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.
