Better Than Ezra

Everyone knows Better Than Ezra. They're the million-selling band with hits like "Good" and "A Lifetime" that sells out venues coast to coast and enjoys a legion of fans so faithful they've dubbed themselves the Ezralites. So, what's the story behind that name?

"We have never revealed it, even under duress," says front man Kevin Griffin. "We just said, 'Why don't we just keep it a secret, and that will be our one little publicity stunt.' As a result, there's a couple of books out there about the origin of band names. U2 or Rolling Stones will have a paragraph dedicated to them, and then there's like a page and a half on the origins of Better Than Ezra, which is just hilarious."

While the band name remains a well-kept secret for now, the seemingly mysterious title of Better Than Ezra's latest project, Paper Empire, speaks right to the heart of a world asking a lot of questions and ultimately discovering the things worth holding onto.

"I was drawn to that phrase "Paper Empire,' Kevin explains. "It seemed apropos given the current economic woes and where we are right now. Most of these institutions in your life -- whether it's love, relationships, your belief system, religious convictions, or politics -- are pretty fragile when it comes down to it. There's a really precarious nature to everything that you hold dear in your life. If you recognize that, you're more likely to do a better job taking care of it."

The future of Better Than Ezra may have seemed a bit precarious to their fans who've been waiting for new material from the band since 2005's Before the Robots. While that project spawned BTE's radio hits "A Lifetime" and "Juicy," the guys felt a need to recharge their creative batteries after the tour behind that album was finished. Lead singer Kevin Griffin took time to pen tunes for other artists including David Cook, Howie Day and Blondie while bassist Tom Drummond was busy producing other musicians in the band's native New Orleans. In late 2007, Kevin got the urge to fire up what he calls the "Better Than Ezra thing" and start recording his own material again.

"It happened really organically and when a song was good, it got recorded," Kevin explains. "We didn't feel that pressure to do it all in a two week blast. We took a year and a half. So, I think as a result, the songs on the album are the cream of the crop that stood the test of time in the editing process to make the album."

The fruit of that recording method is highlighted in Paper Empire's first single "Absolutely Still.” Marked with Kevin's knack for creating an infectious melody and a meaty lyric, the tune also encapsulates how fragile a love affair can really be.

"'Absolutely Still' is about when you're with someone, and you have those fleeting moments of clarity when everything is right between the two of you, and you can block out all the chaos and noise outside. You don't have to say anything and everything is understood. Before it all goes wrong, there are all those perfect moments of bliss."

While the driving, uptempo rhythm of "Absolutely Still" and the second-chance anthem "Just One Day" will cover familiar territory for BTE fans, Paper Empire contains a few musical detours most evident in the stoned childhood reflection of "Black Light" or the New Orleans gospel strains of "The Loveless."

"I think the reason we've been able to stick around as long as we have is that we're all bringing in new influences into the band. Whether I'm listening to a Friendly Fires album or MGMT or the new Raconteurs, you're gonna hear that in our music. The sound has always kind of changed as we've changed, but I think that's why we continue to have success and every album as a couple of songs that do well at radio. We stick around. It's gotta be interesting and challenging to us if we're gonna keep doing it."

Another vital influence to Better Than Ezra's ever-evolving sound is the group's newest member Michael Jerome on drums. Boasting a very accomplished resume (John Cale, Richard Thompson), Michael brings a nuanced yet powerful drumming style to the BTE sound.

"Some drummers are at the back of the beat, and really in the pocket and all about the feel. That's the way Michael is," Kevin says. "He's also a very muscular drummer as well. Being a three piece band, everybody's really gotta hold their own. Michael does that with aplomb."

Fans can witness Michael's drumming prowess when Better Than Ezra hits the road in support of Paper Empire. Bred in the southern college circuit that produced R.E.M. and The B-52's before them, BTE has made a point of putting on a surprising, high-energy live show every time they hit the stage.

"You can never accuse Better Than Ezra of being a shoegazer band. Our show is a lot of fun, and it's entertaining, whether we're getting people onstage to play our instruments or I'm using a digital sampler out in the crowd to sample phrases people are saying to me and then mix it into a song, There's usually something different that we're gonna do in addition to a different set list every night when you come and see us. That's our mantra -- we put on a great show."

Along with such similarly styled outfits as the Goo Goo Dolls, the New Orleans-based trio Better Than Ezra helped open the floodgates for countless alt-pop acts of the late '90s (including Semisonic, Matchbox Twenty, and Third Eye Blind) by merging college rock influences with mainstream aspirations. Originally formed in 1988 as a roots rock outfit with slight elements of country and punk, the group's first incarnation consisted of four college students from Louisiana State University: Kevin Griffin (vocals, guitar), Joel Rundell (guitar), Tom Drummond (bass), and Cary Bonnecaze (drums). The band's early performances were expectedly held at college bars and fraternity houses, and their debut cassette-tape recording, 1990's Surprise, received positive press and comparisons to such alt-punk stalwarts as the Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. Despite these accolades, Better Than Ezra's future was thrust into doubt when Rundell committed suicide on August 8, 1990.

The remaining bandmates initially opted to go their separate ways after Rundell's passing, but they reunited as a trio before the end of the year. Deciding that a change of scenery would be helpful, Better Than Ezra relocated to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, where they laid down tracks at a friend's home studio to create their 1993 independent release, Deluxe. The album continued to raise the band's profile and eventually drew the attention of several major labels. The trio signed with Elektra Records, and Better Than Ezra's new label reissued Deluxe two years after its original release. The album spawned a sizeable radio hit with "Good," which helped push the album to platinum status by the end of 1995. But despite enjoying a hit right off the bat, Bonnecaze opted to leave the group in early 1996 and was replaced by a fellow New Orleans native (who, at the time, was living in San Francisco), Travis McNabb.

Shortly after welcoming their new member into the fold, the revised Better Than Ezra entered the recording studio to record their second major-label release, 1996's Friction, Baby. Although the album was musically similar to its predecessor, it failed to match the commercial success of Deluxe and departed rather quickly from the charts, with the singles "Desperately Wanting" and "King of New Orleans" only achieving modest rotation on modern rock radio. The group proceeded to create their own recording studio in New Orleans (dubbed Fudge Studios), where they recorded 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow? The album failed to reestablish the group as a commercially viable rock act, and Better Than Ezra parted ways with Elektra before issuing a compilation of rare tracks, Artifakt, through their official website.

Undeterred, the trio then signed with the independent Beyond Music label and issued their next release, Closer, in 2001. "Extra Ordinary" fared well on several charts, but Beyond Music declared bankruptcy before the band could issue a second single. Understandably, Better Than Ezra took a break before resurfacing in 2004 with a live album documenting a hometown show at the House of Blues. A greatest-hits collection was issued the following year, but to the delight of the group's devoted fan base (the "Ezralites"), Better Than Ezra were not finished. After signing with the New York-based Artemis Records, the band released Before the Robots in May 2005 and departed for a summer-long tour. Drumer Travis McNabb left the lineup four years later, having been recruited to join the country duo Sugarland instead, and Better than Ezra tapped Michael Jerome as his replacement before unveiling their seventh album, Plays Paper Empire. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide