His band, 10,000 Maniacs, spent a good part of 1992 holed up in the studio working to perfect their long-awaited new album, Our Time in Eden.

Just when the record was completed and tour plans were announced, a biking accident forced Augustyniak to the sidelines with a broken collarbone.

Instead, former Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg picked up the sticks for seven shows in September while Augustyniak recovered at home.

"I wasn't that intimidated," he said. "It was so hard watching someone else play with the band, I was chomping at the bit to start up again."

Since then, Augustyniak, 34, has made up for his absence - joining the Maniacs for performances on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" before embarking on a tour to support Our Time in Eden.

Talking on the phone from a hotel room in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, where the band is recording several songs as B-sides for their new singles, Augustyniak's laid-back manner contrasts with the band's recent notoriety.

Our Time in Eden, the band's first album since 1989's ill-fated Blind Man's Zoo, has found growing critical and commercial success in its first few weeks of release.

Buoyed by Natalie Merchant's powerful vocals and Augustyniak's no-nonsense drumming, the album is safely lodged among Billboard's Top 50 records, with the first single, These Are Days, at No. 4 on the magazine's Modern Rock chart - a bit of a relief for the Maniacs.

"There seemed to be a lot of pressure for another breakout album," said Augustyniak. "We even had the president (of Elektra Records) flying in to hear sessions. But we put more pressure on ourselves than anybody, so it didn't affect us much."

Even more surprising, the Maniacs' success follows a year-long break from recording or touring after the release of Blind Man's Zoo.

Rumors abounded that Merchant was tired of the rock 'n' roll life and ready to quit the band, but Augustyniak says that wasn't so.

"We just took time to get married and buy houses ... grown-up-type stuff," he assured. "We came back recharged and ready to work hard."