by: Mary Anne O'Callaghan, AP Christian Service Monitor News
(section: Entertainment/Weekend page: 48)

Natalie Merchant is far from becoming the most famous daughter of Jamestown, N.Y. (Lucille Ball has that title), but she's making an effort.

Not long ago, her band - 10,000 Maniacs - was commonly mistaken for a heavy-metal act. But today, music fans have learned to appreciate the folk-rock nature of the quintet, whose second major-label album - In My Tribe - is nearing platinum status. The Maniacs followed that album with Blind Man's Zoo, which seems certain to secure the band's big-league success.

In just a few years, the band has moved from nightclubs to concert halls, including several sellouts on their current tour, which brings them to Red Rocks tonight.

Although 10,000 Maniacs is billed as a folk-rock group, its music is a melange of elements. The British- and Caribbean-influenced, beat-driven music is matched with jangling and chiming melodies sometimes likened to Fleetwood Mac's and R.E.M.'s.

But much of the Maniacs' identity and sound depend on the group's singer and frontwoman, Natalie Merchant. Her voice exudes a rich sound, seemingly devoid of breath - a kind of sweet, melodic holler that's captivating, whether live or on record.

Ably backed up by Rob Buck on guitar, Steve Gustafson on bass, Dennis Drew on keyboards and Jerome Augustyniak on drums, Merchant maneuvers her voice so that it sings out to listeners - yet also draws them in to what she's singing about. She writes some songs for the group and all of its lyrics.

In her lyrics, which are often difficult to decipher unless they're printed, Merchant has a knack for examining the thoughts of individuals - usually people who are facing some kind of conflict - and revealing them in slice-of-life parables. By taking the role of protagonist or an active observer, she presents situations that are not only graspable but highly topical.

The In My Tribe album addresses child abuse, apathy, illiteracy and alcoholism through the eyes of involved individuals. The Blind Man's Zoo album has a more politicized outlook, addressing the Iran-contra scandal, teen pregnancy, environmental issues and poverty.

The band has been together since 1981, when the members met at Jamestown Community College.

"We were on the college radio station there, and no one liked us. We were busy playing music of the Gang of Four, and all they wanted to hear was the Boss," says Merchant.

"In Jamestown, our music grew without the pressure of competition. We could develop at our own pace. Our interests were dictated by our individual record collections rather than the music press, as opposed to if we were in New York City or London."

The band's name comes from the title of a horror movie. "We'd had a few different names and were playing a Halloween party," Merchant says. "We picked 10,000 Maniacs because it sounded like Halloween. Everyone really liked us at the party, and it dawned on us that if we changed our name, no one would know who we were. So we stuck with it."

Originally, the band covered songs by British bands. It developed its own voice by integrating those sounds with a bit of folk, bluegrass and country.

"At the time, we were using mandolins and recorders, and no one else was doing that. That set us apart."

Copyright 1989 Denver Publishing Co.