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E28: *Counterfeit* Crows Interview
191 Plays16 days ago
In this episode, we interview Rob Constantine--the lead singer of the *Counterfeit* Crows...a Counting Crows cover band based in Atlanta. For more information about the band, go to
or check out their videos at
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Holiday Chat
00:00:17
Speaker
Welcome to Sullivan Street, where we are going to talk about all things Counting Crow's cover bands in just a bit. But first, let's say hi to my co-host, Chris Miggs. Chris, happy couple days after Thanksgiving. Yeah, happy. Well, just generally holidays, right? We're entering the just past Thanksgiving. We're entering Christmas. i Actually, just before we went to record, I watched that ah you know, Adam version of have yourself a merry little Christmas from last year. And it's so good. It's been a while since I've listened to it, which is obvious, right? Because it's been about a year since the last Christmas and it's not really something you throw on in July for the most part. um And it's ah it's great. If you haven't listened to it yet this holiday season, as you're listening to it, go back and give it another listen. ah Yeah, listen to your roll down your face.
00:01:03
Speaker
No, it's funny you said that. I listened to it like five times this week and um I want to keep playing it or I want to play it for my kids. I have to decide if I stop it right before he drops the F-bomb at the end or if I include the F-bomb. I'm not sure because, you know, it's funny because Adam's not too much of a cursor. But anyway, let's yeah, but I totally agree. Put me into the holidays. He should record a whole Christmas album. Maybe I don't know.
Meet Rob Constantine and Counterfeit Crows
00:01:27
Speaker
Uh, so let's get, oh the awesome let's get into the guest of the day, who is Rob Constantine, I guess is how you pronounce the name. Uh, yeah. constantine Constantine. Is it? Okay. constantine right good yeah yeah So Rob Constantine is the lead singer and founding member, I guess, of the counting crows cover band called counterfeit crows. They are based in Atlanta, Georgia, I think that's their home base.
00:01:57
Speaker
ah but willing I guess to travel other places so we will so we will say hi dammit this is great because as far we'll talk about a little bit but as far as I know this is the only ah there's tons of cover songs there's cover tons of bands even smaller bands doing cover songs This is only the second time that I know of in the last 20 years where a band said, hey, we are and ah we are a Counting Crows tribute band. ah So before we get into Counterfeit Crows, let's talk to Rob and say, hey, if you obviously, kind of like if we did a podcast, obviously we're super fans. If you're doing a Counting Crows tribute band, you are a super fan. So please talk to us about how you got into Counting Crows and when it was, et cetera, your first kind of memories of the Crows and how they became yeah
00:02:42
Speaker
one of your top bands, if not number one? Yeah, they I'm obsessed. It's it's a thing. um i i I love the music. It's hard to put into words, and I guess that's a problem that that music fans have the worldwide over where they try to put into words why they love a band and how much they love a band and and and all the things. But here's here's I think this is this singles me out, and I think I found a way to put this into words.
00:03:10
Speaker
When my brain is just on static and I just listen to the darkness or just listen to nothing, there's always a counting cross. Right now it's on the street. so's greatff And I think that that is such a compliment and such a yeah ah direct line to say why this is my favorite band and and how much so this is my favorite band.
00:03:38
Speaker
But that's why there's always just the Counting Crows song just kind of playing in the back of my mind. And thanks, Adam. Thanks, guys, for everything. So when did you- Thanks for the music. Yeah, when did you first hear of them or what made you into a fan instead of just a casual liker or whatever? Right. So I mean, I think I started with Mr. Jones. I didn't catch them on Saturday Night Live, that one episode. I think that Mr. Jones,
00:04:06
Speaker
and found me through MTV. And I was like, that's cool. Look at that Daniel Boone jacket Adam's wearing. I like that. This is dude with the glasses. so Charlie, what was going on with that guy back there with the piano? Like, I like these guys. These guys are cool. You know, like, um, I, it just spoke to me. I was just like, what is this? This is like, I like the words. Like I like, this is like a whole story. Um,
00:04:31
Speaker
And I don't know where it kind of fell into, I just kept playing August and everything after over and over and over again. and got It moved past Mr. Jones. Like I think that back then we were buying CDs and it was a task to take it out of the CD player. So would you let the CD continue after the song you wanted played? But I think I found Murder of One. I think I found Ghost Train. I think I found ah Round Here is such a great song. So I would just start it off and just,
00:05:00
Speaker
play the whole record.
Music Formats and Nostalgia
00:05:01
Speaker
and And I kept playing that record over and over again. And it was just, i yeah. i And i don't know where I don't know when it happened. I don't know. Okay, but yeah, but you went out and bought fairly soon after Mr. Jones, you bought the, I think I actually bought the cassette first, if I remember correctly, I'd have to, because if you were talking about skipping, then it's even more of an issue to to turn the tape up and down to my car. Yeah, I think I was on CDs. I think I was in CDs at that point. Someone stole all the cassettes out of the back of my car. Okay. That was the end of my cassette error. So I literally had like three traveler cases of cassettes in my car and they took every, they took my entire collection.
00:05:39
Speaker
Yeah, someone stole my cassettes once from my house, which is funny, right? Thinking back that, you know, people stealing cassettes of all things. Well, that's how you can damage someone, yeah you know, that like, because now, like, you could steal all my records, and I would be sad. But like, I, it's all exists, I could go listen to it again. yeah I always think of that ad, there's that cover ah during one of the Shim Sham shows where there're ah Adam and Emmy are doing the um ah Ryan Adams song, Come Pick Me Up. And he's like and Adam's like narrating the song and he's like, listen to how horrible it is that that this girl would come over and she would she would cheat on you and steal all your friends. And worst of all, steal your records. Ugh.
00:06:24
Speaker
and just the the pain there. But yeah, it's like, oh my God, to steal your records. And it's like and now, of course, like you'd be like, oh, well, I guess I've lost the physical manifestation of this Spotify or Apple Music account that I have.
00:06:35
Speaker
It's all on your phone now, so it's right there. ah Yeah. It's the way people can't hurt you anymore. It's nice. And do you think about it that way?
Tribute Band Motivation and Live Experience
00:06:44
Speaker
I like it, but I had mixtapes, and there was artwork for the mixtapes, and girls had given girls had given me back mixtapes. Oh. And they'd given me back mixtapes with their own artwork and stuff, and and i and that kind of sucks, and I had a lot of hurt. Oh, those are the worst to lose.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yes. And all the band rehearsals, like all the stuff, like all that stuff that I didn't have masters of, that just they were just gone. yeah yeah I don't have any of that stuff. yeah I had REM unplugged that I taped off of the TV onto a cassette, and that was not available for years. It is now, but it wasn't around. But I know that line for line almost more than I know the Nirvana one, which is weird. Airclaps and Nirvana, REM. I could do the words in between.
00:07:31
Speaker
almost on those on those shows cause i just love them and listen to them over and over again. By the way, I don't know if he's still listening, but before we ask you about how your band started, since you mentioned REM Unplugged, let's give Chris a plug to Unplugged, which is that one of our guests that was on the Across the Wire album, a part-time music journalist, Will Hodge, now has almost his own podcast on about the those shows, MTV because I Unplugged just... music series.
00:08:01
Speaker
um Amazing. Yeah, I think it's the only one and and he's even gotten some, in besides taking his journalistic deep dive, ah he's gotten some interviews too. I think he's only had five episodes, but he's had Natalie Merchant on his show. ah MC Light has joined the show, so I do recommend ah people check out Unplugged Revisited by Will Hodge.
00:08:24
Speaker
available on Apple Podcasts. And we'll get him back on the show sometime ourselves. ah So yeah, Rob, it's funny. So we started our podcast in 2023, I think summer 2023, we were looking for an outlet of kind of are creative and saying it's about time for someone to kind of put some historical ah markers and whatever into, in in retrospective into the Counting Crow's legacy. So what motivated you in 2022? I know some of this is on the website, but for those that don't have access to start a Counting Crow's cover band. um I'm an actor. um um I'm a character actor and an actor first and foremost.
00:09:03
Speaker
before I'm a musician, but I've my whole life been a musician, not by default, but just acting was always first. um So an impressionism is the most flattering of compliments, by the way, I hope. oh ah but Counterfeit Crows is a Counting Crows play where we're pretending you're at a show in the late 90s, early 2000s. And we do the story, and but we do the talks in between, we talk to the audience a little bit, we tell stories, and we literally put on a Counting Crows play and a Counting Crows experience for the diehard fans as a love letter to the music and the band. Like it's all in just like, hey, we love this music so much. It's such a soundtrack to our life.
00:09:56
Speaker
um We want to give back. We want to do it. So I was going to see early in development of ah Counterfeit, I was going to see a band called Blizzard of Ozzy and a band called Nameless Nameless. And Blizzard of Ozzy is Ozzy Osbourne cover. And they had full costumes and wigs and just pyro. And just it was awesome. There was a whole stage show. um Mac Mullins is the lead singer friend of mine.
00:10:26
Speaker
of Blizzard of Ozzy, they're amazing. um And they still do shows every couple of years, but um they kind of like just lean back a little bit. And Matt has his own band now, but anyway. And then Nameless. Nameless is a Nirvana cover band out of Atlanta as well. And they do all of live in New York, candles and everything, wigs, costumes, talk back. And that is kind of how it came in.
00:10:53
Speaker
And I was like, I want to do this, but my favorite band is Counting Crows. So this is what you get. Is that what inspired you to go with like the wig? Because if if anyone hasn't seen clips, Rob does wear some dreads. Yes.
00:11:08
Speaker
it's I got to. I got i have to. it's It's a show. It's a play. where We're doing make believe. It's all just part of the thing. And and and Adam had his dreads all through those years. So I have a bald man. So yeah, I want to wear a wig and make it a thing. And it's all part of the the experience of it. I want you guys to pretend you're at the shows. I want it to be a thing.
00:11:36
Speaker
and because this music has been with us for so long. So I want to give that to the fans. And I i do the show I want to see. you know This is the show I want to do. um And we do studio cuts of all the songs. And the guys do different cuts of all the songs. So it's all it's all you can have all of the Counting Crows that you can get.
00:12:00
Speaker
And if you want to come see us, we'll give you that, maybe the stuff that you won't get from the guys. ah You don't get the studio tracks. You get different versions and and and this the journeys of the songs that Adam talks about. And that's great. um But we'll give you the original versions here um you're used to listening to. And and and we'll get back and show our love for County Crows and and share in the love of County Crows. And that's what it's all about.
00:12:25
Speaker
Well, I was just curious about too like what inspired you to go with kind of the more original versions of the songs, as opposed to trying to incorporate any of the sort of live versions or
Band Dynamics and Member Backgrounds
00:12:36
Speaker
things like that. like what like What was the mindset behind that?
00:12:40
Speaker
ah i i My personal preference is when I go to a show, I want to see the song I heard the record of. I want to see the studio version of the song that I heard, and I'm not necessarily interested ah And and ah of course it's different. When I just go see Adam and the guys, I'll just go, I don't care. I just want to see the guys play and and hear our songs and I don't care what ah what they show up as. And it's important to them to play those songs like that. And so it's important to me. um you know so um But personally, I want to sing the songs that I have sat and listened to and memorized and just obsessed over and played over and over again.
00:13:23
Speaker
That's what I want to hear when I go to a show. i If you change it, I'm like, oh no, what, what is this? All right. Okay. I hear the bones of it. That's cool. um But that's, I mean, that's really why it's just a personal preference. um And for that, for that reason, but so I don't think it's a bad thing. A lot of people owner of um rant ran and rave about it, but you know, it's there it's their songs. They can do whatever they want.
00:13:50
Speaker
Their music, we love it, but it's theirs and it's shared with us and it's ours too, but it's theirs first and what they say goes, I guess, I don't know. but I love it. I'll go see him every single time I can. We'll talk about your set list in a second. um I do want to mention, I do want to talk about the band now. You um you mentioned on the website that ah now you obviously are the lead singer. I don't think you play any instruments, right? I play piano. I play guitar but not in the show. Right.
00:14:25
Speaker
I do play Long December. but Right, right, right. Yeah, you do play Long this December. Thank you for clarifying that. And I think you mentioned in the bio that Jordan and I guess he how would you classify him in the is he lead guitarist or I don't know. So so Jordan Armstrong. Jordan Armstrong is our musical director and he's also ah the lead guitarist and and he's our band leader. um And he was also a hardcore crows fan.
00:14:52
Speaker
He was, and we found it we found each other through um through Facebook musicians. like i we There's a bunch of Facebook groups for Atlantic musicians, and I was trying to find other Crows fans to be in my County Crows band. And I guess that was the other question. so are the other Now it's funny, it looks like in general you have six members, although on the one show it looked like you had up to eight, depending on... There are nine of us if you count me, I suppose. like Oh, okay. yeah so so yeah but is so so so Are the nine at most shows or does it depend? It seems like six minimum kind of thing. um the there's you know The core band, um Jordan Armstrong, um Guy Tranbauer, Dave Knob, and Beth Ballingers on the keyboard. ah and That's kind of the core. and Then we have auxiliary members, we have Richard,
00:15:48
Speaker
um On mandolin we have Brian O'Brien on the accordion and we have ah Ben O'Tiano on trumpet because you Chelsea. Yep, and we're gonna talk about that for sure That's one of the big highlights So I guess one other question about the band or two other two questions about the man one of them is I think you have three Was it three main guitarists or two and a bass two? Two main guitarists and a bass. So so I guess one question I had is that obviously the crows started basically with two before adding I mean now they have three and
00:16:22
Speaker
kind of me guitars, how do you divide up, you know, does someone Oh, you're the you play the Bryson parts? Are you right? That that that takes some logistics, because nowadays, they write the song was with three guitars, although I guess you're playing mostly older songs that mostly at two. But we, ah we have lead, second, and then bass drums. That's kind of our core.
00:16:46
Speaker
And then we have Mando, accordion, and trumpet. so um And then how that is cut up, I think that Kenan Dietrich, our second guitar, rhythm guitar, and him, ah Jordan, they will trade back and forth on stuff. um And I've seen them talk in practice, and I try to pay attention to what's going on behind me sometimes, but they really trade back and forth. And sometimes I look back there, and it's Kenan. And I'm like, oh. I thought it was Jordan.
00:17:16
Speaker
All right. um All right. But they, they really, they, they, they, you know, they get together and, and play without us and have worked all that stuff out. So, um, right. And then the crew sometimes does that too, right? Sometimes in the crew show, you'd be like, Oh, I didn't know, um, you know, Dave has more of a lead in this song than I thought, even on some of the, on on some of the newer stuff. And they both sing as well. So then, you know, Jordan will back me up and, and, um, uh, we, we first started recordinging rehearsing, rehearsing Colorblind.
00:17:46
Speaker
Um, uh, everybody, you know, took a break and and walked away. It was just me and Beth. And then, and then all of a sudden Jordan's standing there and I didn't know, and he does the harmony. And it just, it just, I was like, well, a little bit of a tear, just a little bit. Cause it just shocked me. I didn't know, I didn't know why he was standing there. And he had, you know, taken the time to figure out, Hey, I'm gonna be a part of this too. And I'll get my, ah you know, he needs me out there. So I'll be there and totally backed me up. And it.
00:18:15
Speaker
Sounds great. I really like it. Last question about the band before Chris goes to the next question. How, probably not as much as you, but how big of a fans are and how, or if they're not big fans, how familiar of these songs, because you do play some deeper cuts. So maybe somebody owned just the album of August and they didn't even really know recovering the satellites, which you play or whatever.
00:18:37
Speaker
Yeah, so it's Jordan and I are really the big, you know, kind of crow obsessed people, like he ah puts up with me and is in this band more off the nut for his love of the crows. And then I think I'm second to that. But um we we, you know, it's creative projects. So we're kind of constantly kind of like, ah, and then he's, you know, kind of trying to figure out what we're gonna do. He is his I'm Old Testament, I'm August, and he is New Testament with satellites, so he wants to do a satellite kind of
00:19:12
Speaker
more a satellite show. And so I want to do more of an August show on those two albums. And they're kind of back and forth a little bit, but I love both. And I like Desert Life 2 and Hard Candy. So those kind of come in as well. But a lot of the stuff we play is August in Satellites and he's a Satellites guy. That's his record. Well, I guess, I mean, know these all the the other four to six members, were they Crows fans or not really or moderate? I was just kind of curious.
00:19:42
Speaker
Yeah, so Keenan, um his band is Sarah and the Safe Word and he writes all the music and that is his band and they yeah um they're an Atlanta-based band and they have found some great han incredible success. They tour and stuff, so we're lucky to have Beth and Keenan when we can get them. But they kind of came in through some mutual friends. Beth and Keenan are married.
00:20:06
Speaker
uh and so it's really great um to play with a couple too because there's just some connections that you feel on stage sometime between them and it's like wow this is so cool she kind of loosely recorded herself into the band too because we needed a keyboardist and then we had one well a lot of extra practice time couple all together you know Yeah, and I'm hoping that even if they aren't or if they weren't hardcore Crows fans, I would hope that if the Crows comes to Atlanta, now they become more, you know, into the Crows and then they'd be like, oh, we got to see them live and pick up some little tips. And now we appreciate some of these songs we didn't know before we were in the band. You know, maybe they didn't know recovering the satellites, the song before joining the band or whatever. But that's definitely true for my basis. um He has found Counting Crows through the band, but he loves Counting Crows. Keenan was a fan of Counting Crows, my rhythm guitar.
00:20:58
Speaker
He was a fan of the the band before counterfeit, but is now more a fan of the band and he's also found across the wire, which he likes and talks about a lot. um so But ah Guy is the who and Grateful Dead and like comes from that kind of back step and wolf and like that kind of background. yeah but he He loves this music and he has talked about the fact that we've kind of gifted him the crows along with being a part of this. So that's so nice. And um and Dave Knob is also just like steeped in music, but I think he was a crows fan before he came in. um But so but ah again, yeah satellite is king at rehearsals, not August. And I'm like, hey, but it come on, you guys. And they're like, no, we need to do Goodnight Elizabeth and we need to do,
00:21:49
Speaker
Um, we're covering the satellites and you guys want to play one more?
Tribute Shows and Online Presence
00:21:53
Speaker
Yeah. Let's do, let's do, um, let's do hanging around again. And it's like, okay, we'll do it again. Here we go. One, two, three. but i'm going it Play ah August stuff all day. Well, I think if you're focusing on the records, like if there's a certain way in which like, as a, as a record, as a like recorded product, like they're probably a better band on satellites, right? So if you're just looking to those, like,
00:22:18
Speaker
ah kind of the magic of August is ah August is an incredible record but I think sort of the magic of August is in the songs themselves um and like sort of like what's uncovered there again I'm not taking anything away from that but like by the time they get to satellites they are a much more polished like as a group of musicians playing together they've got Ben Mise already who I'm actually listening to that other uh that podcast that Adam did recently where he was talking about he's like yeah like Bowman was kind of like a funk drummer and he didn't wasn't really right and Ben Mize was kind of perfect and I don't know all these things were as like a
00:22:55
Speaker
like, I don't know, I can see where if they're coming to it, especially if they're new or coming to like the records, and especially a guy who's into rock, right? If he's into the who and Steppenwolf, I can imagine the guy being like, yeah, let's fucking crush on on angels, as opposed to the worst. i'm up Angels is their most metal song, but I love it so much. And that's our big finale too, which is just ah Yeah, i love that you I love that you play that as ah as a finale. um I'll just briefly mention, because I don't know where else to do it, that... and and And Chris said maybe we can track them down at some point. It seems like there was a cover band at one point called the Blackwing Birds, and now I'm forgetting what state they were based out of, Chris. I think Oregon or something? Yeah, Oregon. I think the West Coast. ah Tyler Stenson, I think, was the lead singer. It also seemed like about an eight-person band. It looks like they have have been defunct for about seven, eight years.
00:23:49
Speaker
ah years at at this point. um By the way, Rob, the other thing I appreciated when I was googling some of your stuff is that one of the shows you did this summer with three cover bands together was the Three is a Crowed tribute show with Counting Crows, Black Crows, and Cheryl Crow. And by the way, I've made that connection before. It just reminded me of something I read this week. I was looking at old school hip hop stuff, and I guess it was Everlast from House of Pain. But he was talking about how it's not how it was not a coincidence, but he thought people never made the connection. But I did, that there was their jump around, and then there was Criss Cross's jump.
00:24:34
Speaker
and supposedly what the crisscross jump in part made the song called jump to kind of scoop or they were getting back at house of pain who was trying to release their wouldn't sign with them or something but it wasn't but it wasn't a coincidence that two jump songs came out the same year so I just laughed that I always made the crows And crows black cuz I would fight with black crows fans about who's the better crow um And then of course we had Cheryl crow. So so I don't know well and and that's why I mean, you know Cheryl crows real name is Cheryl bluebird, you know is that true is that real no that's ah that's a i'veing with us okay and that's great but She was just hopping on the bandwagon, you know, she'd already yeah the other bands were hits and she was like The crow frenzy
00:25:19
Speaker
Oh, that's true. So I read, I read, I read in that there's a Counting Crow's book. It's like, it's like really short and it has the orange cover. It's in the other room. But I read that one of the crows played with Cheryl Crow ah at one point. and She's on, she's on American Girls. Yeah. No, but she came and played with the guys. but ah Jim, i Jim Bojias was her drummer.
00:25:43
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So there's a connection. That's it. So Jim, yeah, yeah. So that's, that was crazy. So, um, so we were coming up with that show. We had Murder of Crowe at Tennessee, which is a black cross cover band. By the way, my favorite three bands, County Crows, Blind Melon, Black Crows. So this all, this all comes together, but he called me out of the blue and said, do you want to open for Murder of Crows? And I'm like, one band opens for the other. What?
00:26:12
Speaker
My, this is Kismet. This is nuts. Because out of all the billions of bands, those are my three. And he called me out of nowhere and said, you want to open for a Murder or Crow? So I was like, this is ridiculous. Yes. Um, and then he's like, Hey, we need, we need a third kind of, so we can call it Threes of Crowed. Uh, Threes of Crowed.
00:26:35
Speaker
Uh, so we can call it Threes of Crow. We need like a, is there like a third band? And I was like, hang on. I just i hung up the phone with the promoter and I called Keenan and Beth and I said, how would you guys like to do a Sheryl Crow cover band? And we'll call it Sheryl Crow with a C. um And they were like, yeah, we can do that. And I was like, there we go. Called the promoter back. I said, hey, I got a Sheryl Crow cover band for you and let's do one, two, three. And we'll have those three bands and there'll be threes of Crow.
00:27:05
Speaker
Cool. And they played Cheryl Crow, Cheryl with a C, uh, has played, uh, two more shows beyond that. So Cheryl Crow lives. Uh, are you in that band too? No, it's just just say the inspiration. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Um, cover band sounds kind of nice though. People, people were excited about that and like talking about it on the ah Facebook and stuff, um, going, Ooh, I want to catch that.
00:27:34
Speaker
ah First Band, that's awesome. there you know sarah And Cheryl was in town like a month before the show opened, too. So then maybe we caught some Cheryl Crow fans. Not a lot of people came to that show. It was the elections, so the Republicans came and had their big thing downtown. So it was during that, so that there was a lot of traffic. and So ah not as many people as we were hoping came, but it was a great show. You can watch it. There's a static feed of it on our channel. That's all we got. because I was trying to find money to pay everybody. I didn't pay ah somebody to record it. That's it. It happens. So I'll go through. The one thing I didn't want to ah say was, I guess if people are listening and hopefully if again, check out the Counting Crows website, also Counterfeit Crows on YouTube. And I think you're also Instagram. Anything else? TikTok. titok um yeah
00:28:33
Speaker
And ah yeah, please subscribe to them on YouTube and they have at least two full concerts on there. um I think a 90, so this is not, you know, sometimes you think of a cover band and maybe they'll play like two 30-minute sets or something like that at a bar. um But this this, these are long sets, the ones on YouTube. So there's a 90-minute set and 120-minute set, which of course is a crows fan I love because it wasn't just playing their top Five popular songs so let me go through the set list and you kind of beat me to one of the questions which was Why do you focus on August and recovering which is because you love August and your and your co-founder loves recovering Yes, and as you said not many songs outside of that which is kind of you know, whatever we can talk about that so this is and I might have missed one because I kind of went through real quick and but and i do understand too that you're going to want to play in some ways their greatest hits in case there's casual fans there that maybe know their top seven songs but don't know much else you don't want to play all deep cuts uh so we have uh starting but it's not like you start with mr jones or whatever it's like starting with catapult
00:29:39
Speaker
Again, not a single. Then we go into Rain King and Mr. Jones. I actually, like Chris, probably appreciated that Rain King was not the showstopper, like the Crows always has it near the end. I kind of liked hearing it in the beginning to get the crab going. Chris? But much much like the Crows playing Mr. Jones III.
00:29:57
Speaker
Yes, yes. Crows that do like to play Mr. Jones 3rd. Then we get into Omaha. So kind of three crowd pleasers in a row and then Perfect Blue Buildings, who where the Crows basically do not play that song anymore. Some some sir, some some fans appreciate that. ah Then Daylight Fading, a single that they don't play that much anymore. ah Recovering the satellites round here and Anna begins.
00:30:25
Speaker
then Accidentally in Love, right? So one of their singles there. I noticed you don't play the big yellow taxi though, right? It's coming. It's coming. okay come love yes Then as you as you know, this will get some crows fans really excited as as some people said or as you said, Rob earlier, you played Chelsea and you brought out real trumpets. um I guess let's let's let's focus on that a little bit. I mean, how neat was it? Because of course, it's not from the first two album. It was from the live set. But do you want to talk about getting that together? Yeah, um I you know, it's it's on it's on um
00:31:02
Speaker
It's on Across the Wire, but it's not um a previously recorded song that they change and make a new song. It's just like on there. So like it's it's a track to me. it's you knows ah you know And it's a song Adam wrote about ah ah living in New York and and how he thinks that angels are falling from the buildings sometimes. And I don't know, daydreaming or whatever in his head. um just It's a special place to him. So I just love that song so much. and i Again, all of this is just for the fans. So I love that song. I know other Counting Crows fans love that song. I want to do it for them. And you know what? If you fill the house with nothing but Counting Crows fans, we'll do a whole show of deep cuts. Let's have it. Let's do it. You know, but I, you know, I would, this, the the band is for the fans. It literally is like, Hey, we love this music so much. And so do you hear?
00:32:01
Speaker
This is, this is it. Here it is. Let's, yeah let's sing it all together. You know all the words. Here we go. Um, those to us are showing me because of hearing like, you know, like, cause I don't get to hear anyone do Chelsea live. but So hearing a new version of Chelsea was very exciting. It was very like that's, and you guys sounded great doing it. The trumpet sounded awesome. And, um, I think it's a, i that is would be my, that's my pick. If you're going on the, the, their YouTube page and picking out one.
00:32:26
Speaker
like pull out of the versions of Chelsea and and listen to that because that's a um was great. And again, you we just don't. If you're listening to this show, there's a decent chance you can go in to see Counting Crows. You've seen them do Mr. Jones, and you guys do it great too. But like also, like you probably haven't heard someone do Chelsea Live in, well, you know many, a couple of decades. so And perfect blue buildings. They rarely, rarely play that. Maybe every so often they bring it up. is Can you remind me, and I'm forgetting, that trumpet... But I guess the other thing I want to bring up is that
00:32:59
Speaker
You know, you could have played either ah a canned recording of a trumpet or maybe you could do trumpet on the keyboard or something. But I really like that you got a true trumpet player there. Does the trumpet player comes out in another song or do you only get the trumpet player just for that song? I forget. I think it comes out for another one.
00:33:15
Speaker
He does, he comes out for hanging around. right And there's a huge jam session at the end of hanging around where I just introduce everybody and and I invite ah Richard and Brian back up and then back up and we jam a little bit. And the show doesn't end there either. There's like four more songs after that. right ye So we just kind of
Engaging with Fans and Song Choices
00:33:37
Speaker
just... Jam it out a little bit. And yeah, I've got Vince. I got O'Tiano there. So i want and I want to get everybody up on stage and and play a little bit, which the guys always do. I saw them bring dashboard confessional out and and play a bunch of stuff. And I think it was hanging around. yeah yeah And then Adam was singing a song at the end of each show too, like um ah California Dreaming. Yeah, he always sings California Dreaming.
00:34:04
Speaker
So those guys came out and did that. So I kind of wanted to do something like that. um And again, of course, every ah everything is a nod to the guys at the bar. And then we are just literally winking at the audience going, remember this, here we go. So that's, that's, it's really, it's for you guys. It's for the fans.
00:34:27
Speaker
It's for the fans. I made this band for the fans so they could come and celebrate this music with us. I'm curious what you found the mix of people who come to see you who are like more casual fans versus like the hardcore fans. Have you like hopped out in the crowd afterwards and started talking to people just to get a sense of like who's coming?
00:34:46
Speaker
Yeah, um we did Mad Life Studios in Woodstock, Georgia, and they promoted the shows and put some of their funds towards that. And ah we sold all of the tables out in the restaurant, and there was standing room only. um And then there was there was some places that people get at the bar, their seats at the bar. But all the tables sold out, and we didn't know any of the names showing up on the email list. like We were like, what?
00:35:14
Speaker
So there were Counting Crows fans coming to our Counting Crows show for the first time, because that first show was kind of mostly our friends and and and family, which was great. um That first, that Creation Social House show, which is a small place, um but I would die to see those guys in a small place. Oh my God, that would be so cool. But yeah, so this, that, that after Three's a Crowed, and then there was the Woodstock Show, the Mad Life Show, the Counting Crows fans started coming out. and started hearing about and coming to the shows, which was, so I was walking around in the beginning without the costume on, without the wig on, and people didn't know who I was. Awesome. That's a good play for you there. It's very exciting. two two to To Chris's point, did you get any interesting comments after some of your shows?
00:36:06
Speaker
Yes, um there was a 13-year-old a kid who came and asked his parents to take him to the counterfeit show because Counting Crows was his favorite man and we were his first concert. and almost I almost said it's here a little bit and I hugged him and I hugged his parents. I said, awesome. Here's some stickers. Sign up for the newsletter. Come see us whenever you can. That's awesome.
00:36:31
Speaker
It's also great to hear 13-year-olds. That's what I'm happy to hear. Going back to our other one, which we got with Zivia and her daughters, they were what maybe 21 or 25 or something. so It's nice to hear even someone younger, a fan of the Crows. He was 13. I was like, what? This is fantastic. Yes. um so yeah so Just to get into some of that, and speaking of the at least from this set list that I saw right after Chelsea, another one that fans want to hear all the time, but they don't, which is Reigning in Baltimore.
00:37:01
Speaker
So that that that that that'll be a fan favorite if you get to see it. Then ah your tribute to our podcast, Sullivan Street, ah followed by- That was absolutely for you guys. follow Followed by, again, here's another one. Here's another one that that that that the fans wouldn't hear all the time live anymore, which is Murder of One, which they basically um do not play anymore. Oh my gosh.
00:37:23
Speaker
Um, followed by hanging around, which they should, you know, I'd love to hear a murder of one either replacing or right before hanging around. So that's what you did. Uh, hanging around. Um, then we did get into long December and good night, Elizabeth, uh, followed by Mrs. Potter. Now again, this is pot. Well, no, you do play a couple from desert life because you did hanging around this is Potter and then colorblind.
00:37:44
Speaker
Where's Chelsea in that? Isn't Chelsea in there somewhere? Well, no, I remember before Reigning in Baltimore, we did Chelsea with the Trumpets. yeah That's right. And then at least in this one, then, as you said, and ending with Angels of the Silences, the electric version, which they have not played in years. Our most metal song.
00:38:02
Speaker
Which is great. I love that as an ending song as as a rocker after playing some of the slower ones like Long December, Goodnight Elizabeth and Colorblind. So I really appreciated your mix. Now, again, if I was being really picky as the as the super crows nerd I am, I would tell you to yeah mix in some other Saturday nights like You could always take one or two from the more recent albums. If you like bangers, go into Hangin' Tree or 1492 or something like that. um yeah know It makes sense to focus on the first two or three albums. Is there something from Desert Life that... I mean, those are the three that you'd expect, I guess, to hear.
00:38:44
Speaker
i mean Well, Chris knows that i I'm um' a diehard fan of both high life and all of my friends. So I wouldn't mind hearing one of those two, but I get it. This is a pretty good set list. like I cannot complain. Well, Eric, you booked them for your birthday party. I think they'll i think the learn a couple. If I do get to the east coast or the southeast, I would like to time it to to where you have a... Don't fly, Eric. We would love to, man. We really would love to go anywhere. We would love it.
00:39:13
Speaker
Have you, do you have, so that was August, 2024, the show that I saw, which again, that's a two hour show. So people definitely getting their money's worth. I mean, that's a, I mean, that's a Crow set list right there. They played 19, 20 songs when they perform now. And that's about what you did. So I really, I have a set list on the wall. I have their Atlanta set list, Chastain Park, Chastain Amphitheater.
00:39:37
Speaker
set list on the wall of my room and there are 20 songs on it. Oh, great. So that's what that, yeah. I literally just counted. And then you know Adam will post ah the set list and there's 19 to 20 songs in there. Yeah, yeah absolutely. do um i got have I just looked and said, what do we do? oh let's All right, here we go.
00:39:58
Speaker
And I know you said you were, is there, now you don't reveal all your secrets, is there is there another one besides Big Gilla Taxi that what you want to talk about that the band's been maybe thinking about putting in? Einstein for an Eggman, Einstein on the Beach. Oh, that's a good one. That is a perfect one. Because we know they're never going to play that one. Never going to play it, so perfect choice. Pigs will fly out of Adam's butt before that happens.
00:40:22
Speaker
love that song. It was a good movie too. It was a good movie too. I liked it. Walter Mathau was Einstein. It was cute. Oh, well, that brings up a good, you know, Chris, I was thinking because i yeah I'm still waking up and taking out medicine recovered from a cold. I remember thinking that if you're playing songs that Adam wouldn't play, I knew there was one or two in the back of my mind. But no, Eggman was Einstein. Eggman on the beaches. Absolutely. Absolutely. What you should be playing, Chris, is absolutely. right or Rob, you're absolutely right there. And the other one would be maybe the although I don't know how ah great it would be live. What do you feel about the ah baby? I'm a big star now.
00:40:57
Speaker
wrist with that or is that a little too groovy for a live show? The one from the rounder soundtrack. You know, I'm talking about Rob. Oh yes. Oh yes. Yes. Yes. No, I remember now. Yeah. Yeah. You've got the hard course. If you've got the hard, that's the thing. That's like, you've got to have the hard course for that because you're really cutting deep there. I got to listen to it again, but I want to do holiday in Spain. Do you want to do Miami? We want to do Miami. Miami. Yeah.
00:41:24
Speaker
Um, uh, we will, we love my, um, we want to do that. Um, we want to do, uh, American girls, Beth and I want to do that. Um, when they've kind of abandoned too. So, yeah, that wouldn't be a bad choice. Yeah. Okay. That's good. Yeah. The Einstein's agree. Well, and again, if she's the Cheryl Crow and a Cheryl Crow cover band as sure singing harmony vocals on American girls, that just, that's just correct.
00:41:50
Speaker
Since Beth joined us, I've been trying to get that on the playlist. And then we ah debate a little bit ah back and forth on what we want to do, and that has not made it. ah But i I'm going to put it back in the and a pot and hopefully get it in there. um But we want to do three or four more songs, and then we'll go from there. because You know, every show, we kind of want to give the fans a new song. Yeah, great. makes sense So, um so any any any do you have any ah bookings coming up that that listeners should know about or not at this point?
Upcoming Performances and Stage Persona
00:42:26
Speaker
Yeah, um we're going to do the um the ah food truck festival in Hinesville, Georgia on March. Why is my phone in the other room? but March 2025, yeah. March 2025 food truck festival in Hinesville.
00:42:41
Speaker
which is coastal empire. It's like 45 minutes out of Savannah, but that's our next show. All right. And enjoy some food trucks while you're at it. I love wood food trucks. I mean, it's massive. They said they said like 12,000 people. it's It's insane. So there's beer and food trucks and barbecue and and and they're goingnna they're going to push us on billboards and radio. And this is going to be our biggest show yet. And probably the biggest show I've ever done Probably the biggest show ever done. Definitely the biggest audience I've ever had. That's awesome. um That's pretty exciting. Yeah. And the mayor of Hinesville is a huge Counting Crows fan and just caught one of my songs in one of my sets at a show. And I was like, hey, if you like that, we got two hours that a huge Counting Crows fan. I have a Counting Crows cover band called Counting Fake Crows. Come see us on the website at CountingFakeCrows.com. And he did.
00:43:40
Speaker
and came and talked to me and said, I'll bring you guys to Heinzville. In every meeting, he would talk about it, and his people finally like called me and he goes, he wants to shut up about the band. He's so excited. He was like, we're going to do it. here's I think you've got to bring him out for hanging around at the festival.
00:43:58
Speaker
um i him Give the man a tambourine. I don't know if he can sing or not. Worst case, give him a tambourine. Yeah, that's right. I think that's great. i think I think that's great. Yes. Yes. I texted him and I said, Hey man, I want to make sure I play your three favorites. So here's our set list. Make sure that your favorites are on there. And if not, tell me what they are. Cause thanks so much for having us. He hasn't emailed me back yet, but ah hopefully, um, I think he said colorblind and ran ranking. So.
00:44:28
Speaker
You're good already. I think he said that. I think he told me those two, yeah. I'm also curious for you, but Rob, is that, like, you know, again, you're an actor and you're, you know, youre you're playing Adam. I'm really curious for you, like, what you, like, what of sort of Adam's sort of stage presence do you feel like you're, like, incorporating versus sort of doing, like, kind of being yourself, just, you know, being Rob on stage, sort of, like, filtered through this. um I'm just kind of keeping that balance for you.
00:44:59
Speaker
I'm so, I'm so hyper and just everywhere and Adam is so chill. um And so I have to kind of calm down sometimes on stage and kind of bring myself a little bit ah down a little bit. And it's funny because during one of the songs, I think it was, we'll woke up in my brain.
00:45:25
Speaker
um um there's aal heart yeah So on Mrs. Potter, it was funny because I was too chill. And Jordan kind of elbowed me with his guitar in his hand. He's like, turn it up a little bit. Yeah, you got come back a little bit. what do you Where are you at? You know, he kind of, we have this great relationship on stage where he, he's like,
00:45:45
Speaker
He's very serious and very business. And I'm kind of like, cha car are also the you know, then he's like, all right, take it down. Calm down. All right. This is what we're doing. And I'm like, all right. You know, so it's great that we have that relationship and we can kind of, you know, pull each other through this journey. Um, but yeah, he was like, kick it up a little bit. Cause you're what's going on over there. And I was just trying to lower my levels to kind of be more focused and more chill because Adam is,
00:46:12
Speaker
more chill than me. And I kind of want to put that out but and across. um So ah what was the question? Oh, wonder if you're get the answering it. But like your process of of like how you're like, you're like pulling it like being Adam Duritz, right? Like what like what you're taking from that of like how to, to to approach that as an actor. It's not just as not just something you're really but as an actor.
00:46:36
Speaker
Yeah. Um, so, uh, there's a lot of things about Adam that I've just noted and I watch every interview I can get my hands on. And as a fan, uh, I've read all the books and rain King is a great book. Um, great book. Uh, I wish that, um, I think the author actually reads the book, which is so cool. And the ah the audio has done that yet. Yeah. So, um, but I just, all the interviews and, you know, um,
00:47:05
Speaker
He and I are very different people. So um there's a little bit of me and everything. So you know when I do a character, ah what do i do to get i just i don't know what do I do to get into any character? i when i When I put the wig on, when I put the costume on, I i kind of pretend and and make pretend. and and um walk around. And he's very, he's very quiet. He's very, he just listens a lot. And when he does talk, it's, it's thought about. And he says, little, that's compared to me who says so much. And we'll just kind of have these, like, really deep, very short answers to things. And
00:47:50
Speaker
And um it's it's easy because ive when I do the stories, it's it's word for word what he said, mostly. I might add a little bit, but it's mostly what he said. So ah just his cadence and his um thoughtful pauses, there's a lot. He's just in his head a lot. And um so that character is a lot in his head and there's just so much going on. And he doesn't necessarily vocalize all of it. He certainly does in his music.
00:48:18
Speaker
certainly doesn't his music but when he's talking and when he's so that I guess those are things that I put into motion when, when I'm when I play that character. um And When we were talking about the, answer I'm going to totally change the
90s Music Videos and Cultural Impact
00:48:33
Speaker
topic. We were talking about the Mr. Rob, you said you got into the Mr. Jones video and you were talking about being like him on stage. ah Chris, I don't know if you saw on Reddit this week on the crows Reddit, somebody brought up, which I, gosh, I might've known this in a real deep recesses of my mind or memory is that the blues traveler song, um you know, run around.
00:48:56
Speaker
Yeah, kind of. It looks like it's basically making fun of of Adam and the band in that one. And they said it's not where like. because there I think it's like there it's in a concert and there's someone clearly doing an Adam Mr. Jones video impersonation and they have a band. And I guess Blues Travelers behind them kind of saying, well, we're not as photogenic as the Crows, but we make almost like as good music as them. Like that's part of the spoof of the video kind of. And it almost looks like they're making fun of Adam, but then supposedly later he said, no, no, I'm just, I'm a huge fan. That was just,
00:49:31
Speaker
an idea we had that, you know, I couldn't do what Adam was, you know, especially back then I was overweight, I couldn't jump around like him or didn't have the hairs or whatever. I just thought it was kind of interesting because I had it. I i love that song. I know some people think of they're a one hit one. I never saw that live blues traveler. I always appreciated John Popper actually lived in my town as like a fourth house for a little bit or something. But But anyway, I did just kind of got when you were talking about that mr. Jones video because it is an iconic video I think I think it's an iconic 90s video even if nothing kind of special happens in it, I guess but um So anyway, you you can I've seen a 90s cover band and like one of the only props they had was putting on that daniel bin jacket for Mr. Jones like that one of the only So that kind of so make the 90s happen. He wore that jacket with the with the
00:50:23
Speaker
What do you call that, the leather? I don't know, the braid something and the leather, I'm not sure, yeah. That was, that made the 90s kind of happen. Yeah. Right, they all recognize it. It's like the B-girl too, like a big, huge 90s icon. But Adam in that jacket, I would say also a big 90s icon. Yeah, I think so. Look at Blue's Traveler nodding to it. Yeah. Makes fun of, if you will, but we're still in your lexicon. Yeah. We're still on your mind. Absolutely. Right, so.
00:50:51
Speaker
You can make fun of us if you want, but it's Counting Crows, baby. you You love that song, too. You know you do. Yeah, and I think they even toured together at some point. ah Chris, any other questions for Rob? I agree with you, Eric, though. Adam is still more handsome than John Popper.
00:51:09
Speaker
Yeah, he is. Even though John has lost, I saw that John lost lots of weight recently or in the last whatever five years or something like that. ah But yeah, it seems like a kind of an interesting cool guy. But yeah, maybe maybe maybe maybe he didn't date the friends like ah Adam did. that's it Emily rose some. Oh my gosh, Adam dated.
00:51:29
Speaker
uh mrs potter herself they they had a few dates right they they went out yeah absolutely out of out of uh yeah despite his melancholy songs have had has had some good luck with the women over the years um yeah mean and what do you mean just despite pretty sure that's a you know you're writing a good song yes and that's true yeah of course of course ah Chris, eddie any last questions for Rob and and then I'll go to but about the Counting Crews, the counterfeit crews, government band, such a cool project.
Future of Counterfeit Crows and Contact Info
00:51:59
Speaker
yeah i yeah but Keep it going. I don't want to be in eight years like, oh, what happened to to you just like the Blackwing Birds or whatever. So hopefully you can keep it going. open very excited to um very Very excited to keep it going. and and
00:52:16
Speaker
and and Counting Crows fans, please come to our Counting Crows show. Please, I lie awake at night and stare at the ceiling and I go, how do I reach Counting Crows fans? How do I show it's for you? It's for you. And is there a good way that if somebody, for example, in the Southeast, either wants to get ahold of you, maybe to either book something or to visit the show, besides going to your social media, how is the best way that they can contact you personally about the counterfeit? Right. My phone number's on the website. it's and it's It's even on the liner notes on the left-hand side of the music videos. My phone number's in there.
00:52:53
Speaker
Okay, great. and and I would love to travel. We would love to tour. There was some talk about us playing in Scotland and us playing in London at one point. um and yeah I know. That's what I said. I'm like, I can't find Counting Crow's fans in my hometown. Well, go to Glasgow and play a show. But yeah, um ah we we would love to tour. That's what we want to do. We just want to play this music for the fans and celebrate Counting Crow's and and further that. and chance we get because it's it's so special to us. and Thank you so much and thank you for joining us on the podcast. Thank you so much for having me. This is great. um Absolutely. we'll We'll certainly keep following you ah and yeah I hope to to even to see you live at some point. so Thank you so much. Oh man, you guys free tickets anytime. Please come.
00:53:45
Speaker
Okay, so thank you everyone for listening to us here on Sullivan's Theory. Check out the counterfeit crows and we look forward to talking to you soon. Thank you so much.