Better Than Ezra

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Comprising of singer + guitarist Kevin Griffin, guitarist Joel Rundell, bassist Tom Drummond and drummer Cary Bonnecaze, this Alternative-Rock band first came together in 1988 in New Orleans, Louisiana USA, while all four were attending Louisiana State University.

The quartet began playing cover-songs in campus bars and in 1990 released a cassette-only EP entitled "Surprise", recorded on their own.
Sadly tragedy struck the band, on August 8, 1990, when Joel Rundell committed suicide.
After several months the remaining members decided to continue as a three-piece.

In 1993 they moved to Los Angeles and released their first full-length disc, "Deluxe", by an independent label, the album received first-class reviews in the indie circuit and eventually the band was signed to Elektra Records who re-issued "Deluxe" in February 1995; around this time it began to rise up the Billboard charts peaking at #3 on the Top Heatseekers and reaching the #35 slot on the Top 200 Albums Sales list thanks in part to the single "Good" which became a top 30 hit on The Billboard Hot 100; this single climbed to the top of The Modern Rock chart and hit #3 on The Mainstream Rock Tracks. "In The Blood", grabbed a #4 and a #6 spots on the same charts and the final single, "Rosealia", weighed in at #24 on The Modern Rock list.

Bonnecaze left the band in early 1996, Travis McNabb replaced him behind the drum kit and joined Better Than Ezra before the release of the band's sophomore LP, "Friction, Baby". Their second effort failed to replicate its predecessor's success, in fact it stalled at #64 on The Billboard 200 chart; the record included two singles, "King Of New Orleans" and "Desperately Wanting", which both climbed into the top 10 on both the Billboard Magazine's Rock charts.

In August 1998 the trio unleashed "How Does Your Garden Grow?" which didn't rise higher than #129 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart and featured a Modern Rock Top 20 hit with "At The Stars".

Better Than Ezra resurfaced three years later with "Closer", which was issued on the band's new label Beyond Music; the 11-song set peaked at #110 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart and it generated only one charting single, "Extra Ordinary", the track peaked at #13 on The Adult Top 40 list but failed to rise above #35 on The Modern Rock Tracks.

After a prolonged dry spell in September 2004, Griffin and company, released "Live At The House Of Blues New Orleans", the set included a couple of new studio songs: "Cold Year" and "Stall".
Better Than Ezra released its fifth album of all-new-material, "Before The Robots", in May 2005 on Artemis, it debuted at #3 on the U.S. Top Independent chart and reached #84 on The Billboard 200 spawning three Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks: "Our Last Night", "A Lifetime" and "Juicy".

The alt-Rock trio in early 2009 changed its line-up, when longtime drummer Travis McNabb amicably left and new drummer Michael Jerome joined the group. In May the band released "Paper Empire", the new album includes the single "Absolutely Still".

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Deluxe

(1993)

1. In The Blood
2. Good
3. Southern Girl
4. The Killer Inside
5. Rosealia
6. Cry In The Sun
7. Teenager
8.
9. Summerhouse
10. Porcelain
11. Heaven
12. This Time Of Year
13. Coyote

 

Friction, Baby

(1996)

1. King Of New Orleans
2. R3Wind
3. Long Lost
4. Normal Town
5. Scared Are You?
6. Return Of The Post Moderns
7. Hung The Moon
8. Desperately Wanting
9. Still Life With Cooley
10. WWOZ
11. Happy Endings
12. Speeding Up To Slow Down
13. At Ch. Degaulle, Etc.

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

(1998)

1. Je Ne M'En Souviens Pas
2. One More Murder
3. At The Stars
4. Like It Like That
5. Allison Foley
6. Under You
7. Live Again
8. Happy Day Mama
9. Pull
10. Particle
11. Beautiful Mistake
12. Everything In 2's
13. New Kind Of Low:
 - Low
 - Coma
14. Waxing Or Waning?

 

Closer

(2001)

1. Misunderstood
2. Extra Ordinary
3. Closer
4. Rolling
5. A Lifetime
6. Recognize
7. Sincerely, Me
8. Get You In
9. Briefly
10. Juarez
11. I Do

 

Live At The House Of Blues
New Orleans
[live]

(2004)

1. Intro
2. Misunderstood
3. Good
4. Rolling
5. Live Again
6. Get You In
7. Extra Ordinary
8. King Of New Orleans
9. Rosealia
10. At The Stars
11. A Lifetime
12. In The Blood
13. Porcelain
14. Sincerely, Me
15. Desperately Wanting
16. Cold Year [NEW STUDIO TRACK]
17. Stall [NEW STUDIO TRACK]

 

Before The Robots

(2005)

1. Burned
2. Daylight
3. A Lifetime
4. It's Only Natural
5. Overcome
6. Special
7. American Dream
8. Our Last Night
9. A Southern Thing
10. Juicy
11. Hollow
12. Our Finest Year
13. Breathless

 

Paper Empire

(2009)

1. Absolutely Still
2. Turn Up The Bright Lights
3. Just One Day
4. The Loveless
5. All In
6. Fit
7. Hell No!
8. Hey Love
9. Nightclubbing
10. Black Light
11. Wounded
12. I Just Knew

 

Better Than Ezra discography - an exclusive and detailed creation of 100xr.com
The section contains all of Better Than Ezra albums released to date
with original cover art and complete track-listing

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