by: Richard Foster

You don't have to be Bill Clinton to see 10,000 Maniacs in concert this summer.

The band that rocked the 1993 Inaugural Ball is coming to Richmond Sunday.

Socially-conscious singer and alternative heartthrob Natalie Merchant will bring her gang of maniacs to Classic Amphitheatre to perform favorites as well as newsongs from the band's recent album, Our Time in Eden.

Since forming in 1981 at a college radio station in Jamestown, a rural town in upstate New York, 10,000 Maniacs has become a major hit with alternative music fans and the MTV crowd.

The group toured with R.E.M. and many press reports romantically linked Ms. Merchant with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe.

Young Virginian (Y.V.) caught up with keyboard player Dennis Drew on the road in St. Louis, and asked him about the band's recent changes, living in Richmond (!) and a special 10,000 Maniacs gig -- at a middle school in Oregon.

Y.V.: We understand you played a concert in May for a middle school student who won a lyric-writing contest. How did it turn out?

Dennis Drew: Fabulous, exciting... touching and really heartwarming.

Scholastic Magazine put together a tape of songs and Natalie did a little interview on the tape talking about her method (of songwriting) and all the tricks for developing a character (in one's songs). They sent it out to thousands of schools and we got 17,000 entries.

The at-risk kids really took it to heart... the teachers said they never saw them work so hard.

The winner's entry was called I Am Black and Blue. (She) tells a (true) story about a black homeless woman who was trying to gather up enough loose branches to make herself a Christmas tree.

Her mom and dad gave the lady a tree and then they explained how some people aren't as fortunate as others... and she wrote a beautiful poem... she put herself in that homeless lady's life. It was a very powerful piece of poetry coming from a little 11-year-old white girl from Oregon.

Y.V.: Natalie Merchant's poetry had a similar effect on you when you met her, didn't it?

Drew: Stunning... it didn't take long to realize she was something special.

Y.V.: How did you guys meet?

Drew: We were running a college radio station... Natalie listened, came down, brought some records for us to play, then she started doing some DJ stuff. She did that for probably eight to nine months before we got together as a band.

Y.V.: The rest of the band was a lot older than she was, right?

Drew: We were about 23 when we met her, she was 16. When we left town she was 17. She was a precocious young girl... a couple of bars we played at, she would go outside and couldn't get back in because she didn't have proper ID.

Y.V.: What were your influences as a band?

Drew: I think what got us together was the punk music of the late '70s. And reggae, the protest music of Bob Marley... those are the two forms of music that inspired us, mostly because of (their) social commentary.

We did a lot of reggae songs -- songs by Jacob Miller, Bob Marley, Mighty Diamonds -- we did Joy Division, Clash songs, Elvis Costello.

Y.V.: And a few years later you were playing with R.E.M. How did that happen?

Drew: We did our first tour with them in '84... they had come to see us just before that. Those guys are famous.

Y.V.: And you're not?

Drew: They sell probably 10 times as many records as we do. There's a big difference between the level they're at and the level we're at, believe me.

Y.V.: Any truth to the Stipe-Merchant romance rumors?

Drew: It's no big deal. I really don't know about any relationship... they're friends, not lovers. I don't know if they were ever lovers. They were close friends during our touring days but they relate on the same level. They both have the same job and there aren't many people in the world you can share that job with.

Y.V.: Do you ever feel like you're in Natalie's shadow?

Drew: That's the way life is... Natalie's obviously a lot more noticeable. I got in this for music, I didn't get into this to be annoyed in airports or restaurants. Being able to play the music and hear the people cheer is plenty exhilarating for me. I don't mind less recognition. It makes life a lot easier.

Y.V.: How has that recognition affected Natalie's life?

Drew: It's difficult for her to do things, to go out in public. A lot of people think Natalie is going to save their life. They think she's got all the answers... they take Natalie's lyrics to heart. I'm not saying these are healthy people, but there's a lot of them out there. It gets tough on her. There are people who have come to almost every show on the tour and send her "I Love You" messages. It must cost them thousands of dollars to do all this cross-country traveling. All these weird people who stand off in the distance, sending jewelry and flowers to her... it's very creepy and very strange. It's not worth it. I'm happy I don't have to face that.

Y.V.: One of the highlights of 1993's Inaugural Ball was when Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe sang To Sir, With Love for President Clinton. What were your impressions?

Drew: It was the most talked-about thing we've ever done. The energy in that room was unbelievable... The stars there made me feel like a little kid -- Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson...

Y.V.: Have you been to Richmond many times before?

Drew: We played in Richmond and D.C. so many times everybody there thought we were local. It's one of the first places we ever played outside Jamestown. We lived at 2001 Floyd Ave. We stayed there with our friends. We used to play Hard Times, Rockitz, lots of clubs like that... last time we were in Richmond, we had a wonderful little dinner at the Texas Wisconsin Border Cafe.

Y.V.: Will Richmond fans hear any new songs written while you've been on the road?

Drew: No. Maybe in my mind I'm (writing songs), but we're not 23 anymore. The idea of going to soundchecks a couple hours early to work out new material just doesn't appeal to any of us. We've never been the kind of band to sit around writing songs.

Y.V.: Any new 10,000 Maniacs projects in the works?