Better Than Ezra

Along with such similarly styled outfits as the Goo Goo Dolls, the New Orleans trio Better Than Ezra helped open the floodgates for countless chart-topping mainstream alt-pop acts of the late '90s (Sugar Ray, Semisonic, Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, etc.) by merging rock with melody and creating a more easily digestible form of alternative music for the masses. Better Than Ezra began as a roots rock outfit with slight elements of both country and punk; originally formed in 1988, the band consisted of members Kevin Griffin (vocals, guitar), Joel Rundell (guitar), Tom Drummond (bass), and Cary Bonnecaze (drums) while all were attending Louisiana State University. Their first gigs were expectedly at college bars and fraternity houses, which was followed by a debut cassette-only release in 1990, Surprise, which received positive press and comparisons to such alt-punk stalwarts as the Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. But despite the accolades, the group's future was suddenly thrust into doubt when Rundell committed suicide on August 8, 1990.

Immediately following Rundell's passing, the remaining members opted to go their separate ways, but by the end of the same year had reunited as a trio. Deciding that a change of scenery would be a good idea, Better Than Ezra relocated to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, where they laid down tracks at a friend's home studio, resulting in the 1993 independent release Deluxe. The album continued to raise the band's profile further, resulting in several major labels vying to sign up the band. Signing on with Elektra, Better Than Ezra's new label reissued Deluxe two years after its original release, which spawned a sizeable radio hit with the track "Good," helping 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.

The latest lineup of Better Than Ezra entered the recording studio shortly after welcoming their new member into the fold and issued their second major-label release, Friction, Baby, in 1996. Although the album was comparable musically to its predecessor, it failed to match the commercial success of Deluxe, as the album came and went rather quickly on the charts. The group proceeded to create their own recording studio in their hometown of New Orleans (called Fudge Studios), where they recorded their fourth release overall, 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow? The album failed to re-establish the group back to their heady Deluxe days, resulting in Better Than Ezra parting ways with Elektra and issuing a compilation of rare tracks, Artifakt, via their official website. Undeterred, the trio signed on with the independent Beyond Music label, issuing their next release, Closer, in 2001. BTE took a break before resurfacing in 2004 with a live album for Sanctuary. A greatest hits collection came along the following year, but to the delight of their devoted fanbase (the "Ezralites"), Better than Ezra were not finished. Before the Robots (Artemis) appeared in May that same year, and the band headed out to tour through the summer. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide