music.

Ted Ansani continues to work in the music business in Chicago and had played bass for several post-Material Issue projects and released his own solo EP in 2000 called Throttle and Pistons - The Ted Ansani Project. He has made several solo appearances in the last few years in and around Chicago and has also played the IPO festival when it has come to Chicago. His website carries the banner of the Material Issue legacy which reminds readers to never forget Material Issue's place in rock history. Ansani is married with three children.

Mike Zelenko continues to play drums and has also played with several post-Material Issue projects. Most recently Zelenko has been playing with a new power pop band from Chicago called The Ladies and Gentlemen.

In 2002, the song "Everything" from the Destination Universe release was covered by the band Stereo Fuse and received moderate airplay on alternative radio.

The Tragically Hip song "Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man", from the album Phantom Power, is a tribute to Ellison. [1]

Australian power pop band the Pyramidiacs also released a tribute song to Ellison, entitled "Jim", on their 1997 album "Teeter Totter".

Discography

• Material Issue EP (1987)
• Eleven Super Sonic Hit Explosions (1990) (promo for Int'l Pop Overthrow)
• International Pop Overthrow (1991)
• Destination Universe (1992)
• Freak City Soundtrack (1994)
• Goin' Through Your Purse [Live] (1994)
• Telecommando Americano (1997)

Singles

External links

• Material Issue fansite (static since 1998)
• Ted Ansani official site
• Material Issue Page on Yahoo!