By: G. Brown
A new band called 10,000 Maniacs? It's got to be all of David Lee Roth's relatives getting together to apply for a single Mensa membership, right?
No, 10,000 Maniacs is a six-piece band out of Jamestown, NY, that has already forged a bigger following in Europe than in the United States. Now the group is finally touring America with R.E.M in support of The Wishing Chair, its first major-label LP.
"Particularly in England they seem to focus on newer bands - you can get old-hat very quickly, but the emphasis is on fresher things and you can make a splash a little quicker," principal songwriter and guitarist John Lombardo explained. "Whereas in America, the wheels turn a little slower - there's still an emphasis an traditional rock bands that have been around 15 years. I mean, we're signed to Elektra Records and their third-largest selling act of last year was the Doors!"
10,000 Maniacs would like nothing better than to attain a similar status, but like most new acts, this group is finding itself being defined initially in terms of other acts. The 10,000 Maniacs "sound" filters a number of traditional influences, from soft Caribbean rhythms to English folk aberrations to fractured funk. But since the band is fronted by singer Natalie Merchant, people who hear the band are making simple comparisons to other female vocalists.
"It's such a shortcut to say we sound like Blondie by way of Jefferson Airplane," Lombardo said. "In an area where you're trying to be original it's impossible to divorce yourself entirely from ... rock - you're dealing with the same chord structures and instrumentation. But we've always tried to make it our own sound."
Indeed, Merchant will undoubtedly receive comments from Stevie Nicks observers for her swirling stage movements, but a more accurate antecedent to her musical style was the late Sandy Denny, the ethereal vocalist for the English folk-rock band Fairport Convention circa 1969. Merchant twists and teases her syllables, extracting feelings from language sounds as much as from lyrics.
Ironically, The Wishing Chair was produced by Joe Boyd, whose former credits include albums with Fairport Convention. "I've always admired Joe's work," Lombardo said. "I've collected records for years, and I've got all the old Fairport records that he worked on. Someone told him he'd like our 'punk-folk' demo and he became enthused about working with us. We didn't want an '80s-sounding electronically produced 'thoom-thoom' drum sound. That's what we like about our album - the production Joe put on it really can't be categorized by any era."
10,000 Maniacs will open for R.E.M. tonight at the University of Colorado Events Center. Tickets are available at Select-A-Seat.