Counting Crows

Biography

Counting Crows is an American rock band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of rhythm guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück, bassist Millard Powers and lead guitarist Dan Vickrey. Former members include bassist Matt Malley and drummers Steve Bowman & Ben Mize.
Counting Crows gained popularity following the release of their first album, August and Everything After×August and Everything After14 September 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Round Here5:322Omaha3:393Mr. Jones4:324Perfect Blue Buildings5:015Anna Begins4:316Time and Time Again5:157Rain King4:168Sullivan Street4:309Ghost Train4:0310Raining in Baltimore4:4211A Murder of One5:44 (1993). With the breakthrough hit single "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45" (1993), the album sold more than seven million copies in the United States. The band received two Grammy Awards nominations in 1994, one for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" (for "Round Here×Round Here1 June 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Round Here5:322Ghost Train4:023The Ghost in You (live, 1993-08-28: KBCO Studio C, Boulder)3:31") and one for "Best New Artist". The follow-up album, Recovering the Satellites×Recovering the Satellites14 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Catapult3:352Angels of the Silences3:393Daylight Fading3:504I’m Not Sleeping4:585Goodnight Elisabeth5:206Children in Bloom5:247Have You Seen Me Lately?4:118Miller’s Angels6:349Another Horsedreamer’s Blues4:3310Recovering the Satellites5:2511Monkey3:0212Mercury2:4813A Long December4:5814Walkaways1:12, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart and reached number one in several other countries. All but one of their subsequent albums reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 list.
Their hit singles include the aforementioned "Mr. Jones" as well as "Rain King×Rain King3 October 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rain King4:172Anna Begins (live)5:353Round Here (live)6:23", "A Long December×A Long December1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1A Long December4:582Ghost Train (live, 1994-12-09; Elysee, Montmartre, Paris, France)5:54", "Hanginaround×Hanginaround15 October 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Hanginaround4:142Mercury (Live)8:183Goodnight Elisabeth (Live)6:44", and a cover version of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi×Big Yellow Taxi2002 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Big Yellow Taxi3:492Big Yellow Taxi3:563If I Could Give All My Love -or- Richard Manuel Is Dead (live and acoustic)4:004Hard Candy (live and acoustic)3:39". Counting Crows received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for the single "Accidentally in Love×Accidentally in Love1 January 2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Accidentally in Love3:092American Girls (live in Oslo)4:29", which was included in the film Shrek 2. The band has sold more than 20 million albums and is known for its dynamic live performances. Billboard has also ranked the band as the 8th greatest Adult Alternative Artist of all time.
The band released the album Somewhere Under Wonderland×Somewhere Under Wonderland2 September 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Palisades Park8:212Earthquake Driver3:323Dislocation4:554God of Ocean Tides3:125Scarecrow4:476Elvis Went to Hollywood3:567Cover Up the Sun3:468John Appleseed’s Lament4:449Possibility Days4:1210Earthquake Driver (demo)3:3211Scarecrow (demo)4:16 in 2014. They released a four-song EP in 2021 titled Butter Miracle, Suite One×Butter Miracle, Suite One21 May 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1The Tall Grass4:512Elevator Boots3:573Angel of 14th Street5:124Bobby and the Rat-Kings5:25. This was expanded into Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, a full-length album with five additional songs at the start, in May 2025.

Band name

The band name is derived from "One for Sorrow", a British divination nursery rhyme about the superstitious counting of magpies, which are members of the crow family. Singer Adam Duritz heard the rhyme in the film Signs of Life, which starred his close friend, actress Mary-Louise Parker.
Here is one modern version of the rhyme:

The rhyme is featured in the song "A Murder of One×A Murder of One1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1A Murder of One (LP version)5:402A Murder of One (edit)4:15" on the band's debut album, August and Everything After×August and Everything After14 September 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Round Here5:322Omaha3:393Mr. Jones4:324Perfect Blue Buildings5:015Anna Begins4:316Time and Time Again5:157Rain King4:168Sullivan Street4:309Ghost Train4:0310Raining in Baltimore4:4211A Murder of One5:44.

1991–1992: Formation and early years

Adam Duritz, former member of the San Francisco Bay Area band the Himalayans, and producer/guitarist David Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991. They began as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Friend David Immerglück played with them from time to time on a variety of instruments, though he was not an official member of the group. As the emerging band recorded some demos, and as other musicians joined the duo to make a full band, Immerglück recorded with the band on some songs for its first album. He declined to join the band, citing his obligations with two other locally popular bands: Monks of Doom and Camper Van Beethoven. By 1993, the band had grown to a stable lineup of Duritz as vocalist, occasional pianist, and primary songwriter, Bryson on guitar, Matt Malley playing bass guitar, Charlie Gillingham on keyboards, and Steve Bowman as drummer, and the band was a regular in the Bay Area scene.
When Gary Gersh of Geffen Records heard the band's demo tape, he was "blown away". A bidding war between nine different record labels broke out in February 1992. In April, the band—which, by that time, included other members—"signed a deal with Gersh and Geffen believed to be so lucrative that industry wags dubbed them Accounting Crows". On January 16, 1993, the band, still relatively unknown, filled in for Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, and was introduced by an enthusiastic Robbie Robertson. At the ceremony, they played a cover of Van Morrison's "Caravan".
Before signing to Geffen, the band recorded demo versions of a number of songs, known as the "Flying Demos×Flying Demos1991 · OtherSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Rain King4:072Omaha3:193Anna Begins4:234Einstein on the Beach (for an Eggman)3:535Shallow Days4:406Love and Addiction3:597Mr. Jones4:218Round Here5:09940 Years2:5710Margery Dreams of Horses4:0411Bulldog3:4912Lightning4:4313We’re Only Love3:18". These later surfaced among the Counting Crows fanbase. Tracks include "Rain King×Rain King3 October 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rain King4:172Anna Begins (live)5:353Round Here (live)6:23", "Omaha×Omaha1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Omaha3:362Anna Begins (live)5:303Round Here (live)6:14", "Anna Begins", "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)", "Shallow Days", "Love and Addiction", "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45", "Round Here×Round Here1 June 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Round Here5:322Ghost Train4:023The Ghost in You (live, 1993-08-28: KBCO Studio C, Boulder)3:31", "40 Years", "Margery Dreams of Horses", "Bulldog", "Lightning", and "We're Only Love".

1993–1994: August and Everything After and popular success

The band's debut album, August and Everything After×August and Everything After14 September 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Round Here5:322Omaha3:393Mr. Jones4:324Perfect Blue Buildings5:015Anna Begins4:316Time and Time Again5:157Rain King4:168Sullivan Street4:309Ghost Train4:0310Raining in Baltimore4:4211A Murder of One5:44, was released in September 1993. The album's first single, "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45", refers to Marty Jones (Himalayans bassist, and Duritz's childhood friend) and Kenney Dale Johnson (the drummer of Silvertone, Chris Isaak's band). It describes the desire of working musicians to make it big and the fantasies they entertain about what fame might bring. Duritz sang the song in fun, enjoying the fantasy; he did not realize that just months later, in December 1993, MTV would begin playing the video for the song. "Mr. Jones" was a breakthrough hit, drawing massive radio play and launching the band into stardom. In 2018, the Chicago Sun-Times described August and Everything After as follows: "August And Everything After" [launched] the Bay Area septet with its hippie-inspired, roots-rock-infiltrating hits "Mr. Jones", "Round Here×Round Here1 June 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Round Here5:322Ghost Train4:023The Ghost in You (live, 1993-08-28: KBCO Studio C, Boulder)3:31", and "Rain King×Rain King3 October 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rain King4:172Anna Begins (live)5:353Round Here (live)6:23", (ironically, at a time when grunge dominated the charts). Counting Crows eschewed the trend, happily wearing their time-stamped influences like Van Morrison and The Band on their patchwork sleeves, and found an audience who agreed with them. That first album went on to become a seven-times-platinum success in the U.S. alone, at the time the fastest-selling record since Nirvana's Nevermind.
With "Mr. Jones" propelling the band forward, and with positive reviews from Rolling Stone and other publications, it was decided that the band could use a second guitarist, and Dan Vickrey, another Bay Area musician, was offered the role as lead guitarist, singing backing vocals. The band toured extensively in 1993 and 1994, both as headliners and in supporting roles with other artists, including the Rolling Stones, Cracker, the Cranberries, Suede, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Jellyfish, and Midnight Oil. In 1994, the band appeared on the January 15 broadcast of Saturday Night Live an appearance that Duritz credited with opening the band from a mostly radio play audience to a broader audience and propelling record sales. The band also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. The album sold seven million copies in the U.S. The band received two Grammy nominations in 1994; one for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (for "Round Here") and one for Best New Artist.
Success took a toll on Counting Crows; Duritz suffered a widely reported nervous breakdown, which was not his first. Towards the end of 1994, Bowman was fired from the band. He was replaced on drums by Ben Mize.

1995–1998: Recovering the Satellites and double live album

The band played only two gigs in 1995. This allowed Duritz to write a set of songs that became the band's second album, Recovering the Satellites×Recovering the Satellites14 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Catapult3:352Angels of the Silences3:393Daylight Fading3:504I’m Not Sleeping4:585Goodnight Elisabeth5:206Children in Bloom5:247Have You Seen Me Lately?4:118Miller’s Angels6:349Another Horsedreamer’s Blues4:3310Recovering the Satellites5:2511Monkey3:0212Mercury2:4813A Long December4:5814Walkaways1:12. Released October 15, 1996, it was heavier than August and Everything After. A response to the sudden fame that "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45" had brought, it contains lyrics such as "These days I feel like I'm fading away / Like sometimes when I hear myself on the radio" (from "Have You Seen Me Lately?") and "Gonna get back to basics / Guess I'll start it up again" (from "Recovering the Satellites"). Dealing with the theme of Duritz's unease with his newfound fame, the album was described as "a concept album of sorts about trying to pick up the pieces of a family, a social life and a psyche shattered by fame". This album contained the single "A Long December×A Long December1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1A Long December4:582Ghost Train (live, 1994-12-09; Elysee, Montmartre, Paris, France)5:54", which was a number one hit in Canada and a Top 10 hit in the United States.
On July 2, 1997, Counting Crows started off a co-headlining tour with the Wallflowers that continued to September. The tour included opening acts by Bettie Serveert, Engine 88, Gigolo Aunts and That Dog, with each opening band touring for three-weeks. After nine months of near-constant touring in support of the album, Duritz developed nodules on his vocal cords in July 1997, leading to the cancellation of a number of gigs. After taking time off to recover, the band toured for the rest of 1997, concluding with a MTV show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. This concert was released as half of a double live album, Across a Wire: Live in New York City×Across a Wire: Live in New York City1997 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Round Here6:172Have You Seen Me Lately?3:573Angels of the Silences3:584Catapult3:585Mr. Jones5:176Rain King5:517Mercury3:458Ghost Train5:279Anna Begins13:5510Chelsea6:15Disc 21Recovering the Satellites5:492Angels of the Silences3:343Rain King5:494Sullivan Street4:375Children in Bloom5:206Have You Seen Me Lately?4:107Raining in Baltimore5:348Round Here10:009I'm Not Sleeping4:5910A Murder of One5:3511A Long December6:0612Walkaways1:50. The other disc was a recording of a predominantly acoustic set from the band's appearance on the VH1 Storytellers show.

1999–2001: This Desert Life and extensive touring

In 1999, Counting Crows performed at Woodstock 99. Later that same year, the band released This Desert Life, sales of which were propelled by the success of "Hanginaround×Hanginaround15 October 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Hanginaround4:142Mercury (Live)8:183Goodnight Elisabeth (Live)6:44" and "Colorblind", which was also featured in the movie Cruel Intentions. Supporting the album, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with alternative rock band Live. Counting Crows closed nearly every show. Before this album and subsequent tour, the band invited session player and long-time friend David Immerglück to join the band as a permanent member. Immerglück had played on every Counting Crows album as a sideman, but early on had declined a permanent position. This time, however, Immerglück agreed. He plays a variety of instruments with the band, including acoustic, electric and pedal steel guitars, slide guitar and mandolin, as well as backing vocals.

2002–2003: Hard Candy and greatest hits album

On July 9, 2002, the band released its fourth studio album, Hard Candy×Hard CandyJune 2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks1Hard Candy4:212American Girls4:323Good Time4:244If I Could Give All My Love -or- Richard Manuel Is Dead3:535Goodnight L.A.4:176Butterfly In Reverse2:487Miami5:018New Frontier3:519Carriage4:0510Black and Blue3:5311Why Should You Come When I Call?4:3812Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)5:0813Holiday in Spain3:50144 White Stallions4:2115You Ain't Going Nowhere3:4716Start Again / Big Yellow Taxi8:30. The album included a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi×Big Yellow Taxi2002 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Big Yellow Taxi3:492Big Yellow Taxi3:563If I Could Give All My Love -or- Richard Manuel Is Dead (live and acoustic)4:004Hard Candy (live and acoustic)3:39". Vanessa Carlton contributed backing vocals to the single edit of the track, which appeared on the soundtrack for Two Weeks Notice and was re-released on future Hard Candy albums. The original version, without vocals by Carlton, appeared on the first album release as a hidden track. Hard Candy received better reviews than the previous efforts, with "radio friendly" songs, like "American Girls×American Girls17 June 2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1American Girls4:362Start Again3:363Someday4:024American Girls3:51" (which featured Sheryl Crow on backing vocals), and contains a more upbeat feel and tempo. The band toured with the Dutch band, Bløf. A song, "Holiday in Spain×Holiday in Spain11 June 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Holiday in Spain3:552Rain King (live, Ahoy, The Netherlands)7:373St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream (live, Ahoy, The Netherlands)5:104Hangin' Around (live, Ahoy, The Netherlands)6:29", came together as a result of the camaraderie between the two groups: it is sung partly as a dual language duet, and partly as a musical "round", with both lead singers singing in differing languages at the end of the song.
Midway through the Hard Candy tour, drummer Mize amicably left the band to spend more time with his family and pursue his own musical interests. After Mize completed the American leg of the tour, he was replaced by Jim Bogios, formerly a drummer with Ben Folds and Sheryl Crow. Bogios attributes leaving Sheryl Crow for Counting Crows to becoming a band member and having more creative input. Following the Hard Candy tour, longtime bassist Malley left the band after growing weary of touring, and to attend to his duties as a new father. He was replaced by Millard Powers.
Counting Crows released the greatest hits album Films About Ghosts in November 2003.

2004–2006: Oscars and New Amsterdam

In 2004, the band's "Accidentally in Love×Accidentally in Love1 January 2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Accidentally in Love3:092American Girls (live in Oslo)4:29" song appeared on the soundtrack of the animated film Shrek 2. At the 77th Academy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Original Song, but lost to "Al otro lado del río" from The Motorcycle Diaries.

In June 2006, the band released New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall album.

2007–2008: Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

Duritz hinted in a 2006 interview that Counting Crows' next studio record would be released in late 2007. He indicated that the band had spent three weeks working in a recording studio with Gil Norton, the producer behind Recovering the Satellites, and revealed the working title of the album to be Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings×Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings21 March 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks114923:512Hanging Tree3:513Los Angeles4:414Sundays4:215Insignificant4:146Cowboys5:237Washington Square4:178On Almost Any Sunday Morning2:589When I Dream of Michelangelo3:1010Anyone but You5:2511You Can’t Count on Me3:1712Le Ballet d’or5:0213On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago4:5714Come Around4:33. Duritz explained that, "Saturday night is when you sin and Sunday is when you regret. Sinning is often done very loudly, angrily, bitterly, violently." Vickrey stated that "the idea at the moment is to have kind of a rocking side and then an acoustic-y, maybe country-ish side. We got the first half done in May in New York, so half of it is pretty strong and done. And now we're going to work on the second half, the country tunes, during the tour."
Amidst touring in the summer of 2007, the band performed live before the Home Run Derby at the 2007 MLB All-Star Game on July 9, 2007. On July 22 they previewed two new songs at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, Delaware, a new ballad titled "Washington Square×Washington Square7 April 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Washington Square4:172You Can’t Count On Me3:16" and a hard rocking track called "Cowboys". On August 8, 2007, VH1 filmed a live performance of "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45", clips of which were shown on the miniseries 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. The song ranked No. 27 on the list.
In September 2007, Counting Crows played a unique show at Town Hall in New York City, during which it performed all the tracks from August and Everything After in album order. The show was recorded for a planned DVD release, and also featured several songs from the new album. On September 27, Duritz announced on his blog that the band had asked its record label to postpone the release of Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings until early 2008, citing the time pressures involved in preparing both the new album and an August and Everything After×August and Everything After14 September 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Round Here5:322Omaha3:393Mr. Jones4:324Perfect Blue Buildings5:015Anna Begins4:316Time and Time Again5:157Rain King4:168Sullivan Street4:309Ghost Train4:0310Raining in Baltimore4:4211A Murder of One5:44 deluxe edition for release.
On January 16, 2008, the band released a digital single on its official website as a free download. It featured "1492" from the "Saturday Nights" half of the new album, and "When I Dream Of Michelangelo" from the "Sunday Mornings" half as its B-side. The album was released on March 25, 2008.

Departure from Geffen

On March 22, 2009, Duritz announced on the band's website that they would be leaving Geffen Records, with whom they had worked for 18 years. He ended the post with a free download of the band's cover of Madonna's "Borderline", recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003.
Following the departure from Geffen, the band has continued to tour. During the summer of 2009, they launched the ambitious Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus and Medicine Show tour with longtime Bay Area friend Michael Franti, his band Spearhead, and the band Augustana. Instead of the traditional concert format of a short set by an opening act, followed by a longer set from a main supporting act, and then a long set by the headlining band, the shows featured members of all of the bands joining each other for songs from each bands' catalogs at various points throughout the evening. As Duritz explained in a welcoming message on the official website for the tour, each show "is going to start with EVERYONE onstage together and we're going to all be running on & off stage all night playing one each other's songs all together and basically just playing whenever we feel like playing."

2010–2013: Independent releases and individual projects

The album August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall×August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall29 August 2011 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Round Here / Raining in Baltimore11:422Omaha3:433Mr. Jones6:194Talking1:125Perfect Blue Buildings5:056Anna Begins5:347Time and Time Again5:508Rain King8:579Introduction to Sullivan Street2:2510Sullivan Street8:4211Ghost Train5:5412Murder of One11:07 was released on August 29, 2011. The release marked the band's third professionally produced live album, and the first concert video of its career. The album used footage from the Town Hall concert, recorded in September 2007.
The band released a covers album entitled Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation)×Underwater Sunshine (or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation)6 April 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 30 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Untitled (Love Song)5:062Start Again3:333Hospital3:094Mercy3:315Meet on the Ledge3:366Like Teenage Gravity5:117Amie4:338Coming Around2:599Ooh La La4:3710All My Failures4:3811Return of the Grievous Angel4:2312Four White Stallions4:0113Jumping Jesus3:0414You Ain't Goin' Nowhere4:1915The Ballad of El Goodo4:49Disc 21Girl From the North Country (Traditional)6:042Round Here10:123Untitled (Love Song)4:524Four Days3:325Hospital3:076Carriage4:047Start Again3:298I Wish I Was a Girl5:489Sundays4:3910Mercury6:3711Friend of the Devil4:3212Rain King7:3813Le ballet d'or5:0114Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)5:2215You Ain't Goin Nowhere4:26 on April 10, 2012, with a cover design by a fan chosen in a promotional contest. After touring extensively in 2012 and 2013 in support of the album (including headlining The Outlaw Roadshow, a traveling festival tour presented in conjunction with Ryan Spaulding of the music blog Ryan's Smashing Life, and touring North America in the summer of 2013 with the Wallflowers), the band began working on material for a new album. Duritz also took time in the summer of 2012 to begin co-writing a play called Black Sun, which will also feature some music written by Duritz, including well-known rarity songs "Good Luck" and "Chelsea".
A live album, Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow×Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow5 April 2013 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Girl From the North Country (traditional)6:042Round Here10:123Untitled (Love Song)4:524Four Days3:325Hospital3:076Carriage4:047Start Again3:298I Wish I Was a Girl5:489Sundays4:3910Mercury6:3711Friend of the Devil4:3212Rain King7:3813Le ballet d’or5:0114Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)5:2215You Ain’t Goin Nowhere4:26, was released in North America in November 2013.

2014–2019: Somewhere Under Wonderland, podcast and wine

The writing of material for a new album, Somewhere Under Wonderland×Somewhere Under Wonderland2 September 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Palisades Park8:212Earthquake Driver3:323Dislocation4:554God of Ocean Tides3:125Scarecrow4:476Elvis Went to Hollywood3:567Cover Up the Sun3:468John Appleseed’s Lament4:449Possibility Days4:1210Earthquake Driver (demo)3:3211Scarecrow (demo)4:16, began early in 2013 and continued during that year's summer tour. The album was released on September 2, 2014.
In 2018, Duritz became an investor in three wineries based in Napa Valley, California—Elyse Winery, Institution Winery, and Addax Winery—managed by winemaker Russell Bevan.
Starting in February 2018, Duritz began recording the Underwater Sunshine Podcast, a weekly music podcast with author and music journalist James Campion. Having parted ways with Spaulding, Duritz and friends began putting on their own twice-annual music festival in New York called the Underwater Sunshine Fest to showcase independent music. The first festival, held at the Bowery Electric in October 2018, featured 17 bands over two nights. A second in April 2019 showcased 18 bands, and a third held at Rockwood Music Hall in November 2019 expanded the lineup to 26. Acts as diverse as Yellow House Orchestra, Seán Barna, Mikaela Davis, Marcy Playground, Matt Sucich, Stephen Kellogg, Stew and the Negro Problem, and Fairhazel have appeared. More bands recorded acoustic sessions at Duritz's loft the weekends of each of the festivals.
In January 2019, Counting Crows released a newly recorded version of "August and Everything After×August and Everything After14 September 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Round Here5:322Omaha3:393Mr. Jones4:324Perfect Blue Buildings5:015Anna Begins4:316Time and Time Again5:157Rain King4:168Sullivan Street4:309Ghost Train4:0310Raining in Baltimore4:4211A Murder of One5:44" performed with the London Symphony Orchestra at AIR Studios. The song was cut from the band's first album, which had been named after it. Duritz then revealed in late 2019 that he had begun writing new music that past August.

2020–present: Butter Miracle, cooking and more

In early February 2020, Duritz described the band's next project as suites of music that may be released on various EPs. The band began studio sessions in late February and early March on four songs that complete the first suite: "The Tall Grass", "Elevator Boots×Elevator Boots27 April 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Elevator Boots3:57", "The Angel of 14th Street", and "Bobby and the Rat Kings". Mott the Hoople, Thin Lizzy, and Seán Barna's album CISSY were cited as influences on demos of the songs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, without touring and being unable to work on music in the studio, as well as taking a hiatus from his podcast, Duritz began hosting cooking videos through his Instagram stories. Speaking with chef Tyler Florence, Duritz said the type of research he would do regarding music for the podcast he turned into exploring more about food and cooking to share with others. Duritz and Campion would return to producing the Underwater Sunshine Podcast in May 2021.
"Elevator Boots" was released as the first single for the four-track EP in April 2021, described by Rolling Stone as "a melodic, wistful ode to life on tour, with a sound that somehow manages to bridge the gap between The Band and Mott the Hoople." The EP, titled Butter Miracle, Suite One×Butter Miracle, Suite One21 May 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1The Tall Grass4:512Elevator Boots3:573Angel of 14th Street5:124Bobby and the Rat-Kings5:25, was released on May 21, 2021.
At the time, Duritz told Rolling Stone that a second EP, Butter Miracle, Suite Two, would be released and together with the first form a full album. He was writing songs for the second EP, and the band planned to resume touring in the fall of 2021. In February 2022, Duritz appeared as a guest vocalist on two tracks on Gang of Youths' third studio album Angel in Realtime. Later that year, he confirmed that he had completed writing for Suite Two, but that he believed that the initial songwriting was not strong enough. He decided to rewrite the songs and add an additional composition, and that recording for the follow-up could only happen once the band was done with touring.
During the 2022 Butter Miracle Tour, Counting Crows performed live in Israel for the first time, playing in an amphitheater in the city of Ra'anana. In April 2023, the band returned to Australia and New Zealand for a series of headlining shows, with English musician Frank Turner supporting them. The following year, the Oneness Tour saw them travel with Santana.
On February 21, 2025, the band put out a new single, "Spaceman in Tulsa×Spaceman in Tulsa21 February 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Spaceman in Tulsa3:50", to announce the release date for the upcoming album Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!. Forgoing a second EP, the new album, with the four songs from the Suite One EP plus five additional songs, was released on May 9, 2025.

Artistry & covers

Counting Crows, and Duritz in particular, have become renowned for energetic, passionate live performances. The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., and Bob Dylan.
Several Counting Crows songs have been altered during the band's live performances, such as "Round Here×Round Here1 June 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Round Here5:322Ghost Train4:023The Ghost in You (live, 1993-08-28: KBCO Studio C, Boulder)3:31", "Goodnight Elisabeth", "Rain King×Rain King3 October 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rain King4:172Anna Begins (live)5:353Round Here (live)6:23", and "A Murder of One×A Murder of One1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1A Murder of One (LP version)5:402A Murder of One (edit)4:15". This can be heard on the Across a Wire: Live in New York City album on the first disc (on which "Round Here" contains lyrics from "Have You Seen Me Lately?") and the second disc ("Anna Begins" has an extended midsection with new lyrics, and the introduction to "Mr. Jones×Mr. JonesMarch 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mr. Jones (LP version)4:342Raining In Baltimore (LP version)4:423Mr. Jones (acoustic live recording)4:45" includes lyrics from "Miller's Angels" and from the Byrds' "So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star").
In February 2011, Duritz released an indie album of cover songs he had recorded entitled All My Bloody Valentines. He allowed Facebook followers to help name and design the cover art for the album.
The band has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.

Documentary

On December 18, 2025, HBO Max released Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? a feature-length documentary under its Music Box series that focuses on the band's rise to fame after the release of August and Everything After and the making of Recovering the Satellites.
The film was directed by Amy Scott and features David Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Dan Vickrey, and David Immerglück, as well as former bandmate Matt Malley. Additional celebrities such as Cyndi Lauper, Chris Martin of Coldplay, actress Mary-Louise Parker, and comedian Jeff Ross were also interviewed for the film, among other notable interviewees.

Current members

David Bryson – rhythm guitar (1994–present), backing vocals (1991–present), lead guitar (1991–94)
Adam Duritz – lead vocals, keyboards, occasional harmonica & auxiliary percussion (1991–present)
Charlie Gillingham – keyboards, backing vocals (1991–present), accordion, clarinet (1996–present)
Dan Vickrey – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–present), banjo (2002–present)
David Immerglück – guitars, bass guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, backing vocals (1999–present, session musician 1993–99), banjo (2011–present)
Jim Bogios – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2002–present)
Millard Powers – bass guitar, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2005–present)

Former members

Steve Bowman – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1991–94)
Matt Malley – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1991–2005)
Ben Mize – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–2002)

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973.

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Juno Awards

The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music.

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year