10,000 Maniacs, minus one, plus two For Mary Ramsey, replacing Natalie Merchant came naturally
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., April 30, 1998) -- Replacing a singer in a band whose name is virtually synonymous with the band itself has to be one of the worst jobs in pop music. Just ask the parade of singers who have followed in the group Van Halen in the wake of David Lee Roth's exit, or whoever it was who fronted the regrouped Talking Heads minus David Byrne a few years back.

For Mary Ramsey, the new lead singer and songwriter of 10,000 Maniacs, stepping into the spotlight after Natalie Merchant's departure from that outfit was a natural and relatively effortless move.

"It feels like kind of a cousin has come into the band," said Ramsey, who will front the group at its show on Friday night at The Studio in downtown Pittsfield. The Nields, the Pioneer Valley-based, folk-rock group, will also appear. (For the latest on The Nields, see The Beat, 4/1/98). Doors open at 7; music starts at 9.

In 1995, Ramsey, who had previously performed and recorded with the Maniacs as a backup singer and violist, officially joined the group as the frontwoman, along with her duet partner, John Lombardo, a founding member of the Maniacs.

Lombardo had left the group in 1986, just before the upstate New York-based ensemble hit big with its first major-label release, "The Wishing Chair," and went on to international superstardom with hit albums including "In My Tribe," "Blind Man's Zoo" and "Our Time in Eden."

As John and Mary, Lombardo and Ramsey recorded two CDs and remained close to the group, so that when it came time to shuffle the lineup after Merchant departed to pursue a solo career, it seemed like a logical, almost organic development to have the two sign on as members.

"I suppose it would be like having a second wife or husband, or moving into a different relationship," said Ramsey, speaking for the core of the band, which remains the same: guitarist Robert Buck, keyboardist Dennis Drew, bassist Steven Gustafson and drummer Jerome Augustyniak.

"Initially I just approached it as joining up with some other people to play instruments and write music," said Ramsey, a native of Buffalo. It was only after the new group released its first album, 1996's "Love Among the Ruins" (Geffen), and began touring, that the Natalie Merchant factor really struck home.

"Once the album came out that's when it all turned into something else," said Ramsey, who has answered the question "How does it feel to fill Natalie Merchant's shoes?" more times than she cares to remember.

Indeed, she handles the question with playful, disarming humor. "Let's see, you're going to ask me, am I in love with Natalie Merchant? No, you're probably going to ask me, do I love to fill her shoes? No, what do I like to fill her shoes with, besides myself?"

In all fairness, it's been three years now since Ramsey took over 10,000 Maniacs www.maniacs.com , and as she points out, in that time she's written virtually an entire album's worth of new songs which has sold about 300,000 copies and substantially colored the group's sound with the addition of her viola and violin, to say nothing of her vocals, which have been favorably compared to Merchant's.

In concert, the group plays the lion's share of "Love Among the Ruins" and a handful of Merchant-era Maniacs favorites, with a sprinkling of John and Mary tunes thrown in for hardcore fans.

"It's a mixture of everyone's history, but it's not a 10,000 Maniacs cover band," said Ramsey.

If you would like to purchase any of 10,000 Maniacs CDs on-line, please click on the SoundStone logo to the right.

[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on April 30, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]

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