VOX - Better Than Ezra

If you’ve ever went to a concert and come away feeling as though you didn’t get your money’s worth, chances are you weren’t leaving a Better Than Ezra concert. The New Orleans-based power trio put on an all-out rockfest at Hollywood’s House of Blues on November 20, 1998. Singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin has a voice that possesses the sensitivity and depth of Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, yet melts the listener like butter. Touring in support of their latest release How Does Your Garden Grow, Griffin, along with bassist Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb, had the crowd of Ezralites singing along and shaking all evening long.

Better Than Ezra is one of those bands that most of us have fallen victim to - you hear a great song on the radio, know the words and sing along when you hear it, but you would be hard-pressed to name the band if asked. Their hits "Good," "Desperately Wanting" and their latest, "Particle," have all been great radio songs, yet haven’t made the band a household name.

One evening of listening to BTE live will make any casual fan a believer. Griffin has an on-stage persona that rivals any frontman in rock today. His charisma and impressive ability as a guitarist provide a complement to his amazing and versatile voice. With Drummond and McNabb seeming to have a great time showing what a great rhythm section can do, Griffin is left to his own devices. BTE displayed the energy, power and polish that a headliner should have.

Effectively mixing their hits with new tunes from How Does Your Garden Grow, Better Than Ezra kept the casual fan in the mix, while also making the die-hard Ezralites (as their fans are known) happy as a lark in the glen. About three quarters of the way through the performance, Griffin grabbed a sampling machine of some sort, ventured out into the crowd (much to the pleasure of the female fans who couldn't keep their hands to themselves) and sampled the voice of one of the fans. He then returned to the stage and used the sample to build an impromptu song from. It was hard to tell who enjoyed this more - Griffin, or the crowd. Griffin seemed to take great delight in playing with the machine and seeing what he could do with the sample. He resembled a child on Christmas morning with a new toy.

By the end of a wonderful evening, BTE had covered miles of sonic terrain, moving effectively from honey-tinged love songs to the metal feel of "Pull" and all points in between. All one could selfishly ask at the end was, "Why couldn’t they play longer?" One thing is for sure, the BTE Garden is brimming with beautiful earthly delights.

Now how about hearing from the fellas themselves...

Better than Ezra Working That Voodoo