Better Than Ezra formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1988, when singer and guitarist Kevin Griffin, lead guitarist Joel Rundell, bassist Tom Drummond, and drummer Cary Bonnecaze came together while all four members were attending Louisiana State University . Better Than Ezra's first public performance was at Murphy's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also in 1988. The band's early years were marked by tragedy when Joel Rundell, the band's lead guitarist, committed suicide on August 8, 1990. After taking time to grieve, Griffin, Drummond and Bonnecaze reunited Better Than Ezra as a trio by the end of 1990, continuing to play house parties and fraternity shows across the southern United States as they built a following on the college rock circuit.
The band's breakthrough came with their album Deluxe, originally self-released on November 16, 1993, through their independent label Swell Records before being reissued nationally by Elektra Records on February 28, 1995 . The reissue proved transformative, as the album marked the band's breakthrough, selling over one million copies in the United States and earning platinum certification from the RIAA, and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 chart . Its lead single, "Good," became a defining moment for the band, as it topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 12 weeks, reached number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and peaked at number 30 on the Hot 100 . Guitarist Kevin Griffin later reflected on the whirlwind rise, noting "It took us seven years to get signed, and then seven weeks to get to #1." The trio of Griffin, Drummond, and Bonnecaze rode this success into their major-label follow-up, cementing their place in the mid-90s alternative rock explosion.
In the years that followed, Better Than Ezra continued to evolve, both musically and in personnel. The band has released nine studio albums, most recently 2024's Super Magick , and its current lineup includes Kevin Griffin on vocals and guitar, Tom Drummond on bass guitar, Michael Jerome on drums, and James Arthur Payne Jr. on guitar and keyboards . Griffin also built a notable career as a songwriter beyond the band, a period during which he kept his focus on music, but concentrated on writing material for other artists such as James Blunt, Barenaked Ladies, and Sugarland . The band marked career milestones with anniversary celebrations, including when Better Than Ezra celebrated the 25th anniversary of Friction, Baby by playing the complete album at a pair of August 2021 shows at the House of Blues New Orleans , and they returned to the studio in 2014 for the album All Together Now, produced by Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer.
Today, Better Than Ezra remains an active touring and recording act nearly four decades after its founding, still centered on the New Orleans scene that shaped its sound. The band's legacy is reflected in its critical recognition, having landed on Billboard's "100 Greatest Alternative Artists of All Time" and "100 Greatest Alternative Songs of All Time" lists, and building an adoring following who call themselves Ezralites . Even pop culture took notice, with the band achieving milestones like getting name-checked on Saturday Night Live, a small but telling sign of how deeply "Good" and Deluxe embedded themselves into the fabric of 1990s alternative rock.
Better Than Ezra holds a lasting place in this archive as one of the acts Wayne Dennon captured during his years documenting live music, having photographed the band at one show in 2005. That night is preserved through 25 photographs in the collection, images that have drawn 19,576 views from archive visitors over the years, a quiet testament to the band's enduring pull on fans who still return to relive the energy of that performance.
