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They may not be new to the music biz, but 10,000 Maniacs are new to the success engendered by their latest disc, In My Tribe. Released in 1987, the LP floated in and out of the bottom ranges of the charts before starting an impressive upwards journey.
All of which suits the Jamestown, NY-based quintet fine. "We had a lot of confidence in the songs and a lot of confidence in what we had to say," recalls keyboardist Dennis Drew. The other band members are Natalie Merchant (vocals), Robert Buck (guitar), Steven Gustafson (bass) and Jerome Augustyniak (drums). Merchant pens all the lyrics while the band collaborates on the country/folk/British/Caribbean influenced music.
As a result, In My Tribe contains everything from lilting ballads of woe to cinematic character sketches.
"We're not after superstardom, but we do like to get our music heard," explains Drew. Thanks to tunes like What's The Matter Here? and a rousing cover of Cat Stevens' PeaceTrain, 10,000 Maniacs are on the fast track. Touring with R.E.M. last fall and a successful string of solo shows have helped consolidate the band 's newfound fandom.
"It was an experiment for us," concedes vocalist Merchant, whose high sailing voice has been duly noted and praised, "to make a pop record that still had an edge to it."