When drummer Mike Zelenko first heard his band Material Issue on the radio, he wanted to tell the world.
"I was a couple of blocks from home," said the low-keyed drummer during a telephone call from his home in Chicago. "I was in a traffic jam. It was hot and I heard the song coming from the other people's open windows. I wanted to turn to them and say, `Hey, that's me!' "Material Issue, the modern rock group consisting of Zelenko, guitarist Jim Ellison and bassist Ted Ansani, will play the Zephyr Club, Tuesday, June 7, at 9 p.m.
This won't be the first time the band has played here. Last month it took the stage at the Delta Center and opened up for the modern guru INXS. This time, Material Issue will be the center attraction.
"We love playing Salt Lake," Zelenko said. "The fans there have a lot of energy and really know how to have a good time."
Material Issue has been together for seven years, Zelenko said. After they graduated high school, all three members got together with the main objective to keep playing and get some songs out.
In 1988, the band released a self-titled EP that featured the hit "Rene' Remains The Same." It was that song Zelenko heard while he was stuck in traffic. "One of the biggest radio stations in Chicago WXRT picked up the song and began playing it at regular intervals," he said. "After that, we began to really pack our shows. The audience grew from 150 people to sometimes over 500."
During this local heyday, the band landed a deal with Mercury Records and released its first album "International Pop Overthrow," featuring the hits "Valerie Loves Me" and "Diane."
"That album was really a compilation of our demo takes," Zelenko said. It's pretty raw and has an `as is' feel to it."
The follow-up 1992 release "Destination Universe" spawned the single "What Girls Want" and solidified the band's status in the modern class.
"The second album to me was overproduced," Zelenko said. "The new album represents the band more. Our whole concept from the begining was to combine the "power pop" sound with a harder edge. This album does that and is our most structured album to date. It's meaty, big and bouncy."
To add to the heavier sound, the album "Freak City Soundtrack," produced by Mike Chapman who previously produced albums for Blondie, The Knack and Sweet, features guest musicians Rick Nielson, the guitarist of Cheap Trick, and Guns `n Roses rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke.
"They all were very cool to work with, but at the same time, really pushed and inspired us," Zelenko said. "Mike made the session bearable. He's an animal when it comes to work, but at the same time he knew when to relax and kick back."
Zelenko said albums are a good way to get noticed, but the band's real character emerges during the live shows.
"We really pump up the energy playing live," he said. "I remember one fan telling me we sounded like a metal band. We thrive on energy, so come see the show."