by: Anthony Violanti
Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs lives the philosophy stated in one of the band's biggest hits: These Are Days.
He's willing to leave the glory days where they belong - in the past. "Do I miss being 25 - sure I do," Drew said. "But I can't imagine going through all that again. It's great to be big and famous and raking in the dollars, but at some point you know it has to end."
Drew and the Maniacs will appear with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at 7:30 tonight in Kleinhans Music Hall.
During the early '90s, the band sold millions of records, played at President Clinton's inaugural and were MTV stars. Those were heady times. Today, the band records for an independent label, mostly performs in small clubs and, ofcourse, Natalie Merchant, the dominant personality and songwriter, is long gone.
Merchant split for a solo career seven years ago. She had a couple of best-selling albums, although sales were disappointing for her CD that came out last year.
Drew and the Maniacs, meanwhile, reorganized when Mary Ramsey replaced Merchant and came to the group with former member John Lombardo. They joined bandmates Jerome Augustyniak, Robert Buck and Steve Gustafson.
"During the heyday of the group, the Maniacs were more about Natalie than the band," said Rich Wall, program director of WEDG-FM, who was an early fan. "The focus was on Natalie, but you had a whole group of highly-talented individuals who were overlooked.
"Now, without Natalie, they make compelling and creative music and remain true to their artistic values. There's nothing wrong with that."
Drew said he is having fun.
"I'm happier now; I don't have to go on the road and play 200 shows a year," he said. "There's a certain loneliness attached to all that travel. I'd rather be here with my family."
Drew lives near Jamestown with his wife and two children.
"I've learned to deal with real life; life as a father and a husband," he said. "For me the real fun was making records. We're still doing that, and I'm still happy with the band."
Three years ago the Maniacs released an album, Love Among the Ruins, and then last year came out with The Earth Pressed Flat. Neither album made much of a sales dent, although there was a Top 40 single, More Than This.
Still, that was a far cry from such best-selling albums as In My Tribe, Blind Man's Zoo, Our Time in Eden and MTV Unplugged. The Maniacs' hit singles included These Are Days, Candy Everybody Wants and Because the Night.
Some have speculated that Merchant and the Maniacs might reunite some day. "I have no problem playing with Natalie," Drew said. "Do I see it happening? No."
For now, Drew, like the rest of the band, is concerned about playing with the BPO.
The concert, featuring Randall Craig Fleischer as guest conductor, will have a heavy dose of classical music.
"When you play rock 'n' roll, you sort of feel like you've been faking it," Drew said. "Now you're up there with an orchestra, following a conductor, and you can't fake it."
Rock and classical music have melody in common, Drew said. He mentions such songs as Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale, the Moody Blues' Tuesday Afternoon and the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby as pop songs with classical influences.
"In rock music, you get a great hook and you repeat it," Drew said. "In classical music, they never repeat anything."
He's also learned to appreciate classical musicians.
"You know, rock 'n' roll people think the classical guys are snobs, but they're not," he said. "It's great being around these musicians, and I've learned a lot from them."