10,000 Maniacs have gone through a variety of musicians throughout the history of the band. Here is a partial list of the past, present, and touring musicians:
Jerry Augustyniak - Jerry has been the drummer of 10,000 Maniacs since 1983. He's also played with the bands The Stains, Only Humen, League of Blind Women, The Michael Lee Jackson Band, Buffalo Rising, The Damn Straights, etc. He has been the band's main backing vocalist since 1994.
Rob Buck - Rob was the lead guitar player from 1981 to 1999. He co-wrote many of the band's most popular songs. Rob died December 19, 2000 of liver failure at the age of 42.
Duane Calhoun - Duane played lead guitar for 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 while Rob Buck was officially in the band, but not performing with them.
Chet Cardinale - Chet was an early drummer for the band. He left to pursue a career in acupuncture.
Jim Colavito - Jim played saxophone with the band in 1981.
Dennis Drew - Dennis has been the keyboard player in the band since 1981. He's also played with The Mighty Wallop!, where he co-wrote much of the band's material, played keyboards, and had lead and harmony vocal duties.
Jeff Erickson - Jeff took over lead guitar after his friend and guitar teacher Rob Buck died, beginning by playing a short set during the band's only 2001 appearance. The first time he played with the band was December 12, 1998 on the song "These Are Days", while Buck was away from the band. Jeff was a lead singer/guitar player in the short-lived band The Mighty Wallop!.
Tim Edborg - Tim played drums with 10,000 Maniacs in 1981.
Morgan Fichter - Morgan was a touring musician with the band in 1992-1993, playing violin and singing backing vocals. She's also played with Camper Van Beethoven and Phish among others.
Jim Foti - Jim was the studio drummer for the band's 1982 EP Human Conflict Number Five.
Steve Gustafson - Steve has been the band's bass player since 1981. He has also been one of the band's backing vocalists in their live performances since 1994. He was also the bass player in The Mighty Wallop!.
Debbie Heverly - Debbie played piano with the band in 1981.
Michael Lee Jackson - Michael replaced Rob Buck as the touring lead guitar player on December 11, 1998 and stayed in that spot until the summer of 1999, when Buck returned. Michael has played in Animal Planet and The Michael Lee Jackson Band.
Amanda Kramer - Amanda was a touring musician with 10,000 Maniacs in 1992 and 1993 as a second keyboard player, also lending her harmony vocals to some of the songs. Occasionally, she'd back Rob up on guitar, picking up an acoustic on several songs. She was formerly the Keyboardist for the 80's New Wave band Information Society
John Lombardo - John, the band's rhythm guitar player and occasional odd vocalist, co-wrote most of the early Maniacs songs, but left the band in 1986, right before the band "made it big." He returned in 1994 with his duo partner Mary Ramsey, and picked up right where he left off by writing and shaping the band's music. He left the band again in 2002 after the first rehearsal before the "hits" tour.
Natalie Merchant - Natalie was the voice of 10,000 Maniacs from 1981 until she decided to embark on a solo career in 1993. In her later years with the band, she played piano as well.
Terry Newhouse - Born February 19, 1957 in Corry, Pennsylvania, Terry was a keyboard player and vocalist in the band "Still Life", which was the band's name before they began calling themselves "10,000 Maniacs." At one time, she was married to Rob Buck. Newhouse died June 8, 2005 at WCA Hospital in Jamestown, New York at the age of 48.
Mary Ramsey - Mary opened up shows with John Lombardo as John & Mary in 1990 and would play viola and sing backing vocals with the band on a few songs in 1990-1991. She a touring musician with the band in 1992-1993, playing viola and singing backing vocals. When Natalie Merchant left the band in 1993, Mary replaced her on lead vocals and added the viola as a main instrument of the band, starting with live shows in 1994 and continuing on until 2001. Oskar Saville replaced her as lead singer in 2002, but Mary agreed to become a touring musician with the band in 2006, singing backing vocals and playing viola on select songs. Mary agreed to be the lead singer for the band again for their final show of 2007 after Oskar Saville left the band.
Oskar Saville - Oskar took over lead vocals from Mary Ramsey in 2002. She occasionally plays acoustic guitar during live performances. May 8, 2003 was her first live performance with the band. During the song "Stockton Gala Days", she pulled the band's webmaster (at the time) Adam Zeitz on stage to share lead vocals. Oskar was the former lead singer of Rubygrass and also has a solo career. She left the band in late Summer, 2007 and was replaced by the woman she replaced, Mary Ramsey.
Stockton Gala Days
10000 Maniacs Lyrics
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Wild apple blossoms everywhere.
Emerald green like none I have seen apart from dreams that escape me.
There was no girl as warm as you.
How I've learned to please, to doubt myself in need,
you'll never, you'll never know.
We made garland crowns in hiding, pulled stems of flowers from my hair.
Blue in the stream like none I have seen apart from dreams that escape me.
There was no girl as bold as you.
How I've learned to please, to doubt myself in need,
you'll never, you'll never know.
You'll never know.
Violet serene like none I have set apart from dreams that escape me.
There was no girl as warm as you.
How I've learned to please, to doubt myself in need.
You'll never, you'll never know.
You'll never know.
That summer fields grow high.
We had wildflower fever.
We had to lay down where they grow.
How I've learned to hide, how I've locked inside, you'd be surprised if shown.
But you'll never, you'll never know.
"Stockton Gala Days" by 10000 Maniacs is a nostalgic and bittersweet song about a lost love and a beautiful summer spent together. The lyrics describe a time when the fields were high with foxglove and ivy, and wild apple blossoms were everywhere. The lush, emerald green landscape was reminiscent of dreams that escape the singer. The memories are tied to a girl who was warm and bold, but who is no longer in the singer's life.
The singer reflects on how they learned to please and doubt themselves in need, but the girl will never know the extent of their feelings. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the idea that the girl wouldn't know the impact she had on the singer's life. The lyrics describing violet serenity tie the memories back to the dreamlike nature of the summer, and the warm girl who was a part of it.
As the song progresses, the singer also reflects on how they learned to hide and lock things inside, even though they would be surprised if they were shown. The song ends with a reference to wildflower fever and the need to lay down where they grow, perhaps indicating a longing for simpler times or a return to nature.
Line by Line Meaning
That summer fields grew high with foxglove stalks and ivy.
During a particular summer, the fields grew tall with foxglove plants and ivy.
Wild apple blossoms everywhere.
The area was teeming with apple blossoms that were uncontained and uninhibited in their growth.
Emerald green like none I have seen apart from dreams that escape me.
The green of the foliage was so strikingly vivid that it seemed like something out of a dream.
There was no girl as warm as you.
The singer has met many women before but none have been as kind and affectionate as the one being addressed in the song.
How I've learned to please, to doubt myself in need,
you'll never, you'll never know.
The singer has found themselves conforming to please others while battling self-doubt, but the subject of the song will never truly understand the depth of these struggles.
The summer fields grow high.
We made garland crowns in hiding, pulled stems of flowers from my hair.
The growth of the fields continued during the summer and the group made flower crowns and wreaths, taking flowers out of the singer's hair for these creations.
Blue in the stream like none I have seen apart from dreams that escape me.
There was no girl as bold as you.
The stream was a unique shade of blue that appeared so surreal that it reminded the singer of a dream. Additionally, there was no woman the singer has met that was as daring and unafraid as the subject of the song.
Violet serene like none I have set apart from dreams that escape me.
There was no girl as warm as you.
The peacefulness and tranquility of the violet flowers served as a reminder of a dreamlike quality to the singer. The warmness from the girl being sung to was unlike any other that the singer has encountered in their life.
That summer fields grow high.
We had wildflower fever.
We had to lay down where they grow.
In the summer, the group was so enamored with the wildflowers that they had to lay down right where they were growing in order to fully appreciate them.
How I've learned to hide, how I've locked inside, you'd be surprised if shown.
But you'll never, you'll never know.
The singer has become good at hiding and locking away their true self from others, but if they were ever to reveal themselves to the subject of the song, it would come as a surprise. However, the subject is unlikely to ever really know the extent of the singer's inner turmoil.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: AUGUSTYNIAK JEROME, BUCK ROBERT, DENNIS DREW, JEROME AUGUSTYNIAK, JEROME STANLEY AUGUSTYNIAK, NATALIE A MERCHANT, ROBERT BUCK, STEVEN GUSTAFSON
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