Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California, formed in 1991. They gained fame in 1993 following the release of their debut album "August and Everything After" featuring the hit song Mr. Jones. The band was formed by singer Adam Duritz (previously of The Himalayans and Sordid Humor) and guitarist David Bryson (Local producer and former member of the band Mr. Dog) in San Francisco, California in 1990. Counting Crows originally performed as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. For the first album, Adam and David added bassist Matt Malley, the multiinstrumental Charlie Gillingham, and Drummer Steve Bowman. David Immergluck was the second guitarist on the first album, but did not officially join the band until 1999. Guitarist Dan Vickery was added just as the band set out on their first tour.
Counting Crows, with their intimate and melancholy approach, achieved a large fan base among Generation X alternative rock fans who were looking for something different from the raging guitars of the Seattle music scene.
The band's most recent success included a .. 1 hit with the song Accidentally In Love, which was featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack (which has sold over 1,000,000 copies), as well as nominations last year for a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for the track. To date the band has sold over 20 million CDs worldwide. In 2004 the band released their first ever Best Of set, Films about Ghosts, which featured songs from every phase of the Counting Crows recording career.
The new album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, was released on March 25th, 2008. However, on January 16, 2008 the band released a digital EP as a free download on their official web site, consisting of the songs 1492 and When I Dream Of Michelangelo. The lead single from the album is You Can't Count On Me, which was released for radio play on February 4, 2008.
The album itself is thematically and stylistically divided into two parts: the first, more rock-influenced Saturday Nights, and the second, more country-influenced Sunday Mornings. Theme changes along with style; in the Sunday Mornings portion of the album, songs become more reflective. The iTunes release contains several bonus tracks, including a track-by-track interview with Duritz.
Members of the band:
Adam Duritz - lead vocals, piano, wurlitzer, tamborine
David Bryson - guitars, dobro, vocals
Charles Gillingham - piano, organ, accordion, mellotron, vocals
Dan Vickery - guitars, sitar, banjo, vocals
David Immergluck - guitars, bass, electric sitar, mandolin, vocals
Jim Bogios - drums, percussion loops, vocals
Millard Powers - bass guitar, upright bass, piano, vocals
Ex-members of the band:
Matt Malley - guitars, double bass, vocals
Ben Mize - drums, percussion, tambourine, bulbs, vocals
Steve Bowman - drums, vocals
Ben Ulrich - drums
Marty Jones - bass guitar
Lydia Holly - keyboards
Toby Hawkins - drums
Albums
August And Everything After - (1993)
Recovering The Satellites - (1996)
Across a Wire - Live in New York City - (1998)
This Desert Life - (1999)
Hard Candy - (2002)
Films About Ghosts: The Best Of - (2003)
*New Amsterdam: Live At Heineken Music Hall - (2006)
August And Everything After, Deluxe Edition - (Fall 2007)
Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings - (March 25, 2008)
From Wikipedia:Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California, formed in 1991. The group gained popularity in 1994 following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones".
The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike + The Mechanics, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and The Band. They received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for the song "Accidentally in Love", which was included in the film Shrek 2.
According to the official band website, Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records worldwide.