It was the late 1970s, and the nucleus of the band 10,000 Maniacs was making its first waves on the JCC campus. Keyboardist Dennis Drew and bassist Steve Gustafson were running WJCC, the campus radio station. Singer/lyricist Natalie Merchant was a student assistant in the college print shop, on her way to graduating with high honors. It was at JCC Natalie first met Dennis and Steve, who soon joined Robert Buck in the group Still Life. With the addition of drummer Jerry Augustyniak and John Lombardo (who has since left the band), the group started playing under the name of 10,000 Maniacs in 1981. The members took the name from the cult classic film 2,000 Maniacs.

With years of hard work, touring, and five records, 10,000 Maniacs have made quite a splash in the music world. The band has recently released its third album on the Elektra record label. Titled Blind Man's Zoo, the album includes the single Trouble Me. The video of Trouble Me, which is making the rounds on VH1, was filmed in Chautauqua Institution. The band's second album, In My Tribe, has sold nearly 500,000 copies.

The band has received much critical acclaim, with flattering articles in the New York Times, Newsweek, People, and Rolling Stone. The New York Times of May 21, 1989, referred to the band as being "at the forefront of a revival of fervent folk-rock," and Blind Man's Zoo as being a "superb third (major) album" for the group. The group has performed on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and Late Night with David Letterman.

A recent article in People magazine mentioned that as a child, Natalie Merchant tended to "hang out with professors, potters, and psychologists" at JCC, where her mother worked as a secretary. The band's quirky lyrics on important issues are a trademark of the group. Alcoholism, illiteracy, Jack Kerouac, and child abuse have been some of the topics explored in their songs.