by: Sandy Stahl (page 1F)

Keyboardist Dennis Drew is perfectly content to remain in the shadows while 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant basks in the limelight.

"There's only room for one at the top," says Drew during a recent telephone interview, "and that's fine. No one (in the band) can sing like Natalie, and not one of us has more talent. We got our break because of Natalie."

That mature attitude, a rarity in a business dominated by infantile behavior and gargantuan egos, has carried over to 10,000 Maniacs' latest Elektra disc, Our Time In Eden, which will make up a healthy chunk of the band's performance Tuesday night at Stabler Arena, Bethlehem. Even Drew describes Eden, which is No. 56 after 30 weeks on the Billboard album chart, as "more mature."

"We've followed the process of progression and we've slowed down," he explained. "We're not as much of a toe-tapping folk-rock band. Eden has more (varied) music, and the lyrics sit within the music."

On record, they've also added the James Brown Horns. "We're not trying to be retro," laughs Drew. "We just wrote some songs which screamed for horns."

The James Brown Horns add a nice finishing touch to the Maniacs' latest single, Candy Everybody Wants, a track about love and lust. The song, arguably Eden's best track, was co-written by Merchant and Drew.

"This album was the first time that the band started to write songs together, which one would think would cause many artistic disagreements," says Drew. "Sure, we argued. But we generally think alike. There was a lot of discussion and debate, and internally you never know if you're right."

So who has the final say?

"Natalie has the ultimate veto power, because if she doesn't like it or doesn't feel it, she can't sing it well."

The members of 10,000 Maniacs met at a community college in Jamestown, N.Y., about 13 years ago. Drew, bassist Steve Gustafson and guitarist Robert Buck were doing shifts on college radio "and then Natalie came walking in," Drew recalls. "She was 16 and attending college early because she was a prodigy. She was special, and things fell into place."

The group, which also includes drummer Jerome Augustyniak, started out in 1981 as a punk/reggae cover band and eventually began adding folk, country and rock to its sound. After two independent records, the band signed with Elektra, and in 1985 released The Wishing Chair, followed in 1987 with In My Tribe, which attracted fans with the video for Like the Weather. But 10,000 Maniacs' real commercial breakthrough came with 1989's disc, Blind Man's Zoo.

The band's career also got a boost from R.E.M. "They brought us out on tour and exposed us to thousands of people. Every young band needs someone like R.E.M., or now, 10,000 Maniacs, to take them under their wing."

Growing up, Drew knew he would end up in a band. He played piano in high school, toyed with filmmaking and was editor of his school newspaper. "I was always a music fan," he says, "and I wanted something which involved little work and good hours."

The hours have been piling up lately, however. In April alone, the Maniacs performed at an Earth Day celebration with Paul McCartney, sang on "The Tonight Show" and put the finishing touches on an "Unplugged" segment for MTV, which will air later this month or early next month.

MTV has always been 10,000 Maniacs-friendly. Last January the band was invited to perform at the inaugural ball sponsored by the video network because, Drew says, MTV executives knew the band was politically active and would be happy to oblige.

All of this activity, plus the band's tour schedule, leaves Drew little time for family life or his 1-year-old daughter. "That's why we took a break last summer," notes Drew. "We're getting older and we're perfectly happy that we took time out for a breather."

And what if Eden doesn't sell as well as Blind Man's Zoo?

"There was a time when the charts meant something," he says. "But it's all bogus now. Bands can be successful playing to a core audience and selling 500,000 records."