10,000 Maniacs: Difference between revisions

| caption = 10,000 Maniacs {{circa|1987}}: LLeft to Rright: [[Rob Buck]], [[Steve Gustafson]], [[Natalie Merchant]], [[Dennis Drew]], and Jerome[[Jerry Augustyniak]]

| origin = [[Jamestown, New York]], United StatesU.S.

| genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[jangle pop]],<ref name= "jangle">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/10000-maniacs-mn0000501081|title=10,000 Maniacs|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|publisher=AllMusic|date=2023|access-date=15 December 2023}}</ref> [[folk rock]]<ref name= "jangle" />

| website = {{URL|http://www.maniacs.com}}

'''10,000 Maniacs''' is an American [[alternative rock]] band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US: ''[[In My Tribe]]'' (1987), ''[[Blind Man's Zoo]]'' (1989), ''[[Our Time in Eden]]'' (1992), and the live album ''[[MTV Unplugged (10,000 Maniacs album)|MTV Unplugged]]'' (1993). After the recording (but before the release) of ''MTV Unplugged'', original lead singer and songwriter [[Natalie Merchant]] left the band to pursue a solo career, while the remaining members continued the band.

The band was formed as Still Life in 1981 in [[Jamestown, New York]],<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2467}}</ref> by [[Dennis Drew]] (keyboards), [[Steven Gustafson]] (bass), Chet Cardinale (drums), [[Rob Buck|Robert Buck]] (guitar), and Buck's ex-wife<ref>{{cite web|last=Margolis|first=Lynne|date=2006-01-06|title=10,000 Maniacs Guitarist Robert Buck Dead at 42|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=111781|website=ABC News|access-date=2022-03-11}}</ref> Terri Newhouse (vocals). Gustafson invited [[Natalie Merchant]], who was 17 at the time, to do some vocals. [[John Lombardo]], who was in a band named The Mills (along with brother guitarist/vocalists Mark Liuzzo and Paul Liuzzo and drummer Mike Young) and used to play occasionally with Still Life, was invited to join permanently on guitar and vocals. Newhouse and Cardinale left the band in July, and Merchant became the main singer. Various drummers came and left. The band changed its name to Burn Victims and then to 10,000 Maniacs, inspired by the 1964 low-budget horror movie ''[[Two Thousand Maniacs!]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Deusner|first=Stephen|title=Natalie Merchant: "When I talk to friends who have creative lives and children, we commiserate about all the time we wasted in our youth"|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/05/12/natalie_merchant_when_i_talk_to_friends_who_have_creative_lives_and_children_we_commiserate_about_all_the_time_we_wasted_in_our_youth/|date=May 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Glendale Star">{{cite web|url=https://www.glendalestar.com/features/article_b501c8aa-e818-11ec-aca3-8f2b53ecf1c4.html|title=10,000 Maniacs are still crazy about the band|last=Fuoco-Karasinski|first=Christina|work=The Glendale Star|date=2022-06-15|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

They performed as 10,000 Maniacs for the first time on Labor Day, September 7, 1981, with a line-up of Merchant, Lombardo, Buck, Drew, Gustafson, and Tim Edborg on drums. Edborg left and Bob "Bob O Matic" Wachter was on drums for most of the 1981 gigs. Tired of playing cover songs—though their first notable American hit was a cover of the [[Cat Stevens]] hit "[[Peace Train]]"—the band started to write their own music, usually with Merchant handling the lyrics and Lombardo the music. In March 1982, with Jim Foti on drums, the band recorded an [[Extended play|EP album]] titled ''[[Human Conflict Number Five]]'', financed by Drew's mother.<ref name="tlobf">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/natalie-merchant-looking-at-love-from-all-sides-now |title=Natalie Merchant: &quot;When I say keep your courage, I'm talking to myself as much as anyone&quot; |last=Pedder |first=Alan |date=2023-04-21 |accessdateaccess-date=2023-04-22 |language=en-US |website=[[The Line of Best Fit]]}}</ref> More gigs followed in 1982. During this time, they lived in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], for a short period at the encouragement of friends who said that many gigs were available there. Discouraged by the lack of actual gigs, and by having to sell plasma and rake leaves to buy food, the band moved back to Jamestown in November 1982 to regroup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c86show.org/e/10000-maniacs-special-with-steve-gustafson/|title=10,000 Maniacs special with Steve Gustafson|website=c86show.org|date=2019-07-22|publisher=PodBean Development|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

10,000 Maniacs' next album, 1989's ''[[Blind Man's Zoo]],''<ref name="LarkinGE"/> hit No.&nbsp;13 and went gold, further increasing the group's following. In May 1989, the British music magazine ''[[NME]]'' reported that 10,000 Maniacs had won the songwriter category prize at the [[New York Music Awards]].<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book|title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years|last=Tobler|first=John|date=1992|edition=1st|publisher=Reed International Books Ltd|location=London|page=456|id=CN 5585}}</ref> In 1990, with the help of Lombardo, they remastered their first two records, ''Human Conflict Number Five'' and ''Secrets of the I Ching'', and released them as a compilation titled ''[[Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982–1983]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Lombardo and [[Mary Ramsey (musician)|Mary Ramsey]], who had formed a folk-rock act named [[John & Mary]], opened gigs for the Maniacs on the Hope Chest Tour in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1930833/there-was-no-girl-as-bold-as-you-assessing-the-legacy-of-natalie-merchant-and-10000-maniacs/columns/sounding-board/|title=There Was No Girl As Bold As You: The Overlooked Legacy Of Natalie Merchant And 10,000 Maniacs|last=Deusner|first=Stephen|work=Stereogum|date=2017-03-22|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

The band played a handful of local concerts in 1991, but largely took a break from touring and Merchant spent most of the year working with homeless youth in [[Harlem]]. Merchant then revealed to the other members that she would be leaving 10,000 Maniacs for a solo career in two years' time, allowing for additional 10,000 Maniacs albums, while also acknowledging the financial implications of her departure.<ref name="Gazette Review">{{cite web|url=https://gazettereview.com/2016/11/happened-natalie-merchant-news-updates/|title=What Happened to Natalie Merchant - News & Updates|last=Sennhauser|first=Morgan|work=Gazette Review|date=2016-11-22|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/concert-map/10000-maniacs-bd6b9f6.html?year=1991|title=10,000 Maniacs Concert Map by year: 1991|website=setlist.fm}}</ref> A new album, ''[[Our Time in Eden]]'', was released on September 29, 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/our-time-in-eden-mw0000085508|author=10,000 Maniacs|title=Our Time in Eden|website=AllMusic|access-date=2013-05-08}}</ref> In 1993, the band performed at the [[MTV]] Inaugural Ball for [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] in January and on ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' on April 21. Merchant made her departure from the band public in an interview on [[MTV]] on August 5, 1993, saying she "didn't want art by committee anymore."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=httphttps://www.ew.com/ewarticle/article1995/07/21/natalie-merchant-launches-solo-career/0,,298019,00.html|title=Naturally Merchant|last=Hajari|first=Nisid|magazine=EW.comEntertainment Weekly|date=1995-07-21|access-date=2011-10-02}}</ref> The ''[[MTV Unplugged (10,000 Maniacs album)|MTV Unplugged]]'' album was released on October 26, 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/mtv-unplugged-mw0000621200|author=10,000 Maniacs|title=MTV Unplugged|work=AllMusic|access-date=2013-05-08}}</ref> "The last 10,000 Maniacs gig (July 28, 1993) was the first time I'd got drunk in nearly two years," Merchant later recalled. "I laughed a lot and threw lots of flowers out of the hotel window."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Q Questionnaire|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=January 1994|page=154}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/after-the-split-9-999-maniacs-go-their-separate-ways/article_3bb31c62-f5b2-518d-a19b-ffdb0665f757.html|title=After the Split, 9,999 Maniacs Go Their Separate Ways|last=Violanti|first=Anthony|website=Buffalo News|date=1993-08-09|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/06/21/a-maniac-no-more/|title=A Maniac no more|last=Deggans|first=Eric|work=Tampa Bay Times|date=1996-06-21|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

In December 1998, Buck took some time off from the band, moving to Texas to focus on a new project named [[League of Blind Women]]. 10,000 Maniacs recruited Buffalo-based [[Michael Lee Jackson]] of the band Animal Planet to step into the lead guitar role. Buck returned to the band in the summer of 1999. On November 3, 2000, 10,000 Maniacs played with the [[Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra]] in Buffalo, New York. It was the last concert they performed with Buck. On December 19, 2000, Buck died of [[liver failure]] at the age of 42.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435370/10000-maniacs-guitarist-rob-buck-dies-liver-failure.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925170915/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435370/10000-maniacs-guitarist-rob-buck-dies-liver-failure.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2011|title=10,000 Maniacs Guitarist Rob Buck Dies Of Liver Failure – Music, Celebrity, Artist News|last=Basham|first=David|publisher=MTV.com|date=2000-12-20|access-date=2013-02-27}}</ref> He was buried in the Mission Covenant Church Cemetery in [[Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania]].

===2008–present2008–2022===

The band—consisting of Augustyniak, Drew, Erickson, Gustafson and Ramsey—remains active, playing shows throughout the United States. In June 2011, the band released the EP ''Triangles'' on its own label, Ruby Wristwatch Records. The band celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2011 with two sold-out concerts at the Scharmann Theater on the campus of [[Jamestown Community College]]. The band spent most of 2012 recording a new album at their studio in Jamestown, New York. In February 2013, they released the album, titled ''[[Music from the Motion Picture (10,000 Maniacs album)|Music from the Motion Picture]]''.

Former drummer Robert Wachter died on March 26, 2013, at the age of 49 due to a long illness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oleantimesherald/obituary.aspx?pid=163897611|title=Robert J. Wachter (1963–2013) Obituary|website=Legacy.com|access-date=2015-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite webmagazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/431830/10000-maniacs/biography|title=10000 Maniacs Biography|websitemagazine=Billboard.com|access-date=2015-06-25}}</ref>

''[[Twice Told Tales (album)|Twice Told Tales]]'', an album of traditional British Isles covers, was released on April 28, 2015, on [[Cleopatra Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cleorecs.com/home/10000-maniacs-announce-official-release-date-of-their-new-album-and-offer-a-sneak-peek/|title=10,000 Maniacs Announce Official Release Date Of Their New Album And Offer A Sneak Peek!|website=Cleopatra Records|date=2015-02-12|access-date=2016-03-13|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304142114/http://cleorecs.com/home/10000-maniacs-announce-official-release-date-of-their-new-album-and-offer-a-sneak-peek/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Founding member [[John Lombardo]] was brought back into the fold as creative director and to play guitar on the album and following tour. 10,000 Maniacs released its live album ''[[Playing Favorites (10,000 Maniacs album)|Playing Favorites]]'' on June 3, 2016, their first live album with [[Mary Ramsey (musician)|Mary Ramsey]] on lead vocals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1995-08-06-3051201-story.html|title=10,000 Maniacs: A Lead Singer is Not a Terrible Thing to Lose|last=Dubrovsky|first=Anna|work=The Morning Call|date=1995-08-06|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref><ref name="Boston Herald">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/04/23/10000-maniacs-still-quirky-after-all-these-years/|title=10,000 Maniacs still quirky after all these years|last=Milano|first=Brett|work=Boston Herald|date=2022-04-23|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

The band celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2022 with an extensive tour, billed as 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey, to avoid any confusion as to the status of Natalie Merchant in the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buffalorising.com/2022/03/celebrating-10000-maniacs-40th-anniversary-in-jamestown/|title=Celebrating 10,000 Maniacs 40th anniversary in Jamestown|last=Sitler|first=Doug|work=Buffalo Rising|date=2022-03-10|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref> Ramsey acknowledged the legacy of the band, and the band with Merchant, stating "There are still times when I get mistaken for her, and I feel like it's just part of the story. In the beginning it was different, because people obviously wanted to see her — that's an understandable situation. But time has healed things up a bit, the wounds and the expectations."<ref name="Boston Herald" /> In 2014, Merchant looked back to her time with the band, "I learned so much with 10,000 Maniacs and have great memories being with that band. I'll never forget 1987 when it became so crazy. It was exciting and insane in terms of the schedule. It was so intense I was hospitalized. I look back fondly on that period. But I don't think the world is craving Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/hc-xpm-2014-07-01-hc-natalie-merchant-20140704-story.html|title=Natalie Merchant Headed to Ridgefield with Songs from New Album and a Few Oldies|last=Condran|first=Ed|work=Hartford Courant|date=2014-07-01|access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref> In 2002, when Merchant was asked if she would ever get back together with the band for a tour, she stated that due to Buck's death they could never again play together as a band.<ref>{{citation|title=Natalie Merchant Live on The Rosie O'Donnell Show + Interview - May 1, 2002 (Wonder)| date=March 31, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV7S843kCpg|language=en|access-date=2022-08-31}}</ref>

:*[[Dennis Drew]]&nbsp;– keyboards, backing vocals, rare occasional lead vocals (1981–present)

:*[[Steve Gustafson]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, rare occasional lead vocals (1981–present)

:*[[John Lombardo]]&nbsp;– guitar, bass guitar, occasional lead vocals (1981–1986, 1994–2002, 2015– present2015–present, touring member other years)

:*[[Jerry Augustyniak]]&nbsp;– drums, backing vocals (1983–present)

:*[[LeighMary NashRamsey (musician)|Mary Ramsey]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, violin, viola (2023–present1993–2001, 2007–2023, 2024–)

:Chet*[[Natalie CardinaleMerchant]]&nbsp;– drumslead vocals, piano (19811981–1993)

:Teri*Tim NewhouseEdborg&nbsp;-– vocalsdrums (1981)

:[[Natalie*James Merchant]]Rocky Calavitta&nbsp;– lead vocals, pianosaxophone (1981–19931981)

:Tim*Debbie EdborgHeverly&nbsp;– drumspiano (1981)

:James*Duane Rocky CalavittaCalhoun&nbsp;– saxophonelead guitar (1981)

:Debbie*Bob Heverly"O'Matic" Wachter&nbsp;– pianodrums (19811982; died 2013)

:Duane*Jim CalhounFoti&nbsp;– lead guitardrums (19811982–1983)

:Jim*[[Oskar FotiSaville]]&nbsp;– drumslead vocals (1982–19832002–2007)

:*[[OskarLeigh SavilleNash]]&nbsp;– lead vocals (2002–20072023)

:Sally*Ben SchaeferMedina&nbsp;– acousticlead guitar, backing vocals, violin, mandolin (20232024-present)

:Maggie*Joe ZindleRozler&nbsp;– violinguitar, violakeyboards, backing vocals (2018–20232024-)

:Morgan*Sally FichterSchaefer&nbsp;– violinacoustic guitar, backing vocals, violin, mandolin (1992–19932023)

:[[Amanda*Maggie Kramer]]Zindle&nbsp;– pianoviolin, acoustic guitarviola, backing vocals (1992–19932018–2023)

:[[Michael*Morgan Lee Jackson]]Fichter&nbsp;– leadviolin, backing guitarvocals (1998–19991992–1993)

:*[[MaxAmanda WeinbergKramer]]&nbsp;– drumspiano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (19921992–1993)

:Kevin*[[Michael OsborneLee Jackson]]&nbsp;– trombonelead guitar (1992–19931998–1999)

:Tommy*[[Max LaBellaWeinberg]]&nbsp;– alto saxophonedrums (1992–1993, 2013–20191992)

:Tony*Kevin WhiteOsborne&nbsp;– tenor saxophone, horn arrangertrombone (1992–1993, 2002–2003, 2013–2019)

:Scott*Tommy BurrowsLaBella&nbsp;– trombonealto saxophone (19931992–1993, 2013–2019)

:Amanda*Maria BartonSebastian&nbsp;– acoustic guitar, backing vocals, violin, tambourine (2015–20162010–2011)

:Inga*Melanie YanoskiLuciano&nbsp;– viola,acoustic violinguitar, backing vocals (2016–20182012–2014, 2015, 2020)

:Noelle*Savannah HoneKing&nbsp;– acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2006, 20182014–2015)

bar:Drew Newhouse text:DennisTeri DrewNewhouse

bar:NewhouseLeigh text:TeriLeigh NewhouseNash

bar:ColavitoBuck text:Jim CalavittaRob Buck

bar:leighLeigh from:01/08/2023 till:end 31/12/2023 color:vocals

bar:Lombardo from:01/01/2015 till:end color:vocalsbass width:37

bar:mattMatt from:01/08/2023 till:end 31/12/2023 color:guitar

|''[[Music from the Motion Picture (10,000 Maniacs album)|Music from the Motion Picture]]''

| 1985 || ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'' || 10,000 Maniacs || Performed "Can't Ignore the Train" and "My Mother the War"

[[Category:JangleAmerican jangle pop groups]]