Counting Crows

Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American alternative rock band originating from Berkeley, California. They became highly popular in 1994 following the release of their debut album August and Everything After. They received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for the song "Accidentally in Love".

History
Formation
Singer Adam Duritz and guitarist Dave Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991. Duritz had contributed to recordings by the Bay Area group Sordid Humor. Counting Crows began as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco.

The band had grown to a stable lineup of Duritz, Bryson, Matt Malley, Charley Gillingham, Steve Bowman and were regulars on the Bay Area scene by 1993. The same year, the band was signed to Geffen Records. On 16th January 1993, the band filled in for Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.

Success with "Mr. Jones"
From the beginning, Counting Crows focused on performing live. The band's debut album August and Everything After was released in the autumn of 1993. The band toured heavily in 1993 and 1994, both as headliners and in support of artists. The first single, "Mr. Jones," refers to The Himalayans bassist Marty Jones and Kenney Dale Johnson, the drummer of Silvertone, describing the desire of working musicians to make it big and the fantasies they entertain about what this might bring. In December 1993, MTV began playing the video for the song. It was an unexpected hit, drawing massive radio play and launching the band into stardom. August and Everything After became the fastest-selling album. In 1994 the band appeared on Saturday Night Live and Late Show with David Letterman, and toured with The Rolling Stones. But success took a toll on the band; drummer Steve Bowman left, and Duritz suffered a widely-reported nervous breakdown.

This Desert Life
In 1999, Counting Crows released This Desert Life. In support of the album, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with alternative rock band Live; Counting Crows closed nearly every show. Frequently, Duritz joined the stage for Live's performance of "The Dolphin's Cry," and Live's Ed Kowalczyk sang a verse of "Hanginaround" with the Crows.

Hard Candy
The band released their fourth studio album, Hard Candy on July 9, 2002. The album included a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi." Vanessa Carlton contributed backing vocals to the single edit of the track.

Mid-way through the Hard Candy tour drummer Ben Mize decided to leave the band to pursue his own musical interests. Mize was then replaced by Jim Bogios.

In November 2003, Counting Crows released the greatest hits album, Films About Ghosts. They also toured in 2003.

Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings
Duritz hinted in a number of interviews that Counting Crows' next studio record will be released in late 2007. He indicated that the band recently had spent three weeks working in a recording studio with Gil Norton.

Live Performances
Counting Crows, and Adam Duritz, have become renowned for the energetic, passionate nature of their live performances. They have been described as "riveting and revealing...emotionally wracked, radical rearrangements." Duritz frequently extends and rewrites songs live, adding extra verses or alternate middle sections and/or endings, sometimes fitting most of another of the band?s songs into the middle of the first. He often uses other artists? lyrics in these sections as well. Most songs have been altered at some point during the band?s history. Examples of this can be heard on the ?MTV Live at the 10 Spot? disc from Across a Wire: Live in New York City and the ?VH1 Storytellers? disc. Fan sites have attempted to keep records of these alternate lyrics or ?alts?.