Ravinia 2019, Issue 2, Week 4

A Everything After Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz favors freedom over fame B Y A N D Y A R G Y R A K I S AT THE TIP OF 2019, Counting Crows broke a five-year silence from the studio by dropping the newly recorded track “August and Everything After.” To those who’ve kept even casual tabs on the alternative rock/jangle pop band from Berkeley, CA, it also stands out as the title of the 1993 blockbuster debut album that sold more than a staggering seven million copies in America alone and was responsible for the smashes “Mr. Jones,” “Round Here,” “Rain King,” and “A Mur- der of One.” Though the song “August and Everything After” has occasionally popped up in concerts ever since—and its lyrics were even printed on the cur- sive-scripted album cover—believe it or not, this Amazon Original cut marks its first-ever official release hot on the heels of the larger collection’s 25th birthday. “I just didn’t think it was very good,” divulges co-founding singer-songwriter Adam Duritz on a phone call with Ravinia magazine prior to Counting Crows’ return appearance on Saturday, June 29, with drummer Jim Bogios, guitarist David Bryson, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, guitarist David Immergluck, bassist Millard Powers, and guitarist Dan Vickrey. “It had a lot of holes in it. I thought it needed some work. I didn’t think the arrangement was good and it had some lyrical problems too. Just a lot of stuff I should’ve proba- bly spotted before we got in the studio. I also think the arrangement of me play- ing the song on piano was really boring, but doing it with the orchestra gave it a much, much more interesting musical vibe. It’s just a song about life, and it was a really good title for the record. The song was there first, but it was the right title for the record, maybe [even more so] because we couldn’t use the song.” JUNE 17 – JUNE 30, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 17