Originally called Still Life, the band formed in Jamestown, New York in 1981, and has been active with various line-ups since then. The band initially consisted of Steven Gustafson on bass, Dennis Drew on keyboards, Robert Buck, guitar, Terry Newhouse, vocals, and Chet Cardinale on drums. Gustafson invited Natalie Merchant, then 17, to do some vocals. John Lombardo, who was in a band called The Mills, used to play guitar with Still Life occasionally and was invited to join permanently.
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, after the low-budget horror movie Two Thousand Maniacs. They performed as 10,000 Maniacs for the first time on Labor Day in 1981. They started to write their own, usually with Merchant writing lyrics and 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.
Between March and July of 1983, they recorded songs for a second record, Secrets of the I Ching — their debut 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, a DJ at Radio BBC Radio 1 in London. One song, "My Mother the War" turned out to be a minor hit in the United Kingdom, and it entered the independent singles chart. During 1983 and 1984, touring was a way of life for the band and they also played some gigs in the UK.
Peter Leak, an Englishman living in New York City, became interested in the band and became their manager. With his help and that of Elektra Records A&R man, Howard Thompson, the band signed to Elektra in 1985. They recorded their second full-length album, The Wishing Chair, in London with Joe Boyd as producer.
Lombardo left the band on 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 in July of 1987, hit the charts and established a large US audience for the group, which was expanded by Blind Man's Zoo (1989). In 1990, with the help of Lombardo, they remastered their first two records (Human Conflict and I-Ching) and released them as a compilation called Hope Chest. In 1992, Our Time in Eden was released. On April 19, 1993, 10,000 Maniacs recorded MTV Unplugged and Merchant announced her leaving the band on MTV on August 5, 1993. The 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged CD was released in October of 1993. The remaining members of 10,000 Maniacs then absorbed John & Mary, with Ramsey on viola and vocals.
Two albums were released with Mary Ramsey on vocals. In 1997 they released Love Among the Ruins and followed up in 1999 with The Earth Pressed Flat. On December 19, 2000, Robert Buck died of liver failure at age 42. Their last concert with Buck had been on November 3, 2000, when the band played with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, in Buffalo, New York. In 2001, a line-up comprising Gustafson, Drew, Augustyniak, Lombardo and Ramsey played on a benefit concert in Toronto, with Erikson on guitar. Lombardo and Ramsey left 10,000 Maniacs in 2002.
In 2003, Gustafson, Drew and Augustyniak formed a new line-up by adding Erikson on guitar and Oskar Saville from Rubygrass on vocals. In January, 2004, Elektra/Asylum/Rhino Records released Campfire Songs, subtitled "The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings", a two CD set compilation, with 31 digitally remastered songs.
The music, finally, is the message 10,000 Maniacs convey - and it is a
triumphant one.
10,000
MANIACS
