BACK TO THE ’90s

Counting Crows, Matchbox Twenty team up for Duke City show

There’s not one way to write a hit song — just ask Adam Duritz.

Some songs take days or years. Others take hours.

The goal is to write a song that stands the test of time.

Over the course of more than 20 years, Duritz has done just that.

He’s penned a dozen or so hits for the rock band Counting Crows.

One that sticks out in his mind is “A Long December,” released in 1996.

“This is a song that no one gets tired of playing,” he says. “I really felt like that song was special. By the time I wrote it, we were in the middle of a career that was successful. This was a perfect song in the whole way. It was written and recorded in 24 hours. It felt inevitable and perfect. We knew we had something perfect.”

Duritz and Counting Crows will be in the Duke City tonight for a show at Isleta Amphitheater with Matchbox Twenty.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty about the band’s career trajectory. To read both stories, see Pages 20 and 21.

If you’re looking to get out of the city, staff writer Rozanna M. Martinez has the details on Los Jardineros annual garden & home tour in Taos this weekend. To read more, see Page 12.

Martinez also talked with Chad Sexton of 311 about the band’s show at Sandia Resort and Casino Amphitheater on Thursday, Aug. 10. To read more, see Page 22.

If you’re a fan of political satire, I caught up with the masterminds behind the series, “The New Mexico Inquisition.” To read more on the series, see Pages 14-15.

Don’t forget to check out the film reviews of the highly anticipated film “Detroit” from Oscar-winning director Kathyrn Bigelow and the independent film “Lady Macbeth.” The reviews are on Pages 4 and 6.

There’s plenty more music and family fun inside this week’s issue.