Better Than Ezra

US alt-rock behemoths Better Than Ezra were founded in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Kevin Griffin (vocals, guitar), Tom Drummond (bass), and Joel Rundell (lead guitar), with Cary Bonnecaze later joining on drums. They rose to fame in the mid-1990s, after releasing their cassette-only debut Surprise in 1990. Joel Rundell died by suicide on 8 August 1990 and the band took some time out to process their loss, before returning to the informal live circuit—playing house and frat parties—at the end of the year. Their breakthrough arrived in 1993 with the release of their sophomore album Deluxe, which attracted the interest of the Warner-owned Elektra Records with whom they signed in 1995, re-releasing Deluxe through the label. The LP was certified platinum in the US and landed at number 35 on the US Billboard 200, yielding their biggest single to date in "Good," which propelled them towards mainstream success. The band continued their ascent to the summit of US alt-rock with subsequent albums such as 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow?—which enjoyed a boost in popularity thanks to the appearance of "One More Murder" in the X-Files movie—and 2005's Before the Robots, which spawned a hit in the reworked version of "A Lifetime." That year also saw the release of their Greatest Hits compilation. They signed with The End Records for their eighth studio album All Together Now (2014), which was mixed and produced by Tony Hoffer. However, they largely slipped under the radar for the next decade, returning in 2024 with their ninth studio album Super Magick, produced by the band's frontman Kevin Griffin and Emery Dobyns.