For this record, it was really difficult to decide which songs to include. So I simply just chose my favorites. Some are hits. Some are abscure. Some arrangements are turned on their heads, and others stay pretty true to the original. For those who aren’t familiar with Counting Crows, but enjoy solo piano music, I think you’ll hear something you like.​
LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN
I was first introduced to Counting Crows around 1994, and like everyone else at that time, I joined BMG and got 19 free CDs in the mail, one of which was August and Everything After. It was the first album where I would listen to every song from start to finish without a single skip.
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Before 2005, I played Counting Crows’ songs on the piano mainly for personal enjoyment. And then one day when I was about to play at a wedding, I realized I forgot to pack my wedding prelude music. Frantically, I ran to my car to see what music books were lying around in the back seat and I found my copy of August and Everything After.
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For the next 30 minutes, I played a good portion of the album in an appropriate pre-wedding style: soft, slow and sparse. Much to my surprise, I received some of the best comments I’ve ever received at a wedding. Some of the people that complimented me had no idea what songs I was playing. Some others knew exactly what I was playing. This solution to the problem of forgetting my music actually helped me book more weddings. I unintentionally became a traveling Counting Crows cover artist at wedding ceremonies. Whether I’m performing at a wedding or at a gig where the crowd is slim and quiet, whenever I play these songs, they always get a big response.
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