The band 10,000 Maniacs is back with a new singer and a new album.After lead singer Natalie Merchant left to pursue a solo career in September 1993, the band found itself a new singer-violist, Mary Ramsey, and produced its latest album, “Love Among the Ruins.”
What happened to the Maniacs’ Natalie Merchant?
An antifur, antitobacco, teetotaling vegetarian, she wasn’t always tolerant of those who didn’t follow her austere lifestyle. Plenty of fans who were attracted by the Maniacs’ infectiously catchy melodies and Merchant’s lush voice were turned off by the lead singer’s holier-than-thou stance.
Is Natalie Merchant signed to Nonesuch Records?
In October 2009, the websites of Nonesuch Records and Natalie Merchant announced that she had signed with the label. Leave Your Sleep was released on April 13, 2010 and is a compilation of five years of inspiration from a "conversation" with her daughter over the "first 6 years of her life".
Does Natalie Merchant have the kinks out of her persona?
Still, Merchant doesn’t seem to have totally worked the kinks out of her persona. The second single on Our Time in Eden, “Candy Everybody Wants,” takes on traditional Merchant themes, in this case, the American appetite for televised sex and violence – and big business’s willingness to satisfy that craving.
What are the top 10 Natalie Merchant albums of all time?
1 1995: Tigerlily. 2 1998: Ophelia. 3 2001: Motherland. 4 2003: The House Carpenter's Daughter. 5 2010: Leave Your Sleep (2xCD, Nonesuch). 6 2014: Natalie Merchant. 7 2015: Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings. 8 2017: Butterfly.
Will Natalie Merchant reunite with 10,000 Maniacs?
Merchant will never reunite with 10,000 Maniacs, who are still on the road. "That would be akin to returning to kindergarten," Merchant said while chuckling. "I learned so much with 10,000 Maniacs and have great memories being with that band.Jun 30, 2014
Who replaced Natalie Merchant in 10,000 Maniacs?
Mary has been performing in her critically acclaimed folk duo John and Mary. She continued to expand her musical horizons when she stepped up to the plate and replaced Natalie Merchant in 1995 as the lead singer and songwriter of 10,000 Maniacs.
Who is the current lead singer for 10,000 Maniacs?
Natalie MerchantMary RamseyOskar Saville10,000 Maniacs/Lead singers
Is 10,000 Maniacs still together?
10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums....10,000 ManiacsYears active1981–presentLabelsChristian Burial, Elektra, Geffen, Bar/None, Cleopatra, Omnivore10 more rows
Why did Natalie Merchant quit 10,000 Maniacs?
Merchant, 31, says she left the Maniacs to gain more control over her work: "It was very liberating, knowing that every song that I wanted to put on the record could go on." She was so determined to make "Tigerlily" her personal statement that she produced it herself and financed it without the help of her record ...Jul 23, 1995
Is Natalie Merchant married?
Daniel de la CalleNatalie Merchant / Spouse (m. 2003–2012)The two credit each other as inspirations for some of their songwriting. In an interview with The Independent, Stipe said "Natalie was really the reason my work became politicised in the late Eighties." In 2003, Merchant married Daniel de la Calle and had a daughter named Lucia.
What year did Natalie Merchant leave 10,000 Maniacs?
1993Buck died in 2000. Following the release of Our Time In Eden in 1992 and the fairly redundant Unplugged in 1993, Merchant left the group.Mar 22, 2017
Does Natalie Merchant still perform?
Natalie Merchant is currently doing a 2019 tour of the American Northeast. Tour stops include The Colonial Theatre Bethlehem in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, and Hudson Hall NY in Hudson, New York.
What was 10,000 Maniacs biggest hit?
# 1 – Like the Weather. The top song by 10,000 Maniacs was released on In My Tribe.
How old is Natalie Merchant?
58 years (October 26, 1963)Natalie Merchant / Age
Did Natalie Merchant know River Phoenix?
“I feel I am most successful as a songwriter when I just look at the people and tell their stories,” Merchant explained to Jeremy Helligar in People. “I didn't know River Phoenix that well, but his death struck me powerfully.May 29, 2018
Who played with the 10,000 Maniacs?
On a whim, they invited Merchant – whom they knew only vaguely – to play a party with them and soon added rhythm guitarist John Lombardo ( and later Augustyniak) and rechristened themselves 10,000 Maniacs, in a twist on an old horror-movie title, Two Thousand Maniacs! They started performing locally.
What were the Maniacs concerned about?
During a time when Bon Jovi ruled the charts and worrying about the ozone layer was considered, well, retro, the Maniacs were one of a handful of groups (including R.E.M., Hüsker Dü and the B-52’s) that concerned themselves with politics, humanism and the environment.
Who said "We wouldn't be a band without Natalie"?
Dennis Drew adds simply, “We wouldn’t be a band without Natalie.”. When Merchant is asked, she pauses, then says, “Maybe Edie Brickell would’ve been better with 10,000 Maniacs, I don’t know.”. For four regular guys like Drew, Gustafson, guitarist Rob Buck and drummer Jerome Augustyniak, there must have been times when a goofy party girl like ...
Who is the costar of Roseanne?
Merchant thanks her and, unaware that this particular nervous teenager, Sara Gilbert, is the costar of the hit TV show Roseanne, looks her in the eye and says, “Do you work for Rock the Vote?”.
Who recorded the band In My Tribe?
The next album, In My Tribe, was recorded with producer Peter Asher, known for his work with such middle-of-the-road acts as Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. Asher cleaned up the band’s frayed edges without producing something terrifyingly slick, and In My Tribe became its breakout album.
Who are the four guys in the movie Merchant?
For four regular guys like Drew, Gustafson, guitarist Rob Buck and drummer Jerome Augustyniak, there must have been times when a goofy party girl like Brickell would have been preferable to the interminably serious Merchant.
Is Stipe and Merchant together?
No matter. As Merchant and Stipe pick each other up and giggle as they run through the revolving doors together, Merchant looks happier than she has all day. And it’s clear, though Merchant will shed no light on it, that her oft-speculated relationship with Stipe is at least a remarkably close friendship.
Overview
Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums and left it to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released seven studio albums. In 2020 she was inducted into the Rock and Rol…
Early life
Natalie Merchant was born October 26, 1963, in Jamestown, New York, the third of four children of Anthony and Anne Merchant. Her paternal grandfather, who played the accordion, mandolin and guitar, emigrated to the United States from Sicily; his surname was "Mercante" before it was Anglicized.
When Merchant was a child, her mother listened to music (primarily Petula Clark but also the Beat…
Career
Merchant was lead singer and primary lyricist for 10,000 Maniacs, joining in its infancy in 1981 while she was a student at Jamestown Community College. The group recorded their album Human Conflict Number Five, and recorded a corresponding music video at the Hotel Franklin and at Group W Westinghouse studios in Jamestown, New York, in 1982. Merchant sang lead vocals, and late…
Personal life
Merchant met Michael Stipe of the band R.E.M. in 1983. The two became close friends and eventually had a romantic relationship. The two credit each other as inspirations for some of their songwriting. In an interview with The Independent, Stipe said "Natalie was really the reason my work became politicised in the late Eighties."
In 2003, Merchant married Daniel de la Calle and had a daughter named Lucia. In an interview in …
Activism
In 2012, Merchant, along with actor and writer Mark Ruffalo, organized a concert to protest oil and gas fracking in New York state. A documentary, written and directed by Jon Bowermaster, was made of the event and titled Dear Governor Cuomo. She directed a short 2013 documentary titled Shelter: A Concert Film to Benefit Victims of Domestic Violence, that shone light on a group of women living in the mid-Hudson region of New York State responding to the crisis of domestic v…
Discography
• Human Conflict Number Five (EP) (1982)
• Secrets of the I Ching (1983)
• The Wishing Chair (1985)
• In My Tribe (1987)
External links
• Official website
• Natalie Merchant at Curlie
• Natalie Merchant at IMDb
• Natalie Merchant discography at MusicBrainz