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‘Unfinished’: 10,000 Maniacs reflect on 45 years of memories through new podcast

10,000 Maniacs reflect on 45 years of memories through new podcast

 If you grew up in the City of Jamestown over the past few decades, you've more than likely heard of the band 10,000 Maniacs.

One of the most successful, prominent bands to come from the Chautauqua area is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, and members of the band are reflecting on all of their accomplishments over the years.

Long before they became one of the more recognizable alternative rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s, 10,000 Maniacs were a group of young musicians finding their sound in Jamestown.

Founded in 1981, the band began with a handful of local musicians, including Robert Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant. "The band quickly gained attention for their unique blend of literate, melodic, and socially aware music," according to the group’s webpage.

What started as a local musical collaboration eventually developed into an internationally recognized band that helped shape the alternative rock movement.

Growing out of the Western New York music scene, the group developed a distinctive sound influenced by folk rock, pop, and new wave songwriting. Their early performances took place in and around Jamestown, Fredonia, and Buffalo, where they built a following before expanding their reach to audiences throughout the country.

In 1985, the band signed with Elektra Records and released its major-label debut, 'The Wishing Chair'. Two years later, 10,000 Maniacs reached a major turning point with the release of 'In My Tribe'. The album featured popular songs such as “Like the Weather,” “What’s the Matter Here?” and “Hey Jack Kerouac.” It remained on the charts for 77 weeks, peaking at #37 and eventually selling more than two million copies.

In 1992 the band later released “Our Time In Eden" which featured well-known songs including “These Are Days” and “Candy Everybody Wants.”

One of the group’s biggest accomplishments came in 1993 with its appearance on MTV’s 'Unplugged'. The resulting album featured an acoustic performance of the band’s greatest hits, along with its memorable cover of Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen’s “Because the Night.” The record became a major commercial success, selling millions of copies.

Flash forward to 2026, 45 years after the formation of the band, founding members Steven Gustafson and Dennis Drew are reliving all of the groups best and fondest memories throughout the years.

"A few years ago we started an archival project gathering together our 45 year collection of memorabilia," said Bassist Steven Gustafson. "Organized and produced by Emily Drew and her late husband, Aaron Perez, they also developed and produced a 4 part radio documentary called “Can’t Ignore the Train” and through interviews with the band, crew, producers, managers, family and friends, they told the story of our innocent beginnings in 1981 to 1985 when we signed our record contract and released our first major label album. With the encouragement of our social media team, we thought a podcast would be a good way to continue telling the story, for what it’s worth."

The first episode came out in September, and the series already features eight episodes. Listeners can tune in and listen to each episode on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and more.

"The podcast is a living thing and like many podcasts we’re producing episodes as we go and as we schedule interviews," Drew explained. "Listeners will hear all of that. Stories and discussions with the band members, crew, producers, agents, fans, family, friends. We’ve got trunks of memories with more to come."

Gustafson and Drew knew that now was the time to tell the band's story, not just because of the anniversary, but while they had their friends and family still around to help relive some of the core moments.

"Our families and friends are responsible for our story and they have a unique perspective that tells the whole story," Gustafson explained. "Over the course of 45 years, Dennis and I collected boxes, bins, and bags of memorabilia, all sleeping quietly in our attics, and Emily Drew thought we should collect it in one place, document it, digitize it and store it properly. She wrote and received grants for the project and hired JCC students to help sort it all out. Emily started the radio documentary while the archival project was going on."

When asked if they will continue to produce episodes, the pair briefly touched on what fans can expect in the future.

"As a matter of fact, we’ve got a few other projects ready to kick out the door," Gustafson said.

"On Black Friday, Rhino Records will be releasing “The Candy Everybody Wants” a vinyl box set of our Elektra Records releases 1983-1993. And we are putting the finishing touches on an album of new songs set to be released early in 2027."

More than four decades after its formation, 10,000 Maniacs continues to remain an important part of Jamestown’s cultural history. The band’s journey from local performances and independently produced records to platinum-selling albums, national television appearances and international tours is a testament that even the smallest of communities can produce national talent.

"Coming from a small town nestled in the Southern Tier was our superpower. Our beginnings weren’t influenced by the scenes in New York or Los Angeles. All we knew was Jamestown so we wrote about it. We were unique in the music industry because of our isolated beginnings."