More Info on Better Than EzraSimilar Alternative MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Better Than Ezra| image = Betterthanezraconcert.jpg| caption = Members of Better Than Ezra in Nashville, Tennessee , August 1, 2002.| alt =| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge , Louisiana , United States | genre = Alternative rock Post-grunge | years_active = 1988present| label = Artemis Records Swell Records/ Elektra Records|Elektra Sanctuary Records | associated_acts =| website = http://www.betterthanezra.com/ betterthanezra.com| current_members = Kevin Griffin Tom Drummond (musician)|Tom Drummond Michael Jerome James Arthur Payne (tour support)| past_members = Joel Rundell (19881990) Cary Bonnecaze (19881996) Travis McNabb (19962009) Better Than Ezra is an United States of America|American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana .
History
Formation and early success
Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin ; Joel Rundell , the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond (musician)|Tom Drummond ; and drummer, Cary Bonnecaze.cite news |first=Ellen|last=Crean|title=Better Than Ezra: Than Ever? |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/26/earlyshow/saturday/secondcup/main798630.shtml |work= The Early Show |publisher= CBS News |date=2005-08-27 |accessdate=2009-07-12 All four members were attending Louisiana State University at the time of Better Than Ezra's formation. Better Than Ezra's first public performance was at Murphy's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana , also in 1988.cite news |first=Tanya|last=Bell|title=Better Than Ezra's Name Is Mystery Around It|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=8xATAAAAIBAJ& sjid=z_wDAAAAIBAJ& pg=6480,8422672& dq=better+than+ezra |work= The Gazette (Colorado Springs) |publisher= The Ledger |date=1998-12-20 |accessdate=2009-08-20 Though many theories abound, the band refuses to disclose the origin of its name. One theory is that it comes from a line in Ernest Hemingway's novel "A Moveable Feast" where in describing a particularly annoying sound, Hemingway remarks that it "was no worse than other noises, certainly better than Ezra learning to play the bassoon." Fans of the group often refer to themselves as Ezralites. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php? term=ezralite
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 1990 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise (Better Than Ezra album)|Surprise .
Joel Rundell, the band's lead guitarist, committed suicide on August 8, 1990. The remaining three members of the band took some time off to reassess its future following Rundell's death. However, Griffin, Drummond and Bonnecaze reunited Better Than Ezra as a trio (music)|trio by the end of 1990. The trio continued playing house parties and fraternity shows across southern United States during the early 1990s.
The band released its first nationally-distributed album Deluxe (Better Than Ezra album)|Deluxe in 1993 on its own indie label , Swell Records, which caught the attention of major record labels and radio. Better Than Ezra signed with Elektra Records in 1995.cite news |first=Donna|last=Freydkin|title=Better Than Ezra break new ground on third album|url= http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9903/08/better.than.ezra/index.html |work= CNN |publisher=|date=1999-03-08 |accessdate=2009-08-20 Elektra Records rereleased Deluxe in 1995 and the single, " Good (song)|Good ", reached the #1 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart which helped push the album to RIAA certification|platinum record status by the end of 1995.cite web|url= http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php? resultpage=1& table=SEARCH_RESULTS& action=& title=& artist=Better& Than& Ezra& format=& debutLP=& category=& sex=& releaseDate=& requestNo=& type=& level=& label=& company=& certificationDate=& awardDescription=& catalogNo=& aSex=& rec_id=& charField=& gold=& platinum=& multiPlat=& level2=& certDate=& album=& id=& after=& before=& startMonth=1& endMonth=1& startYear=1958& endYear=2009& sort=Artist& perPage=25|title=Gold & Platinum - Search Results: Better Than Ezra|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|accessdate=2010-11-13
Success came quickly to Better Than Ezra. Tom Drummond commented later in a 1998 interview with CNN , "It took us seven years to get signed, and then seven weeks to get to No. 1." when describing the overnight success of Deluxe and its single " Good (song)|Good ".
19962000
After Deluxe 's major label release, original drummer Cary Bonnecaze left the band in 1996. He was replaced by drummer Travis McNabb, formerly of the band Vigilantes of Love , who was tapped to play on the band's upcoming album, Friction Baby . Bonnecaze's departure set off a series of lawsuits and counter-suits between Bonnecaze and Better Than Ezra.cite news |first=Donna|last=|title=Better Than Ezra break new ground on third album|url= http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9903/08/better.than.ezra/index.html |work= MTV News |publisher=|date=1998-10-07 |accessdate=2009-08-20 Bonnecaze, who brought his suit to the United States District Court in New Orleans, argued that the band owed him money "based on his role in fortifying the band's reputation ," according to Rolling Stone .cite news |first= |last= |title=Really Randoms: Oasis, Beck, David Bowie |url= http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5926177/really_randoms_oasis_beck_david_bowie |work= Rolling Stone |publisher=|date=1999-08-11 |accessdate=2009-08-20 He asked for approximately $1 million dollars in damages.A settlement was reached between the band and Bonnecaze on August 5, 1999. The exact terms of the settlement were not released at the time, though Better Than Ezra's manager John Isbell was quoted as saying that Bonnecaze received "way less" than the one million dollars he had originally requested.
Better Than Ezra released their second major label album, Friction, Baby , in 1996 through Elektra Records. Friction, Baby produced the hits "Desperately Wanting" and "King of New Orleans". Their sophomore release was not as commercially successful as Deluxe , but, as of 1999, sold almost 500,000 units.
The trio began work on their third major release, How Does Your Garden Grow? , soon after the end of touring for Friction, Baby . The album was recorded between mid-January and late-April at a studio in New Orleans.cite news |first=Blair R. |last=Fischer |title=Better Than Ezra Going Gardening |url= http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/betterthanezra/articles/story/5918443/better_than_ezra_going_gardening|work= Rolling Stone |publisher=|date=1998-06-26 |accessdate=2009-08-20 The album was produced by record producer Malcolm Burn and released on August 25, 1998. The album was described as "experimental" and a significant departure from their previous two albums. Griffin described the album in 1998 as "guitar driven ... rhythmic." Likewise, Tom Drummond described the band's thinking on its third major album, "We thought the third album was a very important record, because generally a band either makes or breaks on the third record. We wanted it to be a record that didn't necessarily sound like what people expected." Despite the emphasis on guitar experimentation, two tracks, "One More Murder" and "Je ne m'en souviens pas" contain no guitars.
The Single (music)|single "At the Stars" debuted, and peaked, at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The band was dropped by Elektra Records following the release of How Does Your Garden Grow? in 1999.
Subsequent album releases from Better Than Ezra include Closer (Better Than Ezra album)|Closer , (Beyond Records, 2001), Before the Robots , (Artemis Records, 2005) and Paper Empire .
20002008
The band released the A-side and B-side|B-Sides and rarities collection Artifakt (album)|Artifakt on its own "Ezra Dry Goods/Fudge" label in 2000. Artifakt was only sold online. Tom Drummond, the band's bassist, noted in 2002, "It's basically an album full of rarities."
Better Than Ezra, now no longer with Elektra Records, signed with the Beyond Records label and began work on new material. Drummond explained the reasoning for choosing a smaller label, "We decided we wanted to be big fish in a small pond instead of a little fish in a big pond. We just wanted to be with a label who wanted success as much as we did."
Griffin, Drummond and McNabb spent 18 months working on Closer (Better Than Ezra album)|Closer , their follow-up album to 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow? and their first new material since being dropped by Elektra Records.cite news |first=Lycia|last=Shrum|title=Better Than Ezra brings its show to Hurricane Harrys |url= http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2002/02/06/AggieLife/Better.Than.Ever-516901.shtml|work= The Battalion |publisher=|date=2002-02-06 |accessdate=2009-08-20cite news |first=Joe |last=D'Angelo|title=Better Than Ezra Get 'Ordinary' With AC/DC-Inspired Single |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445418/20010726/better_than_ezra.jhtml|work= MTV News |publisher=|date=2001-07-26 |accessdate=2009-08-20 The album was recorded in New Orleans in the band's own studio, which allowed the members to focus on creating music rather than rental costs per day. Closer was mixed in Los Angeles by Better Than Ezra and the album's producer, Brad Wood . However, the band felt that some tracks needed scratching. Producer Brad Wood's management company recommended DJ Swamp , who had previously worked with Beck , to mix several tracks. The use of a DJ for two of the album's tracks, the first single " Extra Ordinary " and "Recognize," marked a departure for the band, who hadn't previously employed a DJ before.
Closer was released on August 7, 2001. Better Than Ezra launched a tour in support of the album on July 26, 2001. The first single off the album, "Extra Ordinary," which had been mixed by DJ Swamp, was inspired by an AC/DC song. The album's promotion hit a snag after its record label, Beyond Records , went out of business in 2002 shortly after Closer 's release.cite news |first=|last=|title=Better Than Ezra To Re-Release Closer |url= http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/musicnews/article/1408/Better-Than-Ezra-To-Re-Release-Closer|work=Alternative Addiction|publisher=|date=2009-06-09 |accessdate=2009-08-20 Beyond Record's bankruptcy left Closer out of print for several years. In June 2009, Better Than Ezra announced that it had acquired the rights to Closer and would re-release it in the Fall of 2009 with two new previously unreleased tracks, "Simple Song" and "Screwed Up and Beautiful."
In June 2001, Better Than Ezra filmed a series of commercials for ESPN 's College GameDay . The promo features the band while sports analyst Lee Corso Crowd surfing|crowd surfs to the stage, where he continues his sports reporting.
On September 28, 2004, the band simultaneously released their first live concert DVD, as well as an official live album, both entitled Live at the House of Blues New Orleans (Better Than Ezra album)|Live at the House of Blues New Orleans through Sanctuary Records .cite news |first=Colin |last=Devenish |title=Better Than Ezra Go Easy |url= http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/betterthanezra/articles/story/6484727/better_than_ezra_go_easy|work= Rolling Stone |publisher=|date=2004-09-15 |accessdate=2009-08-20 The DVD and album were filmed and recorded at two separate shows at the House of Blues in New Orleans during the summer of 2004.
A Greatest Hits (Better Than Ezra album)|Greatest Hits collection was released on March 15, 2005, through Rhino Entertainment , a division of the Warner Music Group .
Better Than Ezra's sixth studio album entitled Before the Robots (Artemis Records), was released on May 31, 2005. In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band's song " Juicy (Better Than Ezra song)|Juicy " as the background music for the Desperate Housewives (season 2)|second season of the show's promotional advertisements, which Griffin credited with bringing attention to the album.cite news |first=Mike|last=Farley|title=A Chat with Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra|url= http://www.bullz-eye.com/music/interviews/2009/kevin_griffin.htm|work= Bullz-eye.com |publisher=|date=2009-05-12 |accessdate=2009-08-20 The song "Juicy" has also been heard in the background in commercials for Applebee's restaurants.
20092010
Longtime drummer Travis McNabb left Better Than Ezra in February 2009, and their last performance together was Family Gras in Metairie, Louisiana . http://blog.nola.com/keithspera/2009/02/better_than_ezra_drummer_travi.html The primary reason given for his departure was the demand on his time by Country music|country and Bluegrass music|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." 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.
On January 22, 2010, American country-pop singer Taylor Swift covered "Breathless" at a performance on Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief , a charity telethon to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake .
Current members
In addition to vocalist, chief songwriter and guitarist Kevin Griffin, the other current members of Better Than Ezra as of February 2009 are bassist and backing vocalist Tom Drummond and drummer Michael Jerome, who joined the band in 2009.cite news |first=Keith |last=Spera|title=Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin's move colors new 'Paper Empire' |url= http://blog.nola.com/keithspera/2009/05/better_than_ezra_on_their_new.html|work= The Times-Picayune |publisher=|date=2009-05-28 |accessdate=2009-08-19 In addition, James Arthur Payne accompanies the band on tour, singing background vocals and playing supplemental guitar and keyboard accompaniment.
Discography
Studio albums
Year
Album details
Peak chart positions
Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
US
US Rock
US Indie
US Heat
1990
Surprise (Better Than Ezra album)
Release date: 1990
Label: Swell Records
1993
Deluxe (Better Than Ezra album)
Release date: November 16, 1993
Label: Elektra Records
35
3
Recording Industry Association of America|US : Platinumcite web|url= http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php? table=SEARCH_RESULTS& artist=Better%20Than%20Ezra& format=ALBUM& go=Search& perPage=50|title=RIAA - Gold & Platinum - Better Than Ezra|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |date=1995-11-10|accessdate=2010-01-21
Canadian Recording Industry Association|CAN : Goldcite web|url= http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx? st=& ica=False& sa=Better%20Than%20Ezra& sl=& smt=0& sat=-1& ssb=Artist|title=Gold Platinum Database: Better Than Ezra|publisher= Canadian Recording Industry Association |date=1996-01-25|accessdate=2010-01-21
http://www.travismcnabb.com/ Personal site of Better Than Ezra's 1996-2008 drummer Travis McNabb
http://www.bullz-eye.com/music/interviews/2009/kevin_griffin.htm 2009 interview with Kevin Griffin at Bullz-Eye.com
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/25/entertainment/main3966358.shtml CBS News: Making New Orleans "Better": Rock Band Better Than Ezra Donates To New Orleans F.D, Brad Pitt's Foundation
http://iknowjack.radio.com/2010/12/02/jack-interviews-better-than-ezra/ 2010 Interview With JACK FM Chicago
Better Than Ezra Category:Better Than Ezra|* Category:Alternative rock groups from Louisiana Category:Musical groups from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:V2 Records artists Category:American post-grunge musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1988 Category:Musical trios
de:Better Than Ezra es:Better Than Ezra fr:Better Than Ezra pt:Better Than Ezra fi:Better Than Ezra sv:Better Than Ezra
