10,000 Maniacs emerged from Jamestown, N.Y., in 1981 behind the edgy folk vocals of Natalie Merchant, who eventually wrote and recorded six records, an E.P. and a live collection with the band.

Merchant’s songs defined the signature 10,000 Maniacs sound that would still be delighting crowds 10 years later.

Her success with the band makes Merchant a tough act to follow, let alone replace.

But 10,000 Maniacs back-up singer and violin player Mary Ramsey has done just that and has remained relatively low-key about it.

“When I first started, I didn’t think about the pressure,” Ramsey said. “I had been doing pretty much the same thing … and it all happened so fast.”

But the four year turnover since the last 10,000 Maniacs record was not fast enough for fans, who were curious from day one as to who would replace Merchant.

The band, guitarist Robert Buck, keyboardist Dennis Drew, bassist Steve Gustafson and drummer Jerome Augustyniak, had no desire to end the legacy in which it began.

“They were looking for people to write songs,” Ramsey explained. “We tried for a while and said ‘this is working.'”

It took the band a year to get a record contract, she said, and another to record the album.

“I think it was around May when I discovered what the reality of replacing Natalie is all about,” Ramsey said. “It was just a concept before … not until I encountered the press.”

Ramsey began her career as a back-up singer for such acts as Ani DeFranco, Billy Bragg and the Goo Goo Dolls, until 1996, when she was introduced to guitarist John Lombardo, who had just left 10,000 Maniacs.

The duo, John and Mary, discovered a common theme in each other’s music and eventually recorded two albums together.

In 1990, Lombardo’s former band released “Hope Chest,” a compilation of early 10,000 Maniacs recordings, a few of which he had written.

10,000 Maniacs wanted to involve Lombardo in the project, Ramsey explained, and so the band invited the duo to be the opening act on its upcoming tour.

“In six months we went from playing these small clubs to being on this huge tour,” Ramsey said. “I think [Merchant] was just happy to have a female on the road with her.”

The relationship between the bands grew and Lombardo and Ramsey were asked to record with 10,000 Maniacs on 1992’s “Our Time in Eden” and later “MTV Unplugged.”

When Merchant left the band in 1993, Ramsey was the top prospect for the job.

“She approaches music differently,” Ramsey said about Merchant. “I’ve been playing violin since I was five and I think it has given me a wider range of notes. [Merchant] is kind of all singer/songwriter.”

Going into the studio, or the “calming place” as Ramsey refers to it, to record “Love Among The Ruins” was an exciting step for the newcomer to the band.

“It was just a really fun thing,” she said. “I’m really happy the way it turned out. There were a lot of hurdles for me personally. I was nervous about the album and it seemed like there was always something else to get through.”

The highlight for Ramsey was the recording of “Rainy Day,” the first song on the record.

“It was the most effortless to record,” she said. “We did it very laid back. It came naturally to us.”

“Love Among The Ruins” was released on June 17, and the band has since launched a national club tour which stops in Ames tonight.

“There is so much I’m looking forward to,” Ramsey said, including being a messenger to younger women.

“They need to see that it’s not the way you look, but what you do. It’s what’s coming from inside that matters, and girls have to get into that more,” she said

10,000 Maniacs will perform at People’s Bar and Grill tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at all TicketMaster outlets and at the door.