S.Lo on September 20th, 2019

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If 10,000 Maniacs’ appearances in L.A. are sporadic (having last played Pershing Square in 2017 and 2011, after the Greek Theatre in ’93), longtime fans who attended their show at the Teragram Ballroom on Tuesday night loved them no less for it, though there was some reacquainting to do if it was their first time in 26 years or very first time ever.

For many of the aged 30-plus crowd’s formative years, they probably wore out cassettes of the band’s albums released on Elektra from the late ’80s to early ’90s (“In My Tribe,” “Blind Man’s Zoo” and “Our Time in Eden”) with original singer Natalie Merchant etched in their DNA. Merchant departed in ’93 at the Maniacs’ commercial height after playing the MTV Inaugural Ball celebrating Bill Clinton’s presidency. She and the Maniacs had been preparing for a couple years for her transition to a solo career, and Mary Ramsey (of the duo John & Mary with Maniacs founder John Lombardo) was brought on as a backing vocalist and viola accompanist (as seen and heard on the “MTV Unplugged” broadcast and live recording also in ’93) before stepping to the fore as lead vocalist.

With Tuesday night’s show opening with “Candy Everybody Wants,” Ramsey and the rest of the band (Dennis Drew on keys, Steve Gustafson on bass, Jerry Augustyniak on drums, Jeff Erickson on guitar, Lombardo on guitar and Maggie Zindle on backing vocals) reassured all that they were a solid seven-piece and nothing was lacking, save a hair flip or two. 

Commanding a flexible vocal range, Ramsey was a stable force through the songs. With a slightly British accent similar to Merchant’s, perhaps owing to similar origins in western New York State, she welcomed all, “How’s it going? It’s a pleasure to say ‘Aloha.’ We just came from Hawaii yesterday” [having played back-to-back shows Saturday and Sunday in Honolulu].

The band then sauntered into “Like the Weather,” their breakout single from 1987’s “In My Tribe.” Merchant’s playfulness and hair flips were honestly a little missed here, but all were grateful to hear the songs live by the band themselves (and not a tribute band). Any uneasy nostalgia was soon wiped clean by the casual “Trouble Me” immediately following, off 1989’s “Blind Man’s Zoo.” All sounded complete with vocal harmonies locked in thanks to Zindle’s assist.

The set then wound through the timeline of the band, moving forward and backward in the catalogue from the central anchors of the late ’80s/early ’90s singles. Highlights included their reggae arrangement of Harry McClintock’s 1928 single, “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” renamed “It’s a Beautiful Life” for the 2013 full-length “Music from the Motion Picture”; their wondrous cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” featured on 1997’s “Love Among the Ruins”; and possibly the most important pop song in changing Western American family mores in the 20th century, “What’s the Matter Here?” from 1988’s “In My Tribe” (aside from Suzanne Vega’s “Luka”).

Unexpected highlights were the Sugarhill funk of “Pit Viper” and ethereal punk shreddings of “My Mother the War” off their 1983 debut album, “Secrets of the I Ching,” sung by Erickson and Lombardo (following the latter song saying, “Seems like that song’s always poignant, and that’s what we do it for”).

And not entirely unexpected but thankfully included was the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen classic “Because the Night” (originally done at “MTV Unplugged”) complete with a rousing guitar solo. By the end, the entire audience danced along with the band to the Spanish-tinged “My Sister Rose” (introduced with a complex drum solo by its co-songwriter Augustyniak), and sang at full volume for “Hey Jack Kerouac,” both songs off of “In My Tribe” strong enough to be singles but somehow remaining just album cuts inspiring the best of their fans.

Heartwarming personal touches of the show were Ramsey’s introduction of her viola to the stage playing “Happy Birthday” for their lighting designer Scott and Gustafson mentioning that Drew’s fourth son is out in the hall selling merch and encouraging all to contribute to his UCLA college frosh fund by buying a T-shirt. Quietly in the stage right shadows seemed to be another son polishing and readying guitars between songs throughout the show.

By the last couple of the four-song encore, “In My Tribe’s” sober observation of our “City of Angels” and “Our Time in Eden’s” optimistic “These Are Days,” the  group proved without a doubt that their songcraft has held solid 35 years later, and with Ramsey the melodies and their spirit hold solid.

Setlist: Candy Everybody Wants, Like the Weather, Trouble Me, You Happy Puppet, It’s a Beautiful Life (adaptation of Harry McClintock’s “Big Rock Candy Mountain”), Ellen, More Than This (Talk Talk cover), What’s the Matter Here?, Pit Viper, (traditional viola instrumental), Eden, Stockton Gala Days, Because the Night, Rainy Day, My Sister Rose, Hey Jack Kerouac / Encore: My Mother the War, (a cappella British traditional in vocal harmonies), City of Angels, These Are Days

Review and photos by S.Lo