Like many bands in the then-burgeoning alt-rock movement of the mid-'90s, Better Than Ezra enjoyed their period of greatest chart success immediately following their debut major-label release (Deluxe), which spawned their highest-charting hits. At least commercially (and in terms of mainstream radio play), the band has experienced slightly diminishing returns with each successive release; however, unlike the majority of their contemporaries, Better Than Ezra's extremely loyal fan base has kept the group from dropping off of the musical map. Ezra's followers, who refer to themselves as Ezralites, have never cared whether radio stations play the band or not--in fact, many fans follow the band religiously, attending scores of their performances. It is Ezra's loyal fans and a relentless touring schedule which has allowed them to continue to produce new music, remain extremely viable in the music world, and out-live their projected shelf life. Additionally, Better Than Ezra's independence and survival in a business that has chewed up and spat out many bands who they used to jockey for chart position seems to indicate that the band will be around to satisfy their fans' rapacious appetite for their music for many years to come.
In addition to vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin from Monroe, Louisiana, the current members of Better Than Ezra are bass guitar player Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb. Original drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, left the band after the release of Deluxe. Original lead guitarist, Joel Rundell, committed suicide in 1990. Multi-Instrumentalist James Arthur Payne also from Monroe, Louisiana tours with the band, fills in vocal, keyboard, guitar, and harmonica parts, and is a fan favorite.
Who or what Ezra might be is a mystery that the band members have no interest in clearing up. Drummond once told a reporter that the meaning of the band's name is "so lame you wouldn't even want to print it." However, it has also been said that the name came into being when the then nameless band entered a battle of the bands in competition with a group named Ezra. Needing a name to register they simply said that they were better.
In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band's song "Juicy" as the background music for the second season of the show's promotional advertisement.
The band is slated to headline A Taste of Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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In 2009 there were line-up changes and a new album released. Drummer Travis McNabb left to tour with the Country music group Sugarland. The split was friendly and McNabb still serves on the Ezra charitable organizations. McNabb was replaced by Michael Jerome as touring and ?future? drummer, with Blair Sinta filling in on parts of the album Paper Empire and 2 dates of the bands summer 2009 concert tour.
Travis McNabb played his last show with Ezra on Feb. 15, 2009 in Metairie, Louisiana.
Paper Empire was released on May 12, 2009.
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Return of the Post Moderns
Better Than Ezra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beneath the covers Riding on a wet dream Silver tonic free
High stool sweet tarts
Equipped with green cards
Chomp their 401 k's
Semi-chocolate brie
Digging in Los Cruces
Shelby and Sheila
Onomatopoeia
Catch hang nail on Banlon
Shiver Martin Sheen
Preschool mothers
In Technicolor
Are fire bombing Dresden
Stanton, Harry Dean
Feeding line caught tuna to a neutered Bodhisattva Writhing peaches for the President Out on the White House lawn Beating Herbert Hoover With a leather tipped
Pinada Thorn and Katy drink the milk tinted Amerasian Green RETURN, RETURN, RETURN
The lyrics of Return of the Post Moderns by Better Than Ezra are very metaphoric, and it seems like they are discussing a generation of people who are lost or disconnected from mainstream society, perhaps misunderstood. The phrase "Ten cent lovers" might refer to people who are settling for mediocre love or relationships, while "riding on a wet dream" could be symbolic for chasing an unattainable fantasy. "Silver tonic free" probably means that they are not interested in the materialistic perspective of life, even though they might have green cards and 401 Ks.
The reference to digging in Los Cruces for an army drab container and carbon dating clothes for the last time they were washed might suggest that they are trying to understand history or their heritage or trying to find meaning in their past, even though they might not relate to it.
The mention of Shelby and Sheila may represent the generic, typical names of people, and the phrase "onomatopoeia" might indicate that their names sound irrelevant or insignificant. The reference to Martin Sheen shivering is tricky because he could either be the actor or a character, but either way, this phrase could be a metaphor for vulnerability, exposure, or fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten cent lovers
People who love cheap things
Beneath the covers
In secret or hiding
Riding on a wet dream
Chasing a dream that may not become a reality
Silver tonic free
Not needing a cure or solution
High stool sweet tarts
People who enjoy sugary treats while drinking at a bar
Equipped with green cards
Foreigners with legal working permits in the US
Chomp their 401 k's
Eating away at their retirement funds
Semi-chocolate brie
A type of cheese that is slightly mixed with chocolate
Digging in Los Cruces
Searching for something valuable in a deserted area
For an army drab container
Looking for a military-grade storage container
Carbon dating clothes for the last time they were washed
Trying to figure out how long ago clothes were cleaned
Shelby and Sheila
Two people with rhyming names
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like the thing they describe
Catch hang nail on Banlon
Getting a hangnail while wearing a specific type of synthetic fabric
Shiver Martin Sheen
Being scared or intimidated by someone like Martin Sheen
Preschool mothers
Mothers with young children
In Technicolor
In a bright, colorful way
Are fire bombing Dresden
Doing something destructive and cruel
Stanton, Harry Dean
A reference to actor Harry Dean Stanton
Feeding line caught tuna to a neutered Bodhisattva
Giving good things to someone or something that cannot reproduce
Writhing peaches for the President
Offering something inappropriate or absurd to someone of power
Out on the White House lawn
In the public eye, in front of important people
Beating Herbert Hoover
Doing something better than a former US president who was not successful
With a leather tipped pinada
Using a leather-covered stick to hit a pinata
Thorn and Katy drink the milk tinted Amerasian Green
Two people drinking a strange, possibly toxic drink
RETURN, RETURN, RETURN
A call for something or someone to come back or return
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN GRIFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind