Sardina: A Brief History

Written by: Jeb Banner

Preserving Original Music From My 1990s Tapes

The MFT archive was started on a snowy evening in February of 2004. I had recently acquired the equipment to digitize cassette tapes and I was amassing a catalog of MP3s- digital sound files. Many of these came from my time in Bloomington in the 1990s. Central Indiana had a very large and active music scene in the 90s. Bloomington, as I experienced it, was the heart of the scene. But Indy wasn’t far off. My focus was preserving these recordings before my cassettes decayed.

Sardina was one of the first tapes I uploaded. 

Sardina was primarily an Indy band. But they played Bloomington regularly and several members lived there off and on during their time. Eventually, Sardina made the move to Chicago in mid-1995 before imploding in mid-1996. Their total time together was less than 4 years. 

Sardina was preceded by the Gerunds.

They shared three members: Michelle Marchesseault (vocals, guitar, and later, drums), PJ Christie (bass), and LonPaul Ellrich (drums, keyboards, vocals, and later, guitar). The Gerunds were the first band I saw in Bloomington when I moved there in the Fall of ‘92 to attend IU. I saw them at Rhino’s, the all-ages club, and was blown away. I was particularly impressed by the rhythm section- PJ and LonPaul (aka LP). I had never seen a band so tight and fluid. I later found out that it was LonPaul’s first night with the band. He was the most natural drummer I had ever heard play. 

As impressed as I was by the Gerunds, I wasn’t in love with their songs. And when they disbanded in 1993 I was curious to learn what the members would do next. I soon heard news that Michelle, PJ, and LonPaul had reformed with Marty Green on guitar and vocals. And, most importantly, Marty was (and is) an incredible songwriter. Sardina made their Bloomington debut at the Collin’s Chesire Cafe. Collins is the “artistic” dorm at IU. I had lived there my first year but I was out of town when Sardina played their first show. Fortunately, someone recorded it and now it is available on the archive.

Sardina quickly became the talk of the town.

It was the one band that everyone seemed to agree on. Soon they released a couple of singles and it wasn’t long before labels were knocking on their door. (This was during the post-Nirvana boom for indie/alt-rock bands.) Sardina was courted by major labels but ended up signing with a small label out of Chicago called Hit It! Records. They recorded their debut, and only, album “Presents” at Chicago Recording Company. The title, and album cover, was a spoof on the Led Zeppelin album “Presence”. Related, I recently learned that a friend of the band works with Robert Plant and shared the album cover with him. He approved. 

Clockwise from bottom left: Marty, LonPaul, Michelle, and PJ. c 1995

Sardina’s shows around this time were becoming erratic. Marty was struggling. And, LonPaul wasn’t always the easiest guy to work with. He could be demanding and difficult. The 7” release party show found in the archive highlights all of the above. What had been a very tight 4 piece was starting to unravel. By the time the album was released, Marty was on his way out. That said, even as things fell apart, they continued to be a must-see band. To paraphrase Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth “I would rather see a great band on a bad night than a bad band on a great night”. 

Relocation and Band Member Change

As Marty exited, Sardina moved to Chicago to be closer to their label, regroup, and figure things out. They auditioned a few different guitarists and landed on Greg Backus as Marty’s replacement. Greg wasn’t hired to be a songwriter which put more weight on Michelle, LonPaul, and PJ. Even when Marty was present, Michelle and LonPaul were already writing great songs. On Presents, both Michelle and LonPaul contributed 2 songs. These songs certainly held up next to Marty’s. But Marty was seen by many as the “genius” of the band. 

Eventually, Sardina came back to Bloomington to play a show with the new lineup at Second Story. I remember their set vividly. I stood on the side of the stage and watched, well, studied the entire set. It was a transformed band. LonPaul switched places with Michelle to play a couple of songs on guitar while she jumped on drums. He wrapped his thumb around the guitar neck and played in an obscure tuning. The new songs were melodic, powerful, and emotionally raw. I was surprised. In many ways, they had become an even better band.

The End of Sardina 

But it didn’t take long for things to fall apart. Soon, Greg left, and then others came in his place including Bill Cameron, formerly Brown Betty. Sardina eventually came to an end by the summer of 1996. LonPaul and Michelle moved back to Indianapolis. PJ and Bill Cameron stayed in Chicago, living in a ballroom loft that Sardina had rented with the publishing cash from Presents. By the Fall of 1996, I moved from Bloomington to Chicago, joining the others in the loft. And that’s another story…

Sadly, we lost LonPaul in 2008. This was a huge loss for his friends, family, and the local music scene. He is remembered as a uniquely talented musician, songwriter, and producer. His spirit is still felt by those who knew and loved him. He was one of the most singular people I have ever known.

During their relatively brief existence, Sardina created a generous serving of timeless music.

My love for their music was a huge part of the “why” behind starting MFT back in 2004. I encourage you to dig in and discover, or rediscover, Sardina for yourself. Here are some recommendations, all in the archive.

Sardina

Presents- the album and the outtakes

Live at Second Story 1-16-1996 (the show referenced above when they returned with the new lineup)

“Blues In Three” from 7 inch Release Party (much of this set is sloppy but it’s still a fun listen)

Waldron Show 1994 (a great example of peak Marty-era and the power of Michelle’s vocals)