10,000 Maniacs: Still Collaborating After All These Years

[caption id="attachment_54518" align="alignnone" width="800"] 10,000 maniacs will perform at the Stephen Talkhouse on August 19. [/caption]

By Emily J. Weitz

10,000 Maniacs may have reached superstardom with lead singer Natalie Merchant at the mic, but since she left in 1993, the band has remained prolific, tight-knit, and widely successful. Mary Ramsey, who lent her back-up vocals to the band behind Ms. Merchant many times, organically stepped into the role of lead singer, and with her, she brought her violin and viola. As an instrumentalist first and a singer second, Ms. Ramsey helped to create a collaborative feel that extends from the songwriting process to the performance, and from the performers to the audience.

This incarnation of 10,000 Maniacs has been playing together for 20 years, and they play some of the old favorites, like “These Are Days” and “Jealousy”, as well as plenty of new creations. Ms. Ramsey says that the way songs come to be varies every time, and different members come to the table with different ideas.

“I like to think of it as a collective,” said Ramsey. “In the old days I think there was more of a sense that someone was writing the songs, and then it was their song. But now I think that’s not the focus.”

She means that generally; not just as it applies to 10,000 Maniacs. Because of the importance placed on the live show now that CDs are practically a thing of the past, she believes that collaboration is all the more important.

“When you’re writing a song,” she explained, “someone might write the lyrics and melodies, but when band members come in and bring their parts, they’re a part of the compositional fabric.”

In a way, she sees this trend as a movement towards something old. Just as the musicians are not having an individual experience, neither are the audience members.

“It’s not isolated where you have your ear buds and your own little world,” she said. “There’s that kinetic human interaction that’s timeless. You go to a bar, and someone’s drinking, and the music comes on, and then they’re dancing. It hasn’t changed over the centuries. We’re evolving but were remaining very much the same.”

Music brings people together, and live music all the more. It’s something happening now that won’t ever happen again in exactly the same way.

“I’ve studied classical music, folk music, and Celtic music, and it’s a romantic notion in my mind,” said Ms. Ramsey. “The old days when people would come around with their instruments, and there would be a dance because there was a fiddle player. It’s about being in the moment, that experience with other people interacting.”

Even though the band is very much the same as it was in Natalie Merchant’s time, from having most of the same members to having a similar overall vibe, bringing the strings front and center creates a shift.

“The strings definitely add a different personality,” said Ms. Ramsey. “I’ll play violin or viola between songs. I think there’s more of a focus on the instrumentation. I think of Allison Krauss, who sings and is a wonderful fiddle player. My singing kind of came after my playing. I’ve learned to sing from my playing. They’re intertwined.”

While 10,000 Maniacs has been touted as one of the leading indie rock bands, Ms. Ramsey is hesitant to categorize them so quickly. They were influenced by everything around them, from reggae to new wave to Celtic music.

“You may think you’re not being influenced by something, but you can’t escape it,” she said. “When you’re in a certain time period, you’re influenced by where you are. The deep influences of the band, and the Celtic edge, using string and simple melodies with simple stories, that’s where our group is.”

Ms. Ramsey feeds on the energy of the audience, and she still gets a shot of life when she pulls out an old song like “These Are Days” and the crowd goes wild.

“So much of performing is about the audience,” she said. “Their joy and excitement and positive reaction keeps it going. It becomes something because the audience is there, they transform it and make it magical. It’s about everybody coming together.”

10,000 Maniacs will perform at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett on Friday, August 19 at 8 p.m. For tickets go to www.stephentalkhouse.com.