Love is in the air with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill's new single, "Come to Me." The track is off the married couple's debut album, Long After The Fire, produced and engineered by Paul Allen and coming out via Label 51 Recordings. Made up of songs written by John's late brothers, Barry and Bill Cowsill, the LP is set for vinyl release on April 12th, Record Store Day. Magnet gave a sneak peek earlier this week. Check it out here.
John Cowsill said “The first time I heard ‘Come To Me’ was when I played it live with Barry Cowsill. It was in Baron Bernard’s basement in Hancock Park. It was a dingy cellar, and Barry started playing the song and was using the whammy bar on his guitar on every single chord, which was really starting to drive us crazy. A week later, we were performing at The Troubadour on a Monday night. We called our band Shopping Spree. Nobody came to the show, but that was the first time the song was performed. We recorded that performance on cassette. Flip the pages of time forward 30 or 40-something years and I now have a version that is most gorgeous track on Long After The Fire. The production is stunning. The chorus kicks ass and Paul Allen did an incredible job on the arrangement. Vicki did a beautiful job on the lead vocal.”
Vicki Peterson added, “The first time I heard ‘Come To Me’ was off of the cassette tape recording that John referenced. You could tell the band didn’t really know the song. You can hear Barry on the recording repeatedly saying, “Pick it up!” because the band was dragging the tempo. I think Barry would be so pleased with the atmosphere we created and Paul Allen gets the credit for the 70s-style reprise outro. The Cowsills were the first band I heard do that type of reprise on their song, ‘Contact Mae.'
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 monthly listeners on 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 180 concerts annually. John made many television appearances with the band, including Good Morning America seven times, The Today Show six times, 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 People Magazine. They were also featured performers at the 30A Songwriter's Festival 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 3 San Diego, CA* Music Box
Apr 12 Poughkeepsie, NY Darkside Records - Record Store Day
Apr 18 Los Angeles, CA McCabe’s Guitar Shop
May 4 Nashville, TN* City Winery
May 9 New York, NY The Cutting Room
June 1 Pioneertown, CA++ Pappy & Harriet's
June 3 Los Angeles, CA++ Zebulon
June 5 Southhampton, PA Stone Turtle House Concerts
* supporting The Smithereens
++ w/The Minus Five
LISTEN to "Come to Me" here.
CALL your local record store to see if they'll be carrying the vinyl on Record Store Day.
