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After a harrowing period that found singer Adam Duritz in the depths of depression and six years between studio albums, he and Counting Crows are back in fine form with the new disc “Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings.”
After kicking off its U.S. tour with Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles Friday, the band stops in Charlotte Monday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.
The Observer recently spoke to Duritz about his health, the new album, and his band's “uncool” status while recovering from a marathon run of gigs.
Q. How are you doing?
I played two festivals in Holland. I got food poisoning and was completely dehydrated. I had to go play a gig in Paris last night and it was 120 degrees on stage. I could barely stand up, but we've never done really well here. So I didn't want to do a lame show. We played for over two hours. I've not slept in three days, I'm totally dehydrated, but I played three great shows. I couldn't be prouder.
Q. What are you listening to now?
There's a new Steve Earle album out. Kathleen Edwards is this country-rock singer. The last few days I've been running to her first two records. She knocks me out. I really want to get the new Galactic record.
Q. Does what you're listening to influence who you choose to work with on each album?
You think about it in terms of recording. When we did “Recovering the Satellites,” I knew I wanted to go back to punk roots and Gil Norton had done all those Pixies records. We went back to Gil for the same reason on “Saturday Nights.” It's based on late-'70s punk music. Once we figured out there was going to be a “Sunday Mornings,” I listened to modern, innovative folk music, not just acoustic records.
Q. How did you overcome your mental illness?
I made myself better and did the work I had to do. You have to force yourself to find the right medications. I suffered through years of gruesome side effects like being 50 pounds overweight.
Q. Why did you decide to go public?
I was tired of the whole band suffering because I wasn't honest about what was going on. I was writing albums about having a hard time, while people were seeing (in the press) he's having sex with all these actresses – most of which was total fiction. At the time I didn't want to make a public spectacle of the disintegration. (But I knew if I didn't speak up) the band would get smashed for it again. I don't want it to be my fault. The press had no (problem) calling me a fat ugly loser. (I'd rather you) write about the record and stop bitching about how you feel about me.
Q. Are you seeing less of that with this disc?
I don't know. A lot more people are writing about the record and are spending a lot less time on judging me.
Q. How do you feel about being mentioned as an influence on emo bands?
Some of them are good friends of mine now.
The debt we owe them is kind of enormous. They stood up to people at a time when it could be really risky to do that. Think about it – your Chris Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional) or Ryan Ross (of Panic! at the Disco). You're not established as a huge band and you go into an interview that's really intent on being hip and tell them this band they think is the most uncool band is an influence – in a way putting Panic! at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional at great risk and making it impossible (for the reporter) to rip Counting Crows.
I think they were being honest. We all come from a punk background, liking different kinds of music, but we write really emotional songs. It's not why we're friends, but I'll always appreciate the bravery of that moment.
