10,000 Maniacs

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 additions to the band are Joe Rozler (keyboards, guitar and vocals) and Ben Medina (lead guitar and vocals).

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
Gustafson. “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.”

The band is currently touring and working on a new album.