Commitment To City Remains Strong For 10,000 Maniacs
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It's not every day that a rock band is bestowed the honor of being ambassadors of their hometown.
Recently, 10,000 Maniacs received that honor after the city unveiled a new "Home of 10,000 Maniacs" sign on North Main Street. The local band now joins Lucille Ball, Roger Tory Peterson and Robert H. Jackson as those recognized on city entrance signs.
"It's very cool to be honored by our city and to be included with such talented people. I hope the sign doesn't scare away new visitors," bassist and founding member Steve Gustafson said.
The bassist said band members like giving back when they can. It's part of being responsible neighbors and citizens.
"Part of our job as musicians is to gain recognition, mostly from other places, and while it was encouraging early in our career to be recognized locally, we didn't really expect much local recognition after we started having success," Gustafson said. "We didn't need it from our hometown. I've had many journeys over the last 40 years, but my favorite journey has always been the journey home. I love my hometown, warts and all, and to be on the 'Home Of' sign with Lucy, Robert and Roger is quite an honor and we're very proud of it."
The band has made and continues to make many cultural contributions to Jamestown. Mostly the band members ask the question, "What can we do to help?" Even though the band has missed a few causes and events because of touring, members have a deep connection to the city.
Gustafson said his family moved to Jamestown in 1875. He grew up in a house on Lakin Avenue that his maternal grandfather built in 1923, and where his mother grew up, and attended schools that he eventually did.
"My roots are here and I'll never leave," Gustafson added. "I think it's important to have a connection to your town and I've never shied away from getting my hands dirty. When you're engaged with your neighborhood or town it's harder to complain and we know that complaining is the easy way out."
According to the band's pamphlet, 2021 marked the 40-year anniversary of the inception of 10,000 Maniacs. Founded in Jamestown in 1981, the band has weathered a few personnel changes and is still anchored by four out of six original members: Gustafson, keyboardist Dennis Drew, guitarist John Lombardo, and drummer Jerry Augustyniak. Founding lead singer, Natalie Merchant left the band in 1993 to pursue a solo career and was replaced by back-up singer, Mary Ramsey who proved to be a natural fit for the band vocally and added another dimension to the group with her prowess on violin and viola, the pamphlet said. Guitarist and founding member Robert Buck passed away in 2000 and was replaced by Jeff Erickson, Buck's close friend and member of the jam-band Zeta Cauliflower.
During its 40 years, the band has released 14 albums. The critically-acclaimed break-out album, In My Tribe, was included in Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Best Albums of The Eighties." In 1993, the band performed on MTV's Unplugged. The recording of that show went on to sell more than four million copies. The band has had eight Billboard Hot 100 singles, and has made many appearances on TV including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the Tonight Show. The band also has performed in 45 of the 50 United States, and in 19 countries, including a USO tour of the Middle East in 1999, the pamphlet said.
The bassist also recognized that the band is lucky to have devoted and generous fans, friends and families.
"Whenever we've asked them for their help, they always stepped up," he said.