by: Kevin C. Johnson (page: E5)

10,000 Maniacs' link to Genesis, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, the Supremes, the Commodores, Rufus and the Jackson Five isn't the most enviable one.

They were all prolific bands whose futures came into question with the departure of their lead singers. Some of the bands fizzled, while others managed to maintain success. 10,000 Maniacs plan to be among the survivors, proving there is life after Natalie.

If you don't believe it, check out the group at the Agora tomorrow night -- with no sign of former lead singer Natalie Merchant. Mary Ramsey, who had sung backup vocals for the band in the past, is the new singer. And guitarist John Lombardo, one of the band's founding members, has returned.

"Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, and they had the largest grossing tour last year," says Lombardo. "It is possible to continue. Just because she (Natalie) quit the group doesn't mean everyone has to retire. The perception is that Natalie did everything, that she wrote all the songs. That wasn't the case at all, though she did write some of the lyrics."

Ramsey adds it's difficult whenever a crucial group member decides to leave. "Do you stay together or do you form a new group? The guys wanted to go on. They've been playing together for so long they have their own sound."

The last time we really heard from 10,000 Maniacs was in 1993 when the popular folk-rock band, with Merchant, did an MTV Unplugged special and album, which turned out to be Merchant's swan song with the group.

Merchant left afterward for a long-desired solo career, which took off nicely this year with the million-selling album Tigerlily. (Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs are touring simultaneously these days. Merchant will appear Dec. 9 at the Music Hall in Cleveland.)

Lombardo and Ramsey say there were no bad vibes over Merchant's leaving. Everyone is still friends, they say.

But there is one bitter pill the the band is swallowing these days. When Merchant left, Elektra Records signed her to a solo deal and dropped 10,000 Maniacs from its roster, not wanting its new star to compete with her former group on the same label.

The band is still without a record deal -- something Lombardo says he doesn't address much in interviews.

But he says the band, which also includes guitarist Robert Buck, keyboardist Dennis Drew, bassist Steven Gustafson and drummer Jerome Augustyniak, is eyeing options.

But the lack of a record deal hasn't stopped the Maniacs from forging ahead with their music. For the better part of this year, they've been out testing new material.

Songs such as Once a City, Your Shining Light, Time Turns and Love Among the Ruins have been getting tryouts with live crowds in select U.S. cities and will find their way onto the next album, which they hope to release by late winter. They've been focusing on the new material in concert to get more of a feel for it and establish the new group lineup.

"People sit there a bit confused," Lombardo says of the new material, which is more upbeat and rockin' than typical Maniacs songs and harks back to the band's sound when it started out in 1981. "This is what we're about now. But since we're in a transitional period, it's good to do a few of the old songs. We don't try to hide from the past."

The band's decision not to overdo it on the older 10,000 Maniacs songs makes sense because neither Lombardo nor Ramsey were members during the band's heyday.

Lombardo helped found the band in Jamestown, N.Y., in 1981 when it mistakenly named itself after the obscure horror film 2,000 Maniacs. He left the band in 1986 after early albums such as 1985's The Wishing Chair, saying he needed to be on his own and had run out of patience with the group's slow-building success.

Lombardo moved to Buffalo, N.Y., and while the 10,000 Maniacs started to see their first real signs of light, he hooked up with Ramsey. They formed folk duo John & Mary.

During the early '90s, John & Mary, while releasing their own material such as 1991's Victory Gardens, would also open for 10,000 Maniacs, thanks to Lombardo's earlier connection. This led to Ramsey doing occasional backup vocals and playing violin and viola with the band on tour and on recordings.

Lombardo and Ramsey officially returned to the fold in 1994 after Merchant left. "They (10,000 Maniacs) didn't want to break up. They had to sort out what they wanted to do next. There were lots of options. They could have brought in anybody," says Lombardo. "They knew us, knew our records. We were like one big group anyway, so it was a natural progression."

"When they asked us, we said, yeah, we'd give it a try because it seemed like a good opportunity," says Ramsey.

During a mini-tour last year, the Maniacs went out unbilled and low-key, playing mostly college crowds who probably figured out who they really were -- although they weren't doing any old Maniacs songs at the time.

Reaction to the Merchant-less Maniacs was good, though Lombardo says part of the crowd's interest may have been that they were the only thing happening on campus.

Curiosity could be a factor today as fans wonder what the band is like without Merchant. Ramsey knows she's in an odd situation but doesn't feel like she's stepping into Merchant's shoes.

"I'm me, and she's she. My personality is quite a bit different from hers, and she's such a unique person in her own way. She has a unique style of singing, and I don't think that's easily copied. I just sing the way I sing.

"The similarities are going to be in the music. Certainly the genre of music won't be that different. But it' s not like I'm going to start sounding like Courtney Love all of a sudden."

Ramsey needs to bring something special to the table to really make her mark. She believes she approaches songwriting differently than Merchant, with different attitudes and experiences and more emphasis on storytelling.

Lombardo says Ramsey's special contribution is her musicianship.