10,000 Maniacs

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10,000 Maniacs
Origin Jamestown, NY
Years active 1981 - 2001, 2002 - 2006
Genres Alternative
J-POP
Labels Elektra Records
Members Jerry Augustyniak - drums
Dennis Drew - keyboards
Jeff Erickson - guitar
Steve Gustafson - bass
Oskar Saville - vocals, acoustic guitar
Past members Terry Newhouse
Chet Cardinale
Various drummers
Tim Edboro
John Lombardo
Natalie Merchant
Robert Buck
Website(s) http://www.maniacs.com/

10,000 Maniacs is a US alternative band, formed in '81 and active with various line-ups since that time. The most well-known member has been Natalie Merchant, who left the band in 1993 to pursue a solo career.

Contents

[edit] Background

The band was formed as Still Life, in Jamestown, NY, by Dennis Drew, 23 (keyboards), Steve Gustafson, 23 (bass), Chet Cardinale (drums), Robert Buck, 22 (guitar), and Terry Newhouse (Robert Buck's ex-wife and a vocalist). Steve Gustafson invited Natalie Merchant, then 17, to do some vocals. John Lombardo, 28, who was in a band called The Mills and used to play with Still Life occasionally was invited to join permanently on guitar and vocals. Newhouse and Cardinale left the band in July, and Natalie Merchant became the main singer. Various drummers came and left. The band changed its name to Burn Victims and then to 10,000 Maniacs after the low-budget horror movie Two Thousand Maniacs(aka 2,000 Maniacs).

They performed as 10,000 Maniacs for the first time on September 7, 1981 - Labor Day, with a line-up of Natalie Merchant, John Lombardo, Robert Buck, Dennis Drew, Steve Gustafson, and Tim Edborg on drums. Tim Edborg left and Bob "Bob O Matic" Wachter was on drums for most of the 1981 gigs. Tired of playing cover songs, the band started to write their own music, usually with Natalie Merchant handling the lyrics and John Lombardo the music. In February-March 1982, with Jim Foti on drums, the band recorded an EP called Human Conflict Number Five. More gigs followed in 1982.

At the beginning of 1983, Jerry Augustyniak, 26, joined the band as their permanent drummer. The Maniacs met Augustyniak when they played in Buffalo, NY, where he was in a punk band called The Stains. Between March and July, the band recorded songs for a second record, Secrets of the I Ching - their debut full-length album, which was pressed by Mark Records for the band's own label Christian Burial Music. The record was well-received by critics and it caught the attention of John Peel - DJ at Radio BBC Radio 1 in London. One song, "My Mother the War" turned out to be a minor hit in UK, and it entered the independent singles chart. During 1983 and 1984, touring was a way of life for the band, which included gigs in the UK. It was during this time that they lived in Athens, Georgia for a short while.

Peter Leak, an Englishman living in New York City, became interested in the band, made contract and was made their manager. With the help of Leak and Elektra Records A&R man Howard Thompson, 10,000 Maniacs signed to Elektra in 1985. They recorded their second full-length album, The Wishing Chair, in London with Joe Boyd as producer. Co-founder John Lombardo left the band during a rehearsal on Monday, July 14, 1986. The remaining five members started the recordings of a new album in Los Angeles, with Peter Asher as the producer. In My Tribe, a more pop-rock oriented record, was released on Tuesday, July 7, 1987, hit the charts where it stayed 77 weeks, peaking at #37 and established a large US audience for the group and was also well received in the UK. The next album, 1989 Blind Man's Zoo hit #13 and went Gold further increased the group's following. In 1990, with the help of John Lombardo, they remastered their first two records Human Conflict Number Five and Secrets of the I Ching and released them as a compilation called Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982-1983. John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey, who had formed a folk act called John & Mary, opened gigs for the Maniacs on the Hope Chest Tour in 1990. In 1991, during the recordings of a new album, Natalie Merchant revealed to the other members that she would be leaving for a solo career in two years' time. In 1992, Our Time in Eden was released. On Tuesday, April 21, 1993, 10,000 Maniacs recorded MTV Unplugged and Natalie Merchant announced her leaving the band on MTV on Wednesday, August 5, 1993. Her first solo album, Tigerlily, was released by Elektra on Tuesday, June 20, 1995 and a follow-up, [[Ophelia (album)|Ophelia], in 1998. The 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged album was released in October of 1993. The remaining members of 10,000 Maniacs then absorbed John & Mary, with Mary Ramsey on viola and vocals. 10,000 Maniacs released two albums with Mary Ramsey on vocals. In 1997 they released Love Among the Ruins and followed up in 1999 with The Earth Pressed Flat.

On Tuesday, December 19, 2000, founder and lead guitarist Robert Buck who co-wrote some of the band's classics like "Hey Jack Kerouac", "What's The Matter Here?" and "These Are Days" died of liver failure at the age of 42. His last concert with the band had been had been on Friday, November 3, 2000, when the band played with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, in Buffalo, NY. The band took a break. Steve Gustafson and Dennis Drew, with Jeff Erickson - guitar started a band called The Mighty Wallop! Jerry Augustyniak joined a band called Only Humen. On Wednesday, December 5, 2001, a 10,000 Maniacs line-up comprising Steve Gustafson, Dennis Drew, Jerry Augustyniak, John Lombardo, and Mary Ramsey played on a benefit concert in Toronto, with Jeff Erickson on guitar. In 2002, Steve Gustafson, Dennis Drew, and Jerry Augustyniak decided that they wished to continue on with a new lead singer. John Lombardo showed up at the first band practice, found out that the band had hired Jeff Erickson to play lead guitar and Oskar Saville of the Chicago-based band Rubygrass to sing, and quit the band. This lineup toured sporadically between 2002 and 2006, playing a greatest hits show at various festivals. Mary Ramsey rejoined the current edition of 10,000 Maniacs for several dates in 2006, playing viola and singing backing vocals. In Summer 2006, John and Mary re-formed a folk-rock band called the Valkyries, they appeared August 26 and 27 at the Elmwood Village Festival of the Arts in Buffalo. The Valkyries are composed of several longtime Buffalo music scene stalwarts.

On Tuesday January 27, 2004, Elektra/Asylum/Rhino Records released Campfire Songs, The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings, a two CD set compilation, with 31 digitally remastered songs, four of them demos and one unreleased. The second disc contained B-sides and outtakes throughout the band's up to that point career, including many covers. Jackson Browne's "These Days" and Tom Waits's "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" were among those included.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Album Song Chart positions
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK Charts
1988 In My Tribe Like The Weather #68 - #37 -
1988 In My Tribe What's the Matter Here? #80 #9 - -
1989 Blind Man's Zoo Trouble Me #44 #3 #20 #77
1989 Blind Man's Zoo Eat for Two - #12 - #93
1992 Our Time In Eden Candy Everybody Wants #67 #5 - -
1992 Our Time In Eden These Are Days #66 #1 - #58
1993 Our Time In Eden Few And Far Between #95 - - -
1993 Our Time In Eden Candy Everybody Wants - - - #47
1993 Candy Everybody Wants B-side Everyday Is Like Sunday - #22 - -
1993 MTV Unplugged Because the Night #11 #7 - #65
1997 Love Among The Ruins More Than This #25 - - -

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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