'desire for change' prompts singer's exit
by: Anthony Violanti
The long-rumored split between Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs has become reality. Merchant said on Thursday that she is leaving the Jamestown band, which is enjoying the most successful phase of its career.
"No irrational or explosive events brought this about -- only a desire for change and a need for growth," Merchant said in a written statement released by the group's record label, Elektra.
The Buffalo News reported rumors nearly two months ago that Merchant was thinking of leaving the band. At that time the Maniacs denied that the group was splitting up.
Merchant said the announcement was delayed until after the group's latest concert series to avoid any distractions a "farewell tour" would have involved.
"I've given this decision two years of thought," Merchant said.
Merchant, in her late 20s, has been with the band nearly half her life. The group -- which also includes Rob Buck, Dennis Drew, Jerome Augustyniak and Steve Gustafson -- was formed in Jamestown in the early 1980s.
The Maniacs' last local appearance came in late July when the band played Chautauqua Institution. It was a stirring concert featuring Merchant and the band, along with John Lombardo, a founding member who left the group just before the Maniacs hit it big in the mid-'80s.
Merchant also sang an emotional version of To Sir With Love while sitting in the lap of Billy LaBeef, a Buffalo resident and singer who was her childhood friend. LaBeef's career ended when he was paralyzed in a diving accident.
10,000 Maniacs, a longtime college favorite, is at the height of its popularity with its current album, Our Time in Eden. The record sold more than a million copies and produced hit singles such as These Are Days and Candy Everybody Wants. This year Merchant was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The band played at President Clinton's inauguration and recently did an Unplugged performance on MTV.
Regardless of the band's cumulative success, the attention always has focused on Merchant, who became a star in her own right.
"She's good to work with and brilliant, but it's the music that matters most with this band," Dennis Drew told The News. "It's the music that keeps us together."
Merchant was the group's songwriter and headed it for 12 years, most responsible for leading the Maniacs from a cult following to commercial success.
Now she's going on her own.
"Natalie has been with these guys since she was just a kid," said a source close to the band. "She just feels it's time to have her own life."