10,000 Maniacs are scheduled to perform Monday at 8:15 p.m. at the Amphitheater at Chautauqua Institution. From left are John Lombardo, Jerome Augustyniak, Dennis Drew, Mary Ramsey, and Steve Gustafson. Submitted photo

For the members of 10,000 Maniacs, Chautauqua Institution has a very special place in their hearts.

“We all grew up in the shadow of its great legacy. I have seen so many great artists, writers, musicians and public servants on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution. It gives me chills to know we are going to grace that (Amphitheater) stage again,” said co-founding member and keyboardist Dennis Drew.

The Maniacs are scheduled to perform Monday at 8:15 p.m. at Chautauqua.

Drew said, since the early 1980s, the band has had a long history with the Institution, and it has played an important role in the band’s development.

“We would play every summer throughout the 80s at the College Club or the High School Club in addition to playing in Mayville at the Chautauqua Manor to predominantly Chautauqua Institution patrons. We made many friends there,” Drew said.

Bassist and co-founding member Steve Gustafson said that after a short break from touring, lead singer Mary Ramsey is back performing with the band.

“We’re thrilled about that,” Gustafson noted.

Ramsey has been working with the band for more than 30 years. In 2023 Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash, of Sixpense None The Richer, played a few shows with the band, but that was a temporary arrangement, Gustafson said.

The band’s new lead guitarist is Ben Medina, from Rockford, Ill.

“Ben has been a fan of ours for 30 years and we became friends when we met at our shows in Chicago. Ben knows how to play every 10,000 Maniacs song, maybe more than some of us know! At the age of 17, Ben became fascinated by the guitar playing of our original guitarist, Rob Buck, and he knows Rob’s style of playing and understands his chordal structures,” Gustafson said.

Also joining the Maniacs is Joe Rozler on guitar, keyboard and background vocals, according to maniacs.com.

“We’re excited about playing Chautauqua again. It’s a special place to us. This will actually be our third performance on that stage. We’ll play all the hits people love and some deep cuts from our catalog, plus a few fun covers,” Gustafson said about the upcoming show.

The other members include guitarist John Lombardo, and drummer Jerome Augustyniak.

On a side note (pun intended), the band’s radio documentary entitled 10,000 Maniacs: Can’t Ignore the Train has been airing on WRFA, and live streaming on wrfalp.com, every Friday since July 26. The documentary chronicles the genesis and early career of the band.

The final episode airs today.

Emily Drew, and her late husband Aaron Perez, and their company Crying Out Loud Productions, produced the documentary along with WRFA. Emily is the daughter of Dennis Drew.

Emily Drew said the documentary begins by illustrating the environment of the Jamestown music “scene” in 1978 when The Ramones and The Runaways arrived in Jamestown. Then through interviews with the band’s peers and early collaborators, it details the subsequent six years including 10,000 Maniacs’ journey in and out of Jamestown through different sounds, identities, and lineups, culminating in the Maniacs first major label record release with The Wishing Chair.

Following the final episode, WRFA will host a live event 10,000 Maniacs Can’t Ignore This Train: Conversation and Reflections with the Founding Members. The panel discussion with Augustyniak, Dennis Drew Gustafson, and Lombardo, will dive deeper into the band’s genesis and early evolution. The discussion will take place at the Reg Lenna’s media arts studio at 7 p.m., and tickets will allow access to a prepanel reception with archival content view. All proceeds to benefit WRFA. For more information on the discussion visit wrfalp.com.

Gustafson said a release of new material is still a few months away, but a new vinyl release of the band’s MTV Unplugged is due out soon.

“It will include three songs we did with David Byrne (Talking Heads) during the show. ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton, ‘Let the Mystery Be’ by Iris DeMent, and ‘Dallas’ by Jimmy Dale Gilmore.

And for Gustafson, playing to a live audience never gets old.

“I enjoy playing all our songs. There is something thrilling about playing songs the audience loves. The immediate feedback is priceless,” Gustafson said.

For ticket information visit chq.org.

“To be back on the grounds again is a real honor,” Dennis Drew said.