Better Than Ezra

KEVIN GRIFFIN: VOCALS, GUITAR TOM DRUMMOND: BASS TRAVIS MCNABB: DRUMS

For New Orleans based band Better Than Ezra, the prospect of making their latest album found them exploring themes of renewal. A third album always seems pivotal to a band, says the groups lead singer/songwriter Kevin Griffin. When I listen to my favorite bands, I want to know if the album is going to take me to new places, or is the artist just going to go over the same old ground. How Does Your Garden Grow, the mercurial tour de force from the heady trio of Griffin, bassist Tom Drummond, and drummerTravis McNabb, definitely goes places. Its their most complete work, from the enigmatic Eno-tinged opener “Je ne m’en souviens pas”, all the way to the Bachrach-esque strains of the albums closer, “Waxing Or Waning”.

Coming off the heels of the roots-driven, platinum plus-Deluxe (1994) and the more brazen, guitar-edged rock of Friction, Baby (1996), Griffin says the band was ready to shake things up a little. “It seems like we’d release an album and then have to play catch up the next time we recorded, because our ideas would always be progressing so much,” says Kevin. “Since we did Friction, Baby, I was starting to write from a different angle than usual. I was getting inspired by different things. We wanted to try some new directions on this one, and we didn’t want the typical rock producer, either. “The band eventually chose Malcolm Burn, who has produced Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, among others, and engineered for U2 and Peter Gabriel. “He was really of the same mind we were about the material. And he also just happened to be from New Orleans, which was great. The whole arrangement was quite natural.”

The group recorded in their very own Fudge Studios, which Griffin says was a huge factor in getting the sound they wanted. “We bought this building off of St. Charles Avenue and turned it into a recording studio, he says. We had an engineer friend of ours help us remodel it. We were able to spend as long as we wanted on the record, rather than have a time clock ticking away. W were able to explore a lot of tangents we normally wouldnt have been able to. Some of those tangents included experimenting with new instruments like the harmonium, which Griffin plays, and an unusual piece of equipment called an Optigon. Malcolm was very encouraging when it came to us trying to accomplish our goals in a different way,” says Griffin. The band even switched instruments themselves.

“I took piano lessons from a teacher at Loyola. We wanted to try things that we weren’t as competent on, because when you play an instrument all your life, there are no secrets left. On some tracks Tom plays drums and Travis plays bass. We had all the time in the world to experiment.”

Griffin says such playfulness led to a different kind of ambiance for the band. “The songs became fuller, more multi-dimensional , like the eerie “One More Murder”, or the noirish quality of “Beautiful Mistake”. At first “Beautiful Mistake” was a straight ahead rock thing but Malcom wanted more atmosphere. He had previously worked with Daniel Lanois and U2, and you can hear the texture on that one. “One More Murder” is basically the best outtakes of an hour and a half jam session. There is a certain naivet you get when you dont know the instruments. That was one of the goals of the album, to approach it with that kind of naive attitude, but having the experience of a seasoned band.”

And like most veteran bands, BTE have definitely earned their stripes. From their first gig in 1988 at a Baton Rouge bar, and their first self-made release, Surprise, which they put out soon after, BTE has always been a persistent musical force. Never afraid of letting the frayed edges show a little bit, only Kevin and Tom remain from the original lineup, with Travis joining in 1996.

The late 80s-early 90s saw the group honing their craft for anybody that would have them. They released their first EP Surprise on their own label, eventually relocating to LA. On a lark, the band sent a 4-track tape to a local mag that garnered a great review and early interest from several record companies. In 1993 the group released Deluxe on their own Swell label. By the fall of 1994, Deluxe had become one of the most talked about records in the indie world. Its sales were topping 30,000, with DJs hitting stores to answer demand for the albums most requested track, “Good”.

In 1995 the band signed on with Elektra, with “Good” becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. Within six months Deluxe went from 50,000 copies to 500,000, eventually achieving platinum. The band continued their non-stop touring, winning over self proclaimed Ezralites throughout the U.S.. In 1996, BTE released their critically acclaimed follow-up, went Gold.

Which brings us back to How does Your Garden Grow. The group is joined by several guests on the LP, including string arranger and vibraphone legend Karl Berger (Jeff Buckley, Art Blakely), Brazilian dub pioneer Paulo (Los los, Punta, Afroxes) and flutist Anthony Dagradi, among others. As a writer you always try to draw on your experiences, but it was also good to work with people you have always admired, and use influences that you might not always expect, says Kevin.

“I’ve been listening to all kinds of things, including stuff like Brian Eno’s Before And After Science, David Bowies Low, and film scores by Ennio Moriconne.” Griffin’s enthusiasm eventually touches on one particular song close to his heart, “At The Stars”, which he describes as a snapshot of: That time in your life when youre young and no one understands you and you just get into a car with that one person who knows you so well, and turn the music up and disappear. Thats a great feeling.

Which is no doubt the same kind of inspiration that fueled BTE’s most ambitious effort to date, How Does Your Garden Grow.