10,000 Maniacs

Mainstream stars and alt-rock trailblazers, the 10,000 Maniacs will perform this fall at the UB Center for the Arts. The performance will also be a part of UB’s Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities.

Together now for more than four decades, the 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.”

The band has covered plenty of ground, from cult-stardom to international stardom, to their status as a cornerstone alternative band. But the sound and spirit of 10,000 Maniacs remains consistent. The live shows embrace their entire catalogue, and the lineup is still anchored by four of the six original members. Drew, guitarist John Lombardo, and bassist Steven Gustafson co-founded the band in 1981. Drummer Jerome Augustyniak joined in 1982, solidifying the rhythm section. And the two “new” members have long been part of the family: Mary Ramsey toured and recorded with the Maniacs as a viola player and backup singer beginning in 1991 before stepping into the front woman’s role 27 years ago.

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.”

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