10,000 Maniacs began as a community of friends in Jamestown, New York, and that community remains central to the story. Host Jay Coyle welcomes back Emily Drew, the daughter of founding keyboardist Dennis Drew. Emily and her late husband Aaron Perez produced the four-part radio documentary Can't Ignore the Train, which launched this podcast. If you haven't listened to those episodes, we implore you to.
Emily talks about Jamestown's Rust Belt past and its creative scene today, and about why she and Aaron moved home from New York in 2022. Digging through the band's archive, she found a 1983 letter of encouragement from her grandmother to Dennis. She still gets butterflies when she tells how a band from Jamestown ended up on John Peel's radio show. She also explains Aaron's bigger goal: a feature-length documentary about friends who still live in their hometown and still make music together.
Emily then explains how the band's 45th anniversary grew from a single concert into a full arts weekend, with theater, a gallery exhibit, a new-record listening party, and more. The weekend raised over $40,000 for three scholarship funds, including one in Aaron's honor for students of film and media art.
Thank you for listening!
Two ways to get involved:
SUPPORT 10,000 MANIACS SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
First, the three scholarship funds are accepting donations through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation: the Robert Buck Memorial Scholarship, the Aaron Perez Media Arts Award, and the Barbara Mae Gustafson & Bridget Mary Drew (B&B) Scholarship Fund.
If you'd like to donate to support these funds, you can donate via the link below.
https://crcfonline.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=7006
The late Aaron Perez's dream of a 10,000 Maniacs documentary film is still very much active. His footage still exists, and Emily would like your help bringing his documentary to life through funding, connections, or simply by letting her know there's an audience for it. You can message Emily and the band, showing your support for a documentary, via the contact form on the page linked below.
