Better Than Ezra

  • Baton Rouge, LA
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 1988
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About Better Than Ezra

Official Site: http://betterthanezra.com/ | @betterthanezra | facebook.com/BetterThanEzra


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, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

Music

From position 0, showing 9 items, asking 10
See All
  • Just One Day
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Just One Day
  • Absolutely Still
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Absolutely Still
  • Juicy
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Juicy
  • A Lifetime (Unplugged)
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    A Lifetime (Unplugged)
  • Daylight (Unplugged)
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Daylight (Unplugged)
  • Good (Unplugged)
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Good (Unplugged)
  • King Of New Orleans
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    King Of New Orleans
  • Rosealia
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    Rosealia
  • In The Blood
    better-than-ezra
    Video
    In The Blood
  • 4230
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Good
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/9/3/3/5/262253395.mp3
    • Desperately Wanting
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/8/4/6/8/230786480.mp3
    • Good (LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/8/1/0/4/165540187.mp3
    • Juicy
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/6/5/6/5/165856565.mp3
    • King Of New Orleans (LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/7/2/5/0/115105275.mp3
    • Extra Ordinary (LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/7/2/1/4/165541271.mp3

Interviews & Exclusives

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • Take 2: Better Than Ezra "A Lifetime"
    better-than-ezra
    video
    Take 2: Better Than Ezra "A Lifetime"

Photos

From position 0, showing 4 items, asking 10
See All
  • Better than Ezra lead singer Kevin Griffin performs during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 4, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Better Than Ezra
    Better than Ezra lead singer Kevin Griffin performs during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 4, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Sean Gardner/Getty Images
  • Better Than Ezra
    Courtesy of Elektra
  • Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra
  • Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra

News

From position 0, showing 10 items, asking 10
See All
Next Page
  • Better Than Ezra
    You Didn't Like Chloe Grace Moretz's Billboard Music Awards Outfit? Welp, She Still Loves It!
    MTV Act
    May 20, 2013
    Chloë Grace Moretz won us over as the purple-haired assassin Hit-Girl in “Kick-Ass,” and now she’s proving she can hold her own IRL too. Moretz ro...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Watch Kanye West Debut TWO New Songs From His Upcoming Album, 'Yeezus' (NSFW) (VIDEOS)
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 20, 2013
    Kanye West broadcasted "New Slaves" all over the world on Friday, then performed it on "SNL" on Saturday. When it comes to Kanye West , attentio...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Taylor Swift Throws The Best Shade At Selena Gomez And Justin Bieber Making Out At The 2013 Billboard Music Awards
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 20, 2013
    Taylor Swift looks less than pleased at Jelena's backstage Billboard Awards reunion. OK, so we knew that Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez were bes...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Hangout Festival: Eight Lessons Learned On Instagram
    MTV News
    May 20, 2013
    MTV News rounds up the best of the beachy festival from the cyber world.
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Hangout Festival: Eight Lessons Learned On Instagram
    MTV News
    May 20, 2013
    MTV News rounds up the best of the beachy festival from the cyber world.
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    'R.I.P.D.' Gets A Charming New TV Spot
    Splash Page
    May 20, 2013
    Is it possible for a TV spot to be better than a movie's actual trailer? That's the case with " R.I.P.D. ," whose new TV teaser does a better job capt...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Is Beyonce Denying Her Pregnancy?
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 20, 2013
    Pregnant or not? We still don't know. So, last we heard, E! News had "confirmed" via "sources" that Beyoncé MIGHT be pregnant with Blue Ivy No. 2 ...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Beyonce Pregnancy Rumors False?
    MTV RapFix
    May 20, 2013
    By Maurice Bobb Looks like The Carters won’t be adding an additional member to the clan after all. According to Hot 97’s “ The Realness ,” the r...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    The 10 New Shows You WON'T See On TV This Fall
    MTV Geek
    May 20, 2013
    Every year, networks pick about 100 scripts to be made into first episodes or "pilots" for potential TV series.  Of those, about a third to half get p...
    Read More
  • Better Than Ezra
    Star Spotting: If Demi Lovato's New Album Is Sold Out, It's Probably Because Nick Jonas Bought EVERY COPY (PHOTO)
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 20, 2013
    Nick Jonas bought SEVERAL copies of Demi Lovato's new album, " Demi." Demi Lovato  may have a complicated relationship with the Jonas Brother...
    Read More

Discography

From position 0, showing 9 items, asking 10
See All
  • Live at Jazzfest 2012 (2012)
    Better Than Ezra
    Live at Jazzfest 2012 (2012)
    MunckMix
  • Plays Paper Empire (2009)
    Better Than Ezra
    Plays Paper Empire (2009)
    Better Than Ezra
  • Before the Robots (2005)
    Better Than Ezra
    Before the Robots (2005)
    Artemis Records
  • Live at the House of Blues New Orleans (2004)
    Better Than Ezra
    Live at the House of Blues New Orleans (2004)
    Sanctuary
  • Closer (2001)
    Better Than Ezra
    Closer (2001)
    Beyond Records
  • How Does Your Garden Grow? (1998)
    Better Than Ezra
    How Does Your Garden Grow? (1998)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Friction, Baby (1996)
    Better Than Ezra
    Friction, Baby (1996)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Deluxe (1995)
    Better Than Ezra
    Deluxe (1995)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Eggnog Sing-A-Long
    Better Than Ezra
    Eggnog Sing-A-Long
Are You Better Than Ezra? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
Better Than Ezra Bio | Better Than Ezra Music | Better Than Ezra News | Better Than Ezra Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities