Better Than Ezra
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| Better Than Ezra | |
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 Members of Better Than Ezra in Nashville, Tennessee, August 1, 2002.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock Post-grunge |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Label(s) | Artemis Records Swell Records/Elektra Sanctuary Records |
| Website | www.betterthanezra.com |
| Members | |
| Kevin Griffin Tom Drummond Michael Jerome James Arthur Payne (tour support) |
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| Former members | |
| Cary Bonnecaze Joel Rundell Travis McNabb |
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Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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[edit] History
[edit] Formation and early success
Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988[1] by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary Bonnecaze.[1] All four members were attending Louisiana State University at the time of Better Than Ezra's formation.[1]
Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the Chimes Street Demo. While not an official release, this demo is sought-after by the band's fans, and traded by collectors. In 1989 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise.
Joel Rundell, the band's lead guitarist died of a suicide on August 8, 1990.[1] The remaining three members of the band took some time off reassess its future following Rundell's death.[1] However, they reunited Better Than Ezra as a trio by the end of 1990.[1] The trio continued playing house parties and fraternity shows across The South during the early 1990s.
The band released its first nationally-distributed album Deluxe in 1993 (Swell Records). After being rereleased on Elektra Records, in 1995, a hit song, "Good" reached the #1 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart which helped push the album to platinum record status by the end of 1995.
After the album's release, original drummer Cary Bonnecaze left the band in 1996,[1] and was replaced by drummer Travis McNabb,[1] formerly of the band Vigilantes of Love. Subsequent album releases from Better Than Ezra include Friction, Baby (Elektra, 1996), How Does Your Garden Grow? (Elektra, 1998), Closer, (Beyond Records, 2001), and Before the Robots, (Artemis Records, 2005). McNabb left the band in 2009.
In addition to vocalist, chief songwriter and guitarist Kevin Griffin from Monroe, Louisiana, the other current members of Better Than Ezra are bassist and background vocalist Tom Drummond and drummer Michael Jerome. In addition, James Arthur Payne accompanies the band on tour, singing background vocals and playing supplemental guitar and keyboard accompaniment.
Though many theories abound, the band refuses to disclose the origin of its name. Fans of the group often refer to themselves as Ezralites[2].
[edit] 2000 - 2008
The band released the B-Sides and rarities collection Artifakt on its own "Ezra Dry Goods/Fudge" label in 2000. In late 2004, the band simultaneously released an official live concert DVD, as well as an official live album, both entitled Live at the House of Blues New Orleans (Sanctuary Records). Recent releases include a Greatest Hits collection (Warner Brothers, March 15, 2005), and an album entitled Before the Robots (Artemis Records, May 31, 2005.) In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band's song "Juicy" as the background music for the second season of the show's promotional advertisement. The song "Juicy" has also been heard in the background in commercials for Applebee's restaurants.
[edit] 2009
Longtime drummer Travis McNabb left Better Than Ezra in February 2009, and their last performance together was Family Gras in Metairie, LA[3]. The primary reason given for his departure was the demand on his time by Country / Bluegrass group Sugarland, with whom McNabb had previously been touring for some time. The split was amicable, with bassist Tom Drummond saying, "It's bittersweet. He's fantastic. We're still good friends, and there are no hard feelings. We'll miss him. But this is an opportunity he needed to take." Following his departure, McNabb remained on the board of the band's charity, The Better Than Ezra Foundation.[4]
Announced at the same time was McNabb's replacement, New Orleans-based drummer Michael Jerome, formerly of the band Pleasure Club. In addition, Better Than Ezra announced the May 12, 2009 release date for their seventh studio album, entitled Paper Empire, which is produced by Warren Huart and singer Kevin Griffin. The first single, "Absolutely Still" was released for iTunes purchase on March 17.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Label | US Billboard 200 peak | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Surprise | Swell Records | - | Released on cassette only |
| 1993 | Deluxe | Swell Records (1993) Elektra Records (1995) |
#35 | Debut album |
| 1996 | Friction, Baby | Elektra Records | #64 | |
| 1998 | How Does Your Garden Grow? | Elektra Records | #129 | |
| 2001 | Artifakt | Fudge Records | - | Collection of previously unreleased rarities |
| 2001 | Closer | Beyond Music | #110 | |
| 2004 | Live at the House of Blues New Orleans | Sanctuary Records | - | Live CD/DVD |
| 2005 | Greatest Hits | Rhino Records | - | Second compilation album |
| 2005 | Before the Robots | Artemis Records | #84 | Follow-up to Closer |
| 2009 | Paper Empire | MRI/Megaforce Records | #62 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||||
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| 1995 | "Good" |
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Deluxe |
| "In the Blood" |
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| "Rosealia" |
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| 1996 | "King of New Orleans" |
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Friction, Baby |
| 1997 | "Desperately Wanting" |
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| 1998 | "One More Murder" |
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How Does Your Garden Grow? |
| 1999 | "At the Stars" |
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| 2001 | "Extra Ordinary" |
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Closer |
| 2005 | "A Lifetime" |
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Before the Robots |
| "Our Last Night" |
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| 2006 | "Juicy" |
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| 2009 | "Absolutely Still" |
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Paper Empire |
[edit] B-sides and Rare tracks
- "Circle of Friends" (1995) (Empire Records Soundtrack/Surprise)
- "Know You Better" (1995) (Good B-Side)
- "Merry Christmas Eve" (1996) (Rosealia B-side)
- "Palace Hotel" (1996) (Desperately Wanting B-side)
- "Road Trip to Athens" (1996) (King of New Orleans B-side)
- "Revolver"
- "Imperfect" (Streamed on website)
- "Cars Crash" (Website download)
- "Dirty Work (Steely Dan cover)" (Website download)
- "Tom Collins" (One More Murder B-side)
- "Simple Song" (Streamed on both Better Than Ezra and Kevin Griffin's MySpace profiles)
- "Stall" (Better Than Ezra Live @ New Orleans House of Blues)
- "Cold Year" (Better Than Ezra Live @ New Orleans House of Blues)
- "False River" (played live on the air at KLSU in 1993)
- "Chain Smokin'" (bonus song on Christmas cassingle)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Crean, Ellen (2005-08-27). "Better Than Ezra: Than Ever?". The Early Show (CBS News). http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/26/earlyshow/saturday/secondcup/main798630.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-07-12.
- ^ http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ezralite
- ^ http://blog.nola.com/keithspera/2009/02/better_than_ezra_drummer_travi.html
- ^ McKee, Sheri. "Catching Up with BTE". Where Y'At Magazine. http://www.whereyat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=856&Itemid=1&ed=83. Retrieved on 2009-07-12.
[edit] External links
- Better Than Ezra (Official Site)
- Official Better Than Ezra Myspace
- Allmusic entry for Better Than Ezra
- Better Than Ezra Lyrics
- Personal site of Better Than Ezra's 1996-2008 drummer Travis McNabb
- 2009 interview with Kevin Griffin at Bullz-Eye.com
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