By: Brent Israelsen
When 10,000 Maniacs formed 12 years ago, they began as a punk/reggae cover band in local bars in western New York.
Today, they are a medium-big concert ticket, touring the states on the strength of a new album that has already gone platinum, whose sound is more of a new-age folk, with only a hint of reggae and little evidence of punk. What happened?
"Twelve years is what happened," says Dennis Drew, the Maniacs' keyboardist. "We grew with (the music) and changed, matured. You can't keep playing the same thing you played 12 years ago."
The Maniacs, however, will likely draw from all of their five albums when they bring their act to Salt Lake City for the first time Tuesday, May 25. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Triad Amphitheatre. Opening act is The Wallflowers, a rootsy rock 'n' roll band featuring Jakob Dylan (son of Bob).
Led by the powerful, seductive vocals of Natalie Merchant, the Maniacs are in the middle of one of their biggest tours in years. The 60-stop tour began last month at the Hollywood Bowl with Paul McCartney and ends in mid-August.
Their new album, Our Time in Eden, represents a small change in direction. Unlike their other albums, Eden was largely a group effort.
On past albums, Merchant wrote the lyrics and the other band members found ways to put them to music, Drew said. This time, Merchant helped with the music.
"She wanted the music to go with the lyrics more. The words and music are a bit more in sync. In the past, our music was at odds with our lyrics."
The effort is memorable on These Are Days, Stockton Gala Days, Candy Everybody Wants but falls short on the remaining cuts, which become a bit monotonous.
It's not as good as 1987's In My Tribe but it's a close second.
The standout on the new album is I'm Not the Man, about a man falsely accused of a capital crime. Backed hauntingly by bassoons, Merchant sings almost without emotion, a ploy in contrast to call attention to the seriousness of the lyrics:
I'm not the man. He goes free
as I wait on the row
for the man to test the rope
he'll slip around my throat . . . and silence me
With the exception of that song, which is more like the social protest flavor of the Maniacs' past work, Eden has a more personal feel.
"It's easier to listen to than being hammered over the head with the world's ills," Drew says.