10,000 Maniacs

10,000 Maniacs, one of America’s most beloved independent bands with hits These Are Days, Because The Night and Candy Everybody Wants, returns to live performance after a 15 month hiatus with a fall tour beginning September 23 at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland.

10,000 Maniacs also announce that after 30 years and five albums as lead singer, Mary Ramsey will be taking a step back from her primary role in the band. Long time guitarist Jeff Erickson has also decided to step away from full time active touring.

For these autumn dates 10,000 Maniacs are pleased to welcome two new friends into the lineup, two faces fresh yet familiar. Lead singer Leigh Nash and guitarist Matt Slocum are both founding members of Sixpence None the Richer, the band well known for its smash hit, “Kiss Me“.  Fans can expect to hear all their Maniacs favorites, the band’s versions of Sixpence songs, and a few other surprises as well.  Through it all the creative core of the band remains, along with its trademark sound.

Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, 10,000 Maniacs has a lot in common with Jamestown, New York, the city that spawned them back in 1981. Both are honest and hardworking, a step outside the mainstream, and both possess a bit of magic. “It’s a city of blue-collar poetry,” says keyboardist Dennis Drew. “And that’s what we’re about, real-life stories. We’re a family, we do real work and we keep moving forward.”

10,000 Maniacs has a lot in common with Jamestown, New York, the city that spawned them back in 1981. Both are honest and hardworking, a step outside the mainstream, and both possess a bit of magic. “It’s a city of blue-collar poetry,” says keyboardist Dennis Drew. “And that’s what we’re about, real-life stories. We’re a family, we do real work and we keep moving forward.”

The band has covered plenty of ground in its 35-plus years, from cult-herodom to international stardom, to their current status as a cornerstone alternative band. But the sound and spirit of 10,000 Maniacs remains consistent. The live shows embrace their entire catalogue, and the lineup is still anchored by four of the six original members. Drew and bassist Steven Gustafson cofounded the band in 1981, drummer Jerry Augustyniak came along shortly afterward, and founding guitarist/singer John Lombardo, who’d never completely left the picture, was welcomed back fulltime in 2015. And the two “new” members have long been part of the family: Mary Ramsey toured and recorded with the Maniacs as a viola player and backup singer before stepping into the front woman’s role 24 years ago. And the new guy Jeff Erickson, the lead guitarist for a mere 17 years, came in at the behest of his friend and mentor, the late Rob Buck.

The band was proudly eclectic from the start, making trademarks of wide-ranging music and poetic lyrics. The tribal-sounding “My Mother the War,” one of their most aggressive early tracks, hit college radio and briefly scraped the UK charts in 1984. Signed to Elektra the following year, the band worked with legendary producer Joe Boyd on The Wishing Chair and embraced its love of British folk-rock, a sound they’d return to over the years.

Yet the more direct approach proved the charm, as the band played to ever-growing audiences (including a memorable tour with R.E.M.) and began writing its most enduring material. The late ‘80s/early ‘90s found the band delivering a remarkable string of albums—1987’s In My Tribe and 1989’s Blind Man’s Zoo, both produced by the legendary Peter Asher, and 1992’s Our Time in Eden, produced by Paul Fox. From these albums came the hits “Like the Weather,” “What’s the Matter Here?”, “Trouble Me,” “These Are Days,” and “Candy Everybody Wants”—all among the more thoughtful and beautifully crafted singles of their time.

Founding singer Natalie Merchant went solo in 1993. “We love Natalie, we love her and the time we spent with her was very special,” says Drew today. Meanwhile founding member John Lombardo had also split the lineup and had formed a new duo, John & Mary. When 10,000 Maniacs toured in 1991 behind the Hope Chest album (a reissue of their earliest EP’s), it made sense for Lombardo to temporarily rejoin, and to bring his new musical partner along.

Ramsey proved a perfect fit and added her voice and strings to the later part of the Natalie era, including the MTV Unplugged show that spawned their hit cover of the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen song “Because the Night.” So when Merchant gave her notice, there was little question of who would step in. “The style of music came very naturally to me,” Ramsey says. “I had that familiarity with the band, and I’m from Fredonia, in the same part of western New York.”

The new lineup debuted on 1997’s Love Among the Ruins, a well-received album that included their gorgeous cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This”—a productive era that also produced a strong follow up album two years later, The Earth Pressed Flat.

But the band was dealt a blow the following year with the death of Rob Buck. An innovative player and a good friend, Buck had also been an inspiration to guitar players in his hometown. “He was someone who loved music,” Drew recalls. “He’d grab his guitar, get in his car and jump onstage with bands, long as they were playing original music. He proved to all the guitar players in town—Yes, you can do this! And Jeff was one of those guys who learned at the foot of the Buddah.”

Erickson had already toured with the band as Buck’s guitar tech, so he knew all the secret tunings and had an intuitive feel for the material. Still, Buck’s death created a period of uncertainty as 10,000 Maniacs went to part-time status for a while. The band was fully rededicated with 2011’s Music From the Motion Picture, its first studio album in 14 years. It was their first release that was fully crowd-funded and it was proof that the magic still worked.

A number of fan-friendly projects followed, including 2015’s Twice Told Tales, a full album of their arrangements of English traditional material. The album originally grew out of an onstage interlude where Ramsey would perform a traditional fiddle tune (fortuitously called “Lady Mary Ramsey”) between songs; Lombardo then stepped in and suggested a few of his own favorite songs. Their second fully crowd-funded effort, it also reconnected the band with its audience. “Not all of us are social-media savvy, but our former manager walked us through the process and it really worked for us,” says Gustafson.

The band also released two overdue live albums with Ramsey singing: 2016’s Playing Favorites and 2017’s Live at the Belly Up—the first revisiting the greatest hits, the second featuring deeper cuts from the entire catalogue.

Recent years have only brought the band members closer together, once again with a strong six-piece lineup. Current plans call for another studio album in the near future. “Nobody is demanding that we write hits, so in some ways it’s back to the beginning,” Gustafson says. “We have the luxury of having gone through another 35 years and gone through our sad and happy times together.” Adds Drew, “Musical ideas have never been a problem for us. We know what a gift it is to be able to do this. And we know from doing shows with the Grateful Dead that it’s really about going onstage every night and playing as well as you can.”

“There is always a magic that happens when people hear this music,” Ramsey says. “People
want to be put under a spell, and we can help them escape the reality of every day. And,” she
laughs, “We can give them an escape that’s drug and calorie free.”

One of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades, 10,000 Maniacs were founded by Robert Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant in the fall of 1981. Jerry Augustyniak joined in 1983. Together with artists like R.E.M. they defined college rock and created the first wave of alternative rock bands and what became know as the alternative rock format on FM radio.

Writing and performing powerful, danceable and socially conscious original material in and around their hometown of Jamestown, New York the group toured extensively and produced two independently released records, Human Conflict Number Five (’82) and Secrets of the I Ching (’83) on their own Christian Burial Music label.

By producing, manufacturing and marketing their own recordings 10,000 Maniacs were one of the original “indie” bands before signing with Elektra Records and making The Wishing Chair in 1985 with producer Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, REM). After touring extensively with REM and though out Europe John Lombardo left the band in July of 1986 and the band continued as a 5 piece.

In 1987 the Maniacs recorded and released In My Tribe. Produced by Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt) this album broke into the charts, where it stayed 77 weeks, peaking at #37 and selling over two million copies. In My Tribe featured the hit singles “Don’t Talk,” “Hey Jack Kerouac,” “Like The Weather” and “What’s The Matter Here?” It was voted one of the 100 most important releases of the decade by Rolling Stone Magazine.

1988 saw the band debut on national television with appearances on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live.

Blind Man’s Zoo, the 1989 follow-up, hit #13 on the Billboard charts and went platinum. It featured the hit singles, “Trouble Me and “Eat For Two.” The following world tour featured several European festivals, a string of US amphitheatres and the renowned Fourth of July concert with the Grateful Dead in front of 80,000 in Buffalo NY.

In 1990 the band released a compilation of their first two independent recordings called Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings along with a companion video entitled Time Capsule.

Our Time in Eden was released in 1992, and featured the hit singles, “Candy Everybody Wants” and “These Are Days” selling more than three million copies. Rolling Stone’s four-star review called it a “…gripping new album …with a provocative, unnerving power.”

A second Saturday Night Live appearance on Halloween ‘92, preceded the Maniacs memorable performance at Bill Clinton’s MTV Inaugural Ball where host Dennis Miller famously referred to them as “Chelsea Clinton’s favorite band”.

10,000 Maniacs has the added distinction of launching the career of singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant, best known for her successful 1995 solo album Tigerlily (Elektra). MTV Unplugged was released a few months after her departure, featuring a remake of the classic, “Because the Night.” The record sold 4 million copies. 10,000 Maniacs continued without Merchant, bringing back John Lombardo and adding Mary Ramsey in 1994.

In November 1995, the Maniacs played dates in Cleveland and Chicago. The Cleveland Plain Dealer remarked of their Agora Ballroom show: “The band showed a sold-out crowd the path to its surprisingly smooth and viable rebirth…Saddled with the unenviable task of filling Merchant’s shoes, Ramsey brilliantly rose to the occasion”.

The new lineup released Love Among the Ruins for Geffen Records in 1997, featuring a cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” which went to #24 on the Billboard charts, the highest-charting single in the band’s history.

The Chicago Tribune noted “If the 11 new singles rolled out are any indication of things to come, the new incarnation of 10,000 Maniacs may eclipse the old” and the Chicago Sun Times simply said, “Natalie Who?” 10,000 Maniacs continued their grinding touring schedule, finding new fans in Mexico, Portugal and Brazil.

In 1999, the band released The Earth Pressed Flat on Bar/None. An Album that Angelfire.com called “…arguably 10,000 Maniacs’ greatest achievement, the perfect post-punk Celtic folk rock album.”

In December of 2000 founding member Robert Buck died at the age of 42. After a three-year hiatus the Maniacs returned in 2003 with long time friend and former guitar tech Jeff Erickson on lead guitar.

In 2004, Elektra/Asylum/Rhino Records released Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings, a two CD set compilation featuring a broad array of their groundbreaking music including several unreleased tracks.

In 2013 10,000 Maniacs released their first full-length album in 13 years. Music From The Motion Picture, was hailed as a beautiful affirmation of the band’s classic poetic lyrics and dreamy Americana blend. The independent release was crowd-funded through Pledgemusic.com

In 2015 the band released, Twice Told Tales, a collection of traditional folk songs from the British Isles. The album is their second venture in crowd funding through Pledgemusic.com

The band released Playing Favorites on Omnivore Records in 2016.  PF is a collection of some of your favorites, recorded LIVE in Jamestown, NY at the band’s 33 1/3 anniversary celebration. It was their third crowd funded release through Pledgemusic.com

One of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades, 10,000 Maniacs were founded by Robert Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant in the fall of 1981. Jerry Augustyniak joined in 1983. Together with artists like R.E.M. they defined college rock and created the first wave of alternative rock bands and what became know as the alternative rock format on FM radio.

Writing and performing powerful, danceable and socially conscious original material in and around their hometown of Jamestown, New York the group toured extensively and produced two independently released records, Human Conflict Number Five (’82) and Secrets of the I Ching (’83) on their own Christian Burial Music label.

By producing, manufacturing and marketing their own recordings 10,000 Maniacs were one of the original “indie” bands before signing with Elektra Records and making The Wishing Chair in 1985 with producer Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, REM). After touring extensively with REM and though out Europe John Lombardo left the band in July of 1986 and the band continued as a 5 piece.

In 1987 the Maniacs recorded and released In My Tribe. Produced by Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt) this album broke into the charts, where it stayed 77 weeks, peaking at #37 and selling over two million copies. In My Tribe featured the hit singles “Don’t Talk,” “Hey Jack Kerouac,” “Like The Weather” and “What’s The Matter Here?” It was voted one of the 100 most important releases of the decade by Rolling Stone Magazine.

1988 saw the band debut on national television with appearances on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live.

Blind Man’s Zoo, the 1989 follow-up, hit #13 on the Billboard charts and went platinum. It featured the hit singles, “Trouble Me and “Eat For Two.” The following world tour featured several European festivals, a string of US amphitheatres and the renowned Fourth of July concert with the Grateful Dead in front of 80,000 in Buffalo NY.

In 1990 the band released a compilation of their first two independent recordings called Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings along with a companion video entitled Time Capsule.

Our Time in Eden was released in 1992, and featured the hit singles, “Candy Everybody Wants” and “These Are Days” selling more than three million copies. Rolling Stone’s four-star review called it a “…gripping new album …with a provocative, unnerving power.”

A second Saturday Night Live appearance on Halloween ‘92, preceded the Maniacs memorable performance at Bill Clinton’s MTV Inaugural Ball where host Dennis Miller famously referred to them as “Chelsea Clinton’s favorite band”.

10,000 Maniacs has the added distinction of launching the career of singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant, best known for her successful 1995 solo album Tigerlily (Elektra). MTV Unplugged was released a few months after her departure, featuring a remake of the classic, “Because the Night.” The record sold 4 million copies. 10,000 Maniacs continued without Merchant, bringing back John Lombardo and adding Mary Ramsey in 1994.

In November 1995, the Maniacs played dates in Cleveland and Chicago. The Cleveland Plain Dealer remarked of their Agora Ballroom show: “The band showed a sold-out crowd the path to its surprisingly smooth and viable rebirth…Saddled with the unenviable task of filling Merchant’s shoes, Ramsey brilliantly rose to the occasion”.

The new lineup released Love Among the Ruins for Geffen Records in 1997, featuring a cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” which went to #24 on the Billboard charts, the highest-charting single in the band’s history.

The Chicago Tribune noted “If the 11 new singles rolled out are any indication of things to come, the new incarnation of 10,000 Maniacs may eclipse the old” and the Chicago Sun Times simply said, “Natalie Who?” 10,000 Maniacs continued their grinding touring schedule, finding new fans in Mexico, Portugal and Brazil.

In 1999, the band released The Earth Pressed Flat on Bar/None. An Album that Angelfire.com called “…arguably 10,000 Maniacs’ greatest achievement, the perfect post-punk Celtic folk rock album.”

In December of 2000 founding member Robert Buck died at the age of 42. After a three-year hiatus the Maniacs returned in 2003 with long time friend and former guitar tech Jeff Erickson on lead guitar.

In 2004, Elektra/Asylum/Rhino Records released Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings, a two CD set compilation featuring a broad array of their groundbreaking music including several unreleased tracks.

In 2013 10,000 Maniacs released their first full-length album in 13 years. Music From The Motion Picture, was hailed as a beautiful affirmation of the band’s classic poetic lyrics and dreamy Americana blend. The independent release was crowd-funded through Pledgemusic.com

In 2015 the band released, Twice Told Tales, a collection of traditional folk songs from the British Isles. The album is their second venture in crowd funding through Pledgemusic.com

The band released Playing Favorites on Omnivore Records in 2016.  PF is a collection of some of your favorites, recorded LIVE in Jamestown, NY at the band’s 33 1/3 anniversary celebration. It was their third crowd funded release through Pledgemusic.com