Following the breakup of Blue Northern, Cowsill continued in music, both as a performer and a producer, alternating his residence between Vancouver and Calgary. In 1985, he opened for k.d. lang at the Crystal Ballroom in Calgary. During this period, Cowsill was managed by Larry Wanagas, who was also k.d. lang's manager and record producer at the time. A recording of Cowsill's performance was released in 2004, as "Billy Cowsill Live". In 1988, Cowsill produced a cassette release for The Burners, a rock band based in Calgary, whose members would form Cowsill's last band, the Co-Dependents, a decade later.