Material Issue
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Material Issue was a power pop trio from Chicago. Their trademark was a brand of dense, rich, manic powerful pop and their music revolved heavily around themes of love and heartbreak with a phalanx of girl's-first-name-titled songs.
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[edit] History
Formed in 1985, Material Issue was the brainchild of frontman Jim Ellison (who also played guitar, sang lead vocals, and wrote all Material Issue songs). The early days of Material Issue was a revolving door of bass players and drummers. However, Ellison met 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. The album was recorded and produced by the record company of 1970's Chicago power pop band, The Shoes.
In early 1991, Material Issue broke on to the national scene with their debut album International Pop Overthrow (IPO) which sold over 300,000 copies for Mercury Records. Ironically enough, 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 (Material Issue and The Replacements would share the stage at Taste of Chicago in 1991 which would prove to be the swansong for The Replacements). IPO spawned nationwide radio hits "Diane" and "Valerie Loves Me" which were just as popular in Chicago as they were in places such as Phoenix, Minneapolis and Dallas.
1992 saw the follow-up to IPO with Destination Universe which included the searing powerpop gem "What Girls Want" and richly emotional ballads like "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 written by Jeff Kelly of Green Pajamas). 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 less 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.
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 (so named for its sponsor, Minneapolis alternative radio station 93.7 The Edge. 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 from his moped in his garage. No one knows for sure what compelled Ellison to end his life, but two circumstances that seem to be the catalysts were the end of a relationship with a woman on his birthday on April 18, 1996 and the loss of his band's record deal from the previous year. 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 would be released posthumously on Telecommando Americano in 1997 by Rykodisc. Telecommando Americano would be the final Material Issue release, but also included the 6-song EP released back in 1987 as a bonus.
[edit] Legacy
The legacy of Material Issue as the consummate 1990s powerpop 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 powerpop music in the United States and brings in powerpop bands from all over the world to showcase what is new in the world of powerpop music.
You can also still hear Material Issue songs on many powerpop-only internet radio stations such as www.powerpopradio.com.
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 powerpop 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]
[edit] 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)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
| US Modern Rock | |||
| 1991 | "Valerie Loves Me" | #3 | International Pop Overthrow |
| 1991 | "Diane" | #6 | International Pop Overthrow |
| 1992 | "What Girls Want" | #6 | Destination Universe |
| 1994 | "Kim the Waitress" | #20 | Freak City Soundtrack |
