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The group was originally comprised of acoustic duo Adam Duritz and guitarist David Bryson. They spent their early musical career playing coffee shop gigs in San Francisco. The two were interested in recording demos as a band and additional members bassist Matt Malley, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, and drummer Steve Bowman completed the beginnings of what would be Counting Crows. The band’s name alludes to the British nursery rhyme “One For Sorrow.”
The year 1993 became a turning point for the band. First they were asked to perform at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as a last minute substitute for Van Morrison. Later that year Counting Crows was signed to Geffen Records and released their debut album “August and Everything After.” They supported the album by joining tours with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, and the Cranberries. The album’s single “Mr. Jones” exploded on the airwaves and the video became widely requested on MTV. The album stayed on the charts for an impressive 93 weeks starting in 1994. The acknowledgement led them to tour with the Rolling Stones during that same year.
With the addition of drummer Ben Mize and guitarist Dan Vickrey, Counting Crows released their sophomore album “Recovering the Satellites” in 1995. It reached No. 1 in 1996 and songs like “A Long December” and “Have You Seen Me Lately” became hits. Counting Crows has had success in the film industry. Their song “Accidentally in Love” was featured on the animated film “Shrek 2”’ soundtrack and they received nominations for a Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe Award for their contribution.
Counting Crows cites Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike + The Mechanics, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and Nirvana as their musical influences.
The lack of response to my invite to go see Counting Crows on Thursday night wasn’t surprising. Even the lure of comp’d tickets wouldn’t budge those in my social circle. There is a part of me that understands this, but I do not understand confusing Counting Crows with the likes of Gin Blossoms, Train or (uggghh) Hootie & The Blowfish. A compilation album comprised of the best songs songs from those bands wouldn’t hold a torch to August and Everything After. If you hit puberty within a decade of that debut album, you have no excuse not to know every word to every song. I’m not saying it’s a groundbreaking work of staggering genius, it’s just one of those albums that defined a time. So, when Adam Duritz took the stage, with his ridiculous mess of mangy dreads, and sang “Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog…“, I knew I made the right decision by rolling solo. Opening with “Round Here” was somewhat of a false promise as to how much August material would be performed on this particular night, but even though “Omaha” and “Perfect Blue Buildings” were glaring holes in the setlist, I am happy to report that Counting Crows sound as good as they did when I saw them in ’96. “Mr. Jones”, an extended “Rain King”, and even a few tracks from the underrated Recovering the Satellites were all highlights of the night, but even the new stuff didn’t sound like it was coming from a band hanging on to a ledge above obscurity. Sure, their latest is an album of covers, so it does help that you’d know the songs even if you hadn’t listened to it, but I have to say Duritz and crew put on a hell’va show. A show they should be proud of 20 years into their career. I am bummed I missed all the openers, but when they all came back out for a collaborative “Hangingaround”, it put a cap on an excellent evening on the Rocks.
kmartini
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