Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill are thrilled to announce the release of their debut album, Long After The Fire, produced and engineered by Paul Allen. The album comprises songs written by John’s late brothers, Barry and Bill Cowsill. It’s a love letter of sorts and a beautiful one at that.
About the new single “Fool is the Last One to Know,” John Cowsill effuses, “I love how the track swings. It kicks ass. I get to pretend I’m Elvis or Dwight Yoakam on this one. It has the type of twang and is a hoot to play live. While recording, I remember trying to practice a double shuffle on drums in the studio on this one, but I couldn’t get it down, so what you hear is the single shuffle. My brother Bill would’ve wanted the single shuffle the listener hears on the recording. He would not want what Bill would call a ‘Hollywood Shuffle,’ where the drummer swings the shuffle beats on the snare drums instead of just playing the backbeats on the 2 and the 4.
He continues, “Bill’s idea of ‘fun’ was so serious that you didn’t know that you weren’t having fun, and if you had too much fun, he’d lean over with his hand holding a guitar pick and slap you with it! Bill could command a room as soon as he stood on the stage. He’d grab you right away, and you would pay attention. He was Elvis.”
Vicki adds “I love how John sounds on ‘Fool Is The Last One To Know.’ It’s a fun song to play and sing live because I feel like I’m at the Grand Ole Opry. This song showcases Bill Cowsill and Jeffrey Hatcher’s love for country swing of the 1950s. It’s a true duet honoring some of the classic country duos, like Tammy and George.”
ABOUT VICKI & JOHN
Vicki Peterson of The Bangles (whose work includes #1 hit “Walk Like An Egyptian” and several other Top 10 songs, such as “Eternal Flame,” which is the biggest single by an all-female band in history) teams up with John Cowsill, drummer/vocalist for The Beach Boys for over 23 years and original member of the platinum-selling family band, The Cowsills to lovingly present their debut Americana album comprised of songs written by John’s late brothers, Barry and Bill Cowsill titled, Long After The Fire.
Vicki is a founding member of the 1980s group The Bangles, one of the most successful bands of that decade, with over 6 million gold and platinum albums sold. Their music has been synced on screen in everything from Austin Powers to Stranger Things and has transcended generations with more than 6 million current monthlylistenerson streaming platforms, 390 million views on TikTok, and over half a billion channel views on YouTube as of 2024.
Peterson later wrote and performed with her good friend (and eventual sister-in-law) Susan Cowsill as The Psycho Sisters. The duo soon found themselves absorbed into the critically acclaimed New Orleans songwriters collective The Continental Drifters and remain with them today.
Throughout the 90’s, Vicki stayed active, appearing on albums with Tom Petty, John Doe, Hootie & The Blowfish, and Belinda Carlisle, and also toured with The Go-Go’s on their 1994-1995 reunion tour. The Bangles reunited in the 21st century to release four more albums.
At 7 years old, John began working in clubs, singing and playing drums with his family. The Cowsills became a worldwide sensation in the late 1960s, playing The Ed Sullivan Show and The Johnny Carson Show programs both three times, The Johnny Cash Show twice, and enjoyed several Top 20 hits, including “Hair” (#1 in four countries and #2 on US Billboard) and “The Rain, The Park, & Other Things” (#2 on US Billboard with over 3 million copies sold).
In 1981, John landed on the Tommy Tutone hit, “867-5309 (Jenny).” He also toured with Jan and Dean before becoming a mainstay of the Beach Boys touring band, playing guitar and piano, and finally sitting at the drum kit for over two decades, playing an average of 180concerts annually. John made many television appearances with the band, including Good Morning America seven times, The Today Show sixtimes, The Tonight Show w/ Jimmy Fallon, The Grand Ole Opry, and The Grammys.
Throughout his career, John has performed live and/or recorded work with Bob Dylan, Mamas & Papas, Harry Chapin, Maroon 5, Hermans Hermits, Mickey Dolenz (The Monkees), and Chuck Berry. John is also currently one of the lead singers for The Smithereens and the touring drummer for Peter Perrett (The Only Ones).
Vicki & John were already gaining attention and turning heads in 2024 with the LA Weekly writing a great review about their performance at The Troubadour, along with a feature about their duo in PeopleMagazine. They were also featured performers at the 30A Songwriter’sFestival and the Vadsø Arts Festival in Norway.
TRACK LISTING
1 Ol’ Timeless
2 When Hearts Collide
3 Downtown
4 Embers
5 A Thousand Times
6 You, In My Mind
7 Don’t Look Back
8 Sound On Sound
9 Is Anybody Here
10 Come to Me
11 Vagabond
12 Fool Is The Last One to Know
TOUR DATES
Apr 18 Los Angeles, CA McCabe’s Guitar Shop SOLD OUT
Apr 24 Belleville, IL Venue on Main SOLD OUT
May 3 Nashville, TN Eastside Bowl
May 4 Nashville, TN* City Winery
May 9 New York, NY The Cutting Room
June 1 Pioneertown, CA++ Pappy & Harriet’s
June 2 San Diego, CA++ Casbah
June 3 Los Angeles, CA++ Zebulon
June 5 Southhampton, PA Stone Turtle House Concerts
June 10 Fullerton, CA Muckenthaler Cultural Center
* supporting The Smithereens
++ w/The Minus Five
ORDER Long After The Fire here.
CONNECT w/Vicki & John
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