Counting Crows Take Flight Again

May 23, 2008 — -- Find out about the Counting Crows' summer tour and how to win four free tickets to a Crows show. Click here to visit the Counting Crows Web site for more info.

For Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz, making the music wasn't the most difficult part of the group's new album "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings." In fact, the band recorded it in mere weeks, its fastest time ever. But Duritz's battle to maintain his mental health postponed the release of the group's fifth studio album and delayed touring.

"I was drifting towards being not functioning, in a very negative way," Duritz said of his dissociative disorder. "You just become more and more distant."

While Duritz, 43, loves performing for fans – in part because being around them helps him with his illness – touring takes a toll on him.

"I love playing gigs," he said. "I don't like touring. I tour because we have to tour — because it's magic."

But the competing demands have given him trouble before with the media, which he said misunderstood his condition. "It's very hard for me to tour because of this illness," said Duritz, who has been dealing with the illness for much of his life.

While many people might welcome the chance to travel, Duritz said the constant moving around makes it harder for him to ward off his illness, which generally affects memory, awareness, identity and perception.

The California native — known for his signature dreadlocks and scruffy beard — likes to be around people, friends and family, but touring often has him alone in hotel rooms for many nights of the year.

From his struggle to balance the demands came the first part of the new album, "Saturday Nights."

"I reached my lowest low," Duritz said.

As the five-year New York City resident began to feel better and get healthy, he envisioned a companion piece, "Sunday Morning."

"I was doing a little better. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Duritz, who along with his bandmates recorded some of the album in his New York City apartment six blocks away from the studio.

But the Crows' album isn't a record of redemption and recovery.