For decades Relix has been introducing you to up-and-coming acts via the “On The Verge” section of our magazine. Plenty of artists have been covered in those pages over the years, and more than a few of them ended up making it big. Today we’ll be taking a look back at one of those acts in our first-ever “Beyond The Verge” segment, which will reflect on On The Verge alumni that have found success and are still going strong.

Our first Beyond The Verge band is Counting Crows, who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album August and Everything After this week. The group was profiled in the February 1994 issue of Relix–back when On The Verge was still called “Too Knew To Be Known.” It was a pretty forward-thinking move on our part, seeing as the band’s classic “Mr. Jones” first hit the charts that month. It wasn’t our only smart pick in that issue–the same section also included pieces on moe. and Joan Osborne.

Counting Crows have since become international sensations, selling over 20 million albums worldwide. August and Everything After was certified 7x platinum in 1996, and the band was even nominated for an Academy Award in 2004. Let’s take a look at Mick Skidmore’s introductory profile on the group (and the accompanying photo) from February of 1994.

Lastly, is Counting Crows, another band that’s already signed to a major, but deserves more exposure. This five-piece band hails from the Bay Area. They’ve released the superb debut album, August and Everything After (DGC), and have been touring nationally. The band has an alluring sound, even though they keep things simple musically. Its songs have an air of complexity or, perhaps, sophistication. The melodies creep up on you, and vocalist Adam Duritz has a really soulful voice. Good musical reference points are the Band, Van Morrison and R.E.M. If there’s any justice, this band will go a long way. This is another strongly recommended disc.