by: Greg Rule (page 37)

Here's a weird one: Dennis Drew, keyboardist with 10,000 Maniacs, had never played prior to joining the band in 1981. Seriously. He barely knew a triad from a tripod. When he came on board, it was primarily as a manager - not as a player. "I was the guy who booked the gigs," laughs Drew. "I wasn't even a musician back then."

What a difference a decade makes. Today he's a piano, organ, and synth-playing fool... or should we say, Maniac. The band's latest release, Our Time in Eden (Elektra) has been certified gold and, as of this writing, is moving toward platinum status. Drew co-wrote several songs on Eden. "You don't necessarily have to be a great player to write songs," he told us backstage at a recent California appearance. "Songs are really pretty basic. The embellishments are what need some technical expertise. But a good song can be three chords and a good melody."

He cites years of studio experience as the key to his keyboard-playing maturity. "I was getting better each year, but it was the studio that really made a difference because everything you did was put under a microscope." Rummaging through fake books also proved beneficial. "Even though fake books aren't always accurate, they helped me connect what I heard on record to some form of structure. I learned how simple pop music really was. Being great at anything is very difficult, of course. But still, it's mostly I-IV-V. It's still flatted thirds, sevenths."

Virtuosity never factored into Drew's game plan. "I never aspired to be a Chick Corea," he says. "I come from that punk school of thought, which was, 'Get a guitar and get up there and say something. It doesn't matter if you're a great player. This isn't Yes. This isn't Genesis. That's not the idea."

Live, Drew plays his trusty companion of eight years, the Korg CX-3, and a Roland RD-300 digital piano. Both are routed through a miked Roland JC- 1 20 Jazz Chorus guitar amp. "Keyboards running direct sound terrible to me. I don't think any keyboard should be used without an amp and a speaker. It's that dirt and warmth that makes the stuff sound good. Clean signals are for scientists."