Hey there, music lovers.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.  I’m your host, Jeff Miers. Today, I’m joined by three musicians whose work has intrigued me for decades, from the first time I heard them - while studying at the State University of New York at Fredonia in the late 80s - through to the present day.   Mary Ramsey, John Lombardo and Jerry Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs are all significant names in the world of indie and alternative music, and were prime movers in the College Radio-fueled alternative explosion of the late 80s and early 90s.  Over the past few years, 10,000 Maniacs have been touring, playing a setlist that covers 40 years of material to an audience composed of many people who have been following the band from the beginning. These days, some of those people are attending these concerts with their children, signifying the band’s cross generational appeal.  The band plays its first Buffalo show in many years on Saturday, October 19, when they return to the Center for the Arts on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus at 8 pm.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Mary Ramsey, John Lombardo and Jerry Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs…