Counting Crows
Adam Duritz rewriting his own lyrics live every night — the songs never quite settle into their recorded shape, which is exactly the appeal three decades in.
Counting Crows formed in Berkeley, California in 1991 around singer and lyricist Adam Duritz, previously of the band the Himalayans. Duritz and guitarist David Bryson began as an acoustic duo playing shows around Berkeley and San Francisco before other musicians joined to fill out the group. A demo tape drew interest from nine labels, and the band signed with Geffen Records ahead of recording their debut.
Their debut, August and Everything After, produced by T Bone Burnett, became a substantial commercial success, selling more than seven million copies in the United States and establishing the band's mix of roots rock, folk-rock and confessional songwriting. 'Mr. Jones' and 'Round Here' are among its best-known tracks; 'Round Here' brought a Grammy nomination, and the band was also nominated for Best New Artist.
The band's later catalogue moved between quieter, more acoustic material and fuller rock arrangements. Recovering the Satellites reached number one on the Billboard 200, and most of their subsequent albums reached the top ten. Singles such as 'Rain King', 'A Long December', 'Hanginaround' and a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' extended their run, while 'Accidentally in Love', written for the film Shrek 2, brought an Academy Award nomination.
In performance, Duritz is known for rearranging and rewriting lyrics from night to night, so that familiar songs often appear in substantially altered form. The band's name comes from 'One for Sorrow', a nursery rhyme about counting magpies that Duritz first heard in the film Signs of Life; the rhyme itself later turned up in the song 'A Murder of One' on the debut album.
More recently the band released Somewhere Under Wonderland in 2014, followed by a four-song EP, Butter Miracle, Suite One, in 2021. That EP was expanded into a full album, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, with five additional songs added at the start, released in 2025.
Counting Crows at a glance
Where is Counting Crows from?
Counting Crows is from Berkeley, CA.
What kind of music does Counting Crows play?
Counting Crows is tagged alt-rock and roots rock.
What festivals has Counting Crows played before?
Counting Crows has played Bourbon & Beyond 2026, Stagecoach 2026.
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Hootie & the BlowfishFoo FightersThird Eye BlindDave Matthews BandCody JohnsonQueens of the Stone AgeLainey WilsonHootie and the BlowfishPost Malone4 Non BlondesBrooks & DunnBetter Than Ezra
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