Better Than Ezra
Members of Better Than Ezra in Nashville, Tennessee, August 1, 2002.
Background information
Origin	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Alternative rock Post-grunge
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Artemis Records Swell Records/Elektra Sanctuary Records
Website	betterthanezra.com
Members
Kevin Griffin Tom Drummond Michael Jerome James Arthur Payne (tour support)
Past members
Joel Rundell (1988–1990) Cary Bonnecaze (1988–1996) Travis McNabb (1996–2009)

Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

History[link]

Formation and early success[link]

Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988^[1] by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary Bonnecaze.^[1] All four members were attending Louisiana State University at the time of Better Than Ezra's formation.^[1] Better Than Ezra's first public performance was at Murphy's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also in 1988.^[2] Though many theories abound, the band refuses to disclose the origin of its name.^[2] One theory is that it comes from a line in Ernest Hemingway's novel "A Moveable Feast" where in describing a particularly annoying sound, Hemingway remarks that it "was no worse than other noises, certainly better than Ezra learning to play the bassoon." Fans of the group often refer to themselves as Ezralites.^[3]

Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the Chimes Street Demo. While not an official release, this demo is sought-after by the band's fans, and traded by collectors. In 1990 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise.

Joel Rundell, the band's lead guitarist, committed suicide on August 8, 1990.^[1] The remaining three members of the band took some time off to reassess its future following Rundell's death.^[1] However, Griffin, Drummond and Bonnecaze reunited Better Than Ezra as a trio by the end of 1990.^[1] The trio continued playing house parties and fraternity shows across southern United States during the early 1990s.

The band released its first nationally-distributed album Deluxe in 1993 on its own indie label,^[4] Swell Records, which caught the attention of major record labels and radio. Better Than Ezra signed with Elektra Records in 1995.^[4] Elektra Records rereleased Deluxe in 1995 and the single, "Good", reached the #1 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart which helped push the album to platinum record status by the end of 1995.^[5]

Success came quickly to Better Than Ezra. Tom Drummond commented later in a 1998 interview with CNN, "It took us seven years to get signed, and then seven weeks to get to No. 1." when describing the overnight success of Deluxe and its single "Good".^[4]

1996–2000[link]

After Deluxe's major label release, original drummer Cary Bonnecaze left the band in 1996.^[1] He was replaced by drummer Travis McNabb,^[1] formerly of the band Vigilantes of Love, who was tapped to play on the band's upcoming album, Friction Baby. Bonnecaze's departure set off a series of lawsuits and counter-suits between Bonnecaze and Better Than Ezra.^[6] Bonnecaze, who brought his suit to the United States District Court in New Orleans, argued that the band owed him money "based on his role in fortifying the band's reputation," according to Rolling Stone.^[7] He asked for approximately $1 million dollars in damages.^[7] A settlement was reached between the band and Bonnecaze on August 5, 1999.^[7] The exact terms of the settlement were not released at the time, though Better Than Ezra's manager John Isbell was quoted as saying that Bonnecaze received "way less" than the one million dollars he had originally requested.^[7]

Better Than Ezra released their second major label album, Friction, Baby, in 1996 through Elektra Records. Friction, Baby produced the hits "Desperately Wanting" and "King of New Orleans". Their sophomore release was not as commercially successful as Deluxe, but, as of 1999, sold almost 500,000 units.^[4]

The trio began work on their third major release, How Does Your Garden Grow?, soon after the end of touring for Friction, Baby. The album was recorded between mid-January and late-April at a studio in New Orleans.^[8] The album was produced by record producer Malcolm Burn and released on August 25, 1998.^[8] The album was described as "experimental" and a significant departure from their previous two albums.^[4] Griffin described the album in 1998 as "guitar driven ... rhythmic."^[8] Likewise, Tom Drummond described the band's thinking on its third major album, "We thought the third album was a very important record, because generally a band either makes or breaks on the third record. We wanted it to be a record that didn't necessarily sound like what people expected." ^[4] Despite the emphasis on guitar experimentation, two tracks, "One More Murder" and "Je ne m'en souviens pas" contain no guitars.^[8]

The single "At the Stars" debuted, and peaked, at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[4] The band was dropped by Elektra Records following the release of How Does Your Garden Grow? in 1999.^[9]

Subsequent album releases from Better Than Ezra include Closer, (Beyond Records, 2001), Before the Robots, (Artemis Records, 2005) and Paper Empire.

2000–2008[link]

The band released the B-Sides and rarities collection Artifakt on its own "Ezra Dry Goods/Fudge" label in 2000. Artifakt was only sold online^[9] and at concerts. Tom Drummond, the band's bassist, noted in 2002, "It's basically an album full of rarities." ^[9]

Better Than Ezra, now no longer with Elektra Records, signed with the Beyond Records label and began work on new material.^[9] Drummond explained the reasoning for choosing a smaller label, "We decided we wanted to be big fish in a small pond instead of a little fish in a big pond. We just wanted to be with a label who wanted success as much as we did."^[9]

Griffin, Drummond and McNabb spent 18 months working on Closer, their follow-up album to 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow? and their first new material since being dropped by Elektra Records.^[9][10] The album was recorded in New Orleans in the band's own studio, which allowed the members to focus on creating music rather than rental costs per day.^[10] Closer was mixed in Los Angeles by Better Than Ezra and the album's producer, Brad Wood.^[10] However, the band felt that some tracks needed scratching. Producer Brad Wood's management company recommended DJ Swamp, who had previously worked with Beck, to mix several tracks.^[10] The use of a DJ for two of the album's tracks, the first single "Extra Ordinary" and "Recognize," marked a departure for the band, who hadn't previously employed a DJ before.^[10]

Closer was released on August 7, 2001.^[10] Better Than Ezra launched a tour in support of the album on July 26, 2001.^[10] The first single off the album, "Extra Ordinary," which had been mixed by DJ Swamp, was inspired by an AC/DC song.^[10] The album's promotion hit a snag after its record label, Beyond Records, went out of business in 2002 shortly after Closer's release.^[11] Beyond Record's bankruptcy left Closer out of print for several years.^[11] In June 2009, Better Than Ezra announced that it had acquired the rights to Closer and would re-release it in the Fall of 2009 with two new previously unreleased tracks, "Simple Song" and "Screwed Up and Beautiful."^[11]

In June 2001, Better Than Ezra filmed a series of commercials for ESPN's College GameDay^{[disambiguation needed ]}.^[10] The promo features the band while sports analyst Lee Corso crowd surfs to the stage, where he continues his sports reporting.^[10]

On September 28, 2004, the band simultaneously released their first live concert DVD, as well as an official live album, both entitled Live at the House of Blues New Orleans through Sanctuary Records.^[12] The DVD and album were filmed and recorded at two separate shows at the House of Blues in New Orleans during the summer of 2004.^[12]

A Greatest Hits collection was released on March 15, 2005, through Rhino Entertainment, a division of the Warner Music Group.

Better Than Ezra's sixth studio album entitled Before the Robots (Artemis Records), was released on May 31, 2005. 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 advertisements, which Griffin credited with bringing attention to the album.^[13] The song "Juicy" has also been heard in the background in commercials for Applebee's restaurants.

2009–2010[link]

Longtime drummer Travis McNabb left Better Than Ezra in February 2009, and their last performance together was Family Gras in Metairie, Louisiana.^[14] The primary reason given for his departure was the demand on his time by country and bluegrass group, Sugarland, with whom McNabb had previously been touring for some time. The split was amicable, with bassist Tom Drummond saying, "It's bittersweet. He's fantastic. We're still good friends, and there are no hard feelings. We'll miss him. But this is an opportunity he needed to take." Announced at the same time was McNabb's replacement, New Orleans-based drummer Michael Jerome, formerly of the band Pleasure Club. In addition, Better Than Ezra announced the May 12, 2009 release date for their seventh studio album, entitled Paper Empire, which is produced by Warren Huart and singer Kevin Griffin. The first single, "Absolutely Still" was released for iTunes purchase on March 17.

On January 22, 2010, American country-pop singer Taylor Swift covered "Breathless" at a performance on Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, a charity telethon to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Current members[link]

In addition to vocalist, chief songwriter and guitarist Kevin Griffin, the other current members of Better Than Ezra as of February 2009 are bassist and backing vocalist Tom Drummond and drummer Michael Jerome, who joined the band in 2009.^[15] In addition, James Arthur Payne accompanies the band on tour, singing background vocals and playing supplemental guitar and keyboard accompaniment.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Better Than Ezra on Myspace
• Better Than Ezra at Allmusic
• Ezralites.com (Fan Site)
• Personal site of Better Than Ezra's 1996-2008 drummer Travis McNabb
• 2009 interview with Kevin Griffin at Bullz-Eye.com
• CBS News: Making New Orleans "Better": Rock Band Better Than Ezra Donates To New Orleans F.D, Brad Pitt's Foundation
• 2010 Interview With JACK FM Chicago

Ezra from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum

Site traditionally described as the tomb of Ezra at Al Uzayr near Basra.

Ezra ( /ˈɛzrə/; Hebrew: עזרא, Ezra;^[1] fl. 480–440 BC), also called Ezra the Scribe (Hebrew: עזרא הסופר, Ezra ha-Sofer) and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible he returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem (Ezra 7-10 and Neh 8). According to First Esdras, a non-canonical Greek translation of the Book of Ezra, he was also a high priest.

His name may be an abbreviation of Azaryahu, "God-helps". In the Greek Septuagint the name is rendered Esdras (Greek: Ἔσδρας), from which Latin: Esdras.

The Book of Ezra describes how he led a group of Judean exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem (Ezra 8.2-14) where he enforced observance of the Torah and cleansed the community of mixed marriages.^[2][3]

Ezra, known as "Ezra the scribe" in Chazalic literature,^[4] is a highly respected figure in Judaism.^[5]

In the Hebrew Bible[link]

The canonical Book of Ezra and Book of Nehemiah are the oldest sources for the activity of Ezra,^[3] whereas many of the other books ascribed to Ezra (First Esdras, 3-6 Ezra) are later literary works dependent on the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Book of Ezra-Nehemiah

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one scroll. (Nehemiah 3:32, footnote)^[6] Later the Jews divided this scroll and called it First and Second Ezra. Modern Hebrew Bibles call the two books Ezra and Nehemiah, as do other modern Bible translations. A few parts of the Book of Ezra (4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12:12-26) were written in Aramaic, and the majority in Hebrew, Ezra himself being skilled in both languages.^[7][8] Ezra, a descendant of Seraiah the high priest, was living in Babylon when in the seventh year (~ 457 BCE) of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, the king sent him to Jerusalem to teach the laws of God to any who did not know them. Ezra led a large body of exiles back to Jerusalem, where he discovered that Jewish men had been marrying non-Jewish women. He tore his garments in despair and confessed the sins of Israel before God, then braved the opposition of some of his own countrymen to purify the community by enforcing the dissolution of the sinful marriages. Some years later Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah, a Jewish noble in his personal service, to Jerusalem as governor with the task of rebuilding the city walls. Once this task was completed Nehemiah had Ezra read the Law of Moses (the Torah) to the assembled Jews, and the people and priests entered into a covenant to keep the law and separate themselves from all other peoples.

In later Second Temple period literature[link]

1 Esdras[link]

1 Esdras, probably from the late 2nd/early 1st centuries BCE, preserves a Greek text of Ezra and a part of Nehemiah distinctly different from that of Ezra-Nehemiah - in particular it eliminates Nehemiah from the story and gives some of his deeds to Ezra, as well as telling events in a different order. Scholars are divided on whether it is based on Ezra-Nehemiah, or reflects an earlier literary stage before the combination of Ezra and Nehemiah accounts.

Josephus[link]

The first century Jewish historian, Josephus, deals with Ezra in his Antiquities of the Jews. He preferred 1 Esdras over the canonical Ezra–Nehemiah and placed Ezra as a contemporary of Xerxes son of Darius, rather than of Artaxerxes.^[9]

The apocalyptic Ezra traditions[link]

The apocalyptic fourth book of Ezra (also called the second book of Esdras) was written c.AD 100, probably in Hebrew-Aramaic. It was one of the most important sources for Jewish theology at the end of the 1st century. In this book, Ezra has a seven part prophetic revelation, converses with an angel or God three times and has four visions. Ezra, thirty years into the Babylonian Exile (4 Ezra 3:1 / 2 Esdras 1:1), recounts the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon's Temple.^[2] This would place these revelations in the year 557 BC, a full century before the date given in the canonical Ezra. The central theological themes are "the question of theodicy, God's justness in the face of the triumph of the heathens over the pious, the course of world history in terms of the teaching of the four kingdoms,^[10] the function of the law, the eschatological judgment, the appearance on Earth of the heavenly Jerusalem, the Messianic Period, at the end of which the Messiah will die,^[11] the end of this world and the coming of the next, and the Last Judgment."^[2] Ezra restores the law that was destroyed with the burning of the Temple in Jerusalem. He dictates 24 books for the public (i.e. the Hebrew Bible) and another 70 for the wise alone (70 unnamed revelatory works).^[12] At the end, he is taken up to heaven like Enoch and Elijah.^[2] Ezra is seen as a new Moses in this book.^[2]

There is also another work, thought to be influenced by this one, known as the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra.

Ezra in rabbinic literature[link]

Woodcut for Die Bibel in Bildern, 1860, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld.

Traditionally Judaism credits Ezra with establishing the Great Assembly of scholars and prophets, the forerunner of the Sanhedrin, as the authority on matters of religious law. The Great Assembly is credited with establishing numerous features of contemporary traditional Judaism in something like their present form, including Torah reading, the Amidah, and establishing the feast of Purim.^[13]

In Rabbinic traditions, Ezra is metaphorically referred to as the "flowers that appear on the earth" signifying the springtime in the national history of Judaism. A disciple of Baruch ben Neriah, he favored study of the Law over the reconstruction of the Temple and thus because of his studies, he did not join the first party returning to Jerusalem in the reign of Cyrus. According to another opinion, he did not join the first party so as not to compete, even involuntarily, with Jeshua ben Jozadak for the office of chief priest.^[13] According to Bamidbar Rabbah, Ezra was doubtful of the correctness of some words in the Torah and said, "Should Elijah... approve the text, the points [ed: dots that he scribed above the letters] will be disregarded; should he disapprove, the doubtful words will be removed from the text".^[13][14]

According to tradition, Ezra was the writer of the Books of Chronicles.^[13]

In the Syrian village of Tedef, a shrine said to be the burial place of Ezra has been venerated by Jews for centuries. Another tradition locates his tomb near Basra, Iraq.

Ezra in Christian traditions[link]

Early Christian writers occasionally cited Ezra as author of the apocalyptic books attributed to him. Clement of Alexandria in his Stromata referred to Ezra as an example of prophetic inspiration, quoting a section from 2 Esdras.^[15]

Ezra in Islam[link]

In Islam he is known as Uzair (Arabic: عزير). He was mentioned in the Qur'an. Although he was not mentioned as one of the Prophets of Islam, he is considered as one of them by some Muslim scholars, based on Islamic traditions.^[16][17] His tomb at Al-ʻUzair on the banks of the Tigris near Basra, Iraq, is a pilgrimage site for the local Marsh Arabs.^[18][19]

Academic view[link]

Historicity and genealogy[link]

Mary Joan Winn Leith in The Oxford History of the Biblical World believes that Ezra was an historical figure whose life was enhanced in the scripture and given a theological buildup.^[20] Gosta W. Ahlstrom argues the inconsistencies of the biblical tradition are insufficient to say that Ezra, with his central position as the 'father of Judaism' in the Jewish tradition, has been a later literary invention.^[21] Those who argue against the historicity of Ezra argue that the presentation style of Ezra as a leader and lawgiver resembles that of Moses. There are also similarities between Ezra the priest-scribe (but not high priest) and Nehemiah the secular governor on the one hand and Joshua and Zerubbabel on the other hand. The early 2nd century BCE Jewish author Ben Sira praises Nehemiah, but makes no mention of Ezra.^[20]

Timeline[link]

Scholars are divided over the chronological sequence of the activities of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra came to Jerusalem "in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the King".^[22] The text does not specify whether the king in the passage refers to Artaxerxes I (465-424 BCE) or to Artaxerxes II (404-359 BCE).^[23][24] Most scholars hold that Ezra lived during the rule of Artaxerxes I, though some have difficulties with this assumption:^[3] Nehemiah and Ezra "seem to have no knowledge of each other; their missions do not overlap;^[25] and no reflection of Ezra's activity appears in Jerusalem of Nehemiah."^[26] These difficulties have led many scholars to assume that Ezra arrived in the seventh year of the rule of Artaxerxes II, i.e. some 50 years after Nehemiah. This assumption would imply that the biblical account is not chronological. The last group of scholars regard "the seventh year" as a scribal error and hold that the two men were contemporaries.^[3][27]

See also[link]

Esdras, about the classification of the books adscribed to Ezra: Book of Ezra (and Book of Nehemiah for the non-rabbinical tradition, combined with the former into Ezra-Nehemiah), 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bossman, D. (1979). "Ezra's Maniage Reform: Israel Redefined". Biblical Theology Bulletin 9: 32–38. DOI:10.1177/014610797900900105. 
• Bright, John (1981). A history of Israel (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Westminster Press. ISBN 0-664-21381-2. 
• Fensham, F. Charles (1983). The books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-2362-9. 
• LaSor, William Sanford; Hubbard, David Allan; Bush, Frederick William (1982). Old Testament survey. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-3556-2. 
• Williamson, H.G.M. (1987). Ezra and Nehemiah. Sheffield: JSOT for the Society for Old Testament Study. ISBN 1-85075-045-9. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ezra

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Ezra the Scribe
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Esdras

"Better Than" is an alternative rock single/extended play by Australian jam band The John Butler Trio from their fourth studio album, Grand National. Produced by John Butler and Mario Caldato Jr., it was released in the United States on 20 February 2007 as an online single, the third single in Australia and the first overseas single from the album.

The EP includes two previously unreleased tracks recorded in the Grand National sessions, and a special radio mix version of "Better Than" from US sound man, Chris Lord-Alge.

The EP debuted at number sixteen in the ARIA Singles Chart on 3 September 2007.^[1] "Better Than" was also popular in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2007 being voted at #4^[2] and appearing on the compilation CD.

On 31 July 2007 the song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[3]

Track listing[link]

All tracks written by John Butler

Personnel[link]

The John Butler Trio

• John Butler – vocals, acoustic/amplified 6 string guitar, harmonica
• Shannon Birchall – double bass, backing vocals
• Michael Barker – drums, congas, shaker, tambourine, cow bells, vibraslap, backing vocals

Production credits

• John Butler – producer
• Mario Caldato Jr. – producer, engineer, mixing
• Shannon Birchall – co-producer
• Michael Barker – co-producer
• Jarrad Hearman – assistant engineer
• Bernie Grundman – mastering
• Tom Walker – artwork

References[link]