time travel tuesday: better than ezra
For my first installment of Time Travel Tuesday, I chose New Orleans-based band Better Than Ezra. Still revered by quite a few rabid fans, BTE continues to rock after nearly 20 years. The band formed in 1998 while the members, singer Kevin Griffin, guitarist Joel Rundell, bassist Tom Drummond, and drummer Cary Bonnecaze attended LSU. After the death of Joel Rundell in 1990, the band took a year-long break before reuniting in Los Angeles.
In 1995, BTE released their debut on a major label, Deluxe, on Electra Records, and the first single from that album, "Good" hit the airwaves. Even though the band might be stigmatized as a one-hit wonder, the Deluxe album, and their later releases contained some great songs that will never be heard on commercial radio. "Teenager" is a timeless song about teenage angst, railing against the parents who just don't understand. The Fresh Prince doesn't have anything on these guys.
In 1996, original drummer Cary left the band and Travis McNabb joined the trio that continues to this day. Friction, Baby was released following the lineup change, and featured another semi-hit, "King of New Orleans". This was not one of my favorite BTE albums, and I think at this point, the band just had a sophmore slump.
How Does Your Garden Grow? was released in 1998, and although I feel it was one of their strongest and most diverse releases, it suffered from poor sales and the band was dropped from their record label following the release. At this point, the band was influenced by Brit-pop, including Bjork, Radiohead, and DJ Shadow, and they experimented with some different sounds. The influences are obvious, and the band had another near-miss with "At The Stars".
In 2001, BTE released Closer, on the Beyond Music label, and featured yet another change in sound for the boys: more of a laid-back, softer side. A lovely song about constructing a meaningful memorial for a friend, "A Lifetime" saw some modest airplay, and I still hear it on the "alternative" music station around here (hearing it the other day inspired me to pull out my BTE CDs, actually).
After a bit of a break, BTE released Before the Robots in 2005 and have seen a modest rise in stock after their song from this album, "Juicy" was featured on Desperate Housewives. The band continues to tour, although more locally to New Orleans, and contributes quite seriously to charities, including those geared to clean up after Hurricane Katrina.
Check out these songs through their history, and buy their excellent albums, which are especially great turned up loud on car trips. Find more Better than Ezra music on hype machine.
from deluxe:
better than ezra: good
from how does your garden grow?:
better than ezra: at the stars
better than ezra: live again
from closer:
better than ezra: a lifetime
better than ezra: closer
official website | buy albums | buy music and merch
4 comments:
I think you meant to say they formed in 89 not 98
Actually, I meant to say that they formed in 1988. But thanks for the heads up!
Wasn't Desperately Wanting a bit of a hit off of Friction, Baby?
Yes, it was. But again, Friction, Baby wasn't one of my favorite BTE albums. I have all of them except for the new one, which I need to check out.
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