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Together now for more than four decades, 10,000 Maniacs remain one of America’s most beloved independent bands. They’ve been cult heroes, mainstream stars and alt-rock trailblazers. Through it all the creative core of the band remains, along with its trademarks of eclectic music and poetic lyrics.
Mary Ramsey ( lead vocals and viola) has been working with the Maniacs in the studio or on tour since 1991. She became lead singer in 1994. Dennis Drew (keyboards), Steven Gustafson (bass and vocals), John Lombardo (guitar and vocals), Jerome Augustyniak (drums) are founding members. New kid, Ben Medina (lead guitar and vocals), channels Robert Buck. It’s spooky.
10,000 Maniacs is the most famous musical progeny of Jamestown, New York, the city that spawned them back in 1981. The band and the city share an honest and hardworking nature, both being a step outside the mainstream, and both possessing a bit of magic. “It’s a city of blue-collar poetry,” says Drew. “And that’s what we’re about, real-life stories. We’re a family, we do real work and we keep moving forward.” Originally drawing from everything from African rhythms to bluegrass to English folk balladry, the group streamlined its sound during the ‘80s with legendary producer Peter Asher, kicking off a string of beautifully crafted singles including “Like the Weather,” “What’s the Matter Here?”, “Trouble Me,” “These Are Days” and “Candy Everybody Wants.” They performed at President Clinton’s inaugural ball in 1992 and around that time became one of the first bands to score a hit from MTV’s Unplugged–namely their version of the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen classic “Because the Night.”
While new songs and recordings are always in the works, the live shows remain their place to really shine. Says Dennis 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.” |
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2025
Kent Stage
