10,000 Maniacs were established in Jamestown, New York, in 1981, when they were known as Still Life. Soon after they started, they renamed themselves to Burn Victims and later to 10,000 Maniacs, after the movie Two Thousand Maniacs, a low-budget horror film that came out in 1964. They have released nine studio albums, three of which were rated Platinum by the RIAA.
The band came of age in the 1980s, a great decade for indie rock bands such as The Replacements, R.E.M., The Cure, and The Smiths.
They began to gain momentum in 1983, when they self-released “Secrets of the I Ching,” their first studio album. That album, plus relentless touring, won them a contract with Elektra Records in 1984, and their next two albums, “The Wishing Tree” (1985) and “In My Tribe” gained them recognition, with the latter remaining on the Billboard 200 chart for 77 weeks. Their mainstream breakthrough came in 1989 with “Blind Man’s Zoo,” which hit No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart and was rated Platinum in the US.
10,000 Maniacs continues to evolve and tour. A concert review says:
“ . . . a terrific night of music by a terrific, tight group of consummate professionals.”
10,000 Maniacs will be at Humphreys by the Bay on October 17. Shows like this can benefit when organizers work with poster printing to create advertising for them.