Artist of the Week: Counting Crows

It all began with a determination of one man named Adam Duritz in keeping the existence of music in his life. Moving from his birth town Baltimore to San Francisco, Duritz engaged himself in numerous music projects including The Himalayans that received local acclaims for their studio-like live performances in early '90s. Through the band, Duritz became acquainted with producer David Bryson who agreed to form a brand new band with him. Naming themselves the Counting Crows, Duritz and Bryson started the project as an acoustic duo. Like Himalayans, Crows also nabbed local popularity in Berkeley and San Francisco through their concerts. By 1993 the band had grown to be a five-piece. Bassist Matt Malley, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham and drummer Steve Bowman were invited to join the band that eventually earned a deal from Geffen Records. Crows took their first international flight when they scored a performing slot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Van Morrison in 1993. All the while, the band have recorded demos that eventually shaped their debut studio album "August and Everything After" which was released in September that year. Surprisingly, "Mr. Jones", the third track from the album brought a huge twist of fate for the band.