April 1, 1999 (11:59pm)
News article? APRIL FOOLS!:)
April 1, 1999
Whoa, I found something scary in one of my trade magazines at work:
THIRD EYE BLIND, BETTER THAN EZRA TO JOIN FORCES FOR COMMERCIAL: Elektra's acts Third Eye Blind and Better Than Ezra will enter the studio in late May to record a joint venture for an upcoming TV commercial. Following such acts as LL Cool J, Luscious Jackson, and Aerosmith, the two groups will collaborate in an ad for The Gap. The Gap has been targeting the MTV audience (among others) with some of today's hottest artists performing original short songs. When asked about the rumored differences between the two bands, 3EB frontman Stephan Jenkins explained, "That sh*t is blown way out of proportion. We've never had a problem with Better Than Ezra." BTE's Kevin Griffin agrees with his labelmate. "We're looking forward to working with Third Eye Blind." No date has been set for filming, but look for the commercial to appear over the summer.
ATS peaked a few weeks ago at #17 on Rn'R's charts. It slipped on Rick Dees countdown as well. The guys did a good job with it, though. The new single will be "Like it Like That," and it will be released in April. According to Tom, there's a new mix of the song that will be released. He said it rocks. So, go ahead and start calling your stations and requesting it...Get some interest in it early, and maybe this one will be a hit, too... (Hit enough for a video)
In complete NON-Ezra news, I've come across a really AWESOME band from DC called No Cash Value. They gave their demo to Tom. Let's hope something comes from it... These guys are seriously talented. Check 'em out...They've got Real Audio samples on there.
March 25, 1999
Whassup? If you were at the New York Bowery Ballroom shows and saw video cameras...the guys are working on a tour video and you could've been on it! :) Tom says the video will probably be released sometime in the future.
Unfortunately, I think ATS has peaked. It's slipped some on all the charts, and I think we can directly relate this to the complete LACK OF A VIDEO!!! (Elektra, are you reading this??) Don't blame the guys for this... They wanted to make one as bad as you wanted to see one. From what I understand, the next single is "Like it Like That", so maybe something will happen there.
February 22, 1999
Oh, what a busy two weeks. Mardi Gras and four Ezra shows (and 8 rolls of film to remember them!) Pics from 2/11-2/12 Tipitina's and 2/19 - Jackson are up in The Darkroom. Check 'em out...There's LOTS of them. Pics from 2/18 - Howlin' Wolf will be up soon. 3/5 is Bonne Fete in Baton Rouge, and then I get a break! Man, never thought I'd be saying THAT!:)
The guys have moved up to #28 on Rick Dees and #24 on R&R's Top 40 chart. Way to go!!:) Hopefully soon we'll hear they're making a video. Please keep calling your stations...Ask them if there's a video. Maybe they'll say something to Elektra.:P
February 10, 1999
Okay, guys, we need your help. Apparently, it slipped the mind of the high and mighty Jazzfest to call and invite BTE to play this year. What?? Yep, you heard right. Jazzfest snubbed them. All isn't lost, though. I called Rod Ryan (afternoon guy at 106.7 The End in New Orleans) and told him what was going on. The result? A petition to get Ezra on the bill! YAY!! Rod, if you're out there, you rock my face off! :) Hopefully, the petition will be put online so all of us concerned Ezralites can sign it (hee hee). In the meantime, what can you do? Snail mail is effective. Address your letters to:
Jazz and Heritage Festival
1205 N. Rampart St.
New Orleans, LA 70116-2436
Phone: (504) 522-4786
You can also go here... It's a message board for Jazzfest. Go there and post how you feel. And if you're wondering what all the fuss is about... Jazzfest is the biggest music festival in Louisiana. BTE has helped set attendance records for the past 3 years, and this year, nada. Very uncool. Help show your support, okay?
Also, don't forget that the guys will be on Open House Party this weekend. It's a live syndicated show with John Garabedean, usually found on your local Top 40 station on Saturday nights. You can call in requests at 1-800-669-1010. Speaking of Top 40, the guys have moved up to #33 on Rick Dees Weekly Top 40. His number is 1-800-RICK-DEES. Call him, too!
January 29, 1999
Howdy! New room in the House! The Gift Shop! Get those credit cards ready...haha! Sign the guestbook and let me know what you think!:)
And on a more serious note, "At the Stars" is shooting up the Top 40 charts, but it's slipping down on Modern Rock (on R&R and Billboard)... Please call your alternative stations and request the song... It's too good a song to drop off and disappear... Call your Top 40 stations while you're at it... They could use the boost!
January 23, 1999
Hey! LOTS of new pics up in The Darkroom, under Miscellaneous BTE... Including the cover of the radio magazine Network 40. Did you see Leno? They did a great job... And that frat party Kevin mentioned? Pic from it is in The Darkroom... Check out their faces! HA!
Lots of new tour dates, too...with an updated Roadtripper's Guide to Ezra! Yay! I'm going to about four or five of them, I think. Woo hoo! And finally... The Baton Rouge pictures are FINALLY up in the Darkroom... A whopping two months AFTER the show. Oh well...At least they're up!
January 13, 1999
Helloooo!! WATCH THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!! (1/15) Guess what band's gonna be playing?? Mmmhmmm. They're gonna be doing "At the Stars," and it should be pretty cool. Let's just hope they've fixed the sound problems they seem to have on that show...
If there's a Top 40 station in your area (and chances are, there are several), start calling and requesting "At the Stars." It was officially released to Top 40 on Monday (1/11). They were #2 Most Added the week BEFORE the song officially came out! Isn't that awesome? They're at #13 on R&R's Alternative Char
December 24, 1998
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!! Hope the weather isn't TOO bad where you are. The roads froze here and I can't go home for Christmas.:( Oh well.
Let me know if you're going to the House of Blues show in New Orleans this Sunday. I'll be there.:)
A big CONGRATULATIONS to the guys, too! "At the Stars" is skyrocketing! They're Top 20 on Billboard and #15 on R&R's Modern Rock chart! And the song has just been released to Top 40 radio (official add date 1/11), so call all your stations and request it! We want this to go all the way for them. They're filming a video mid-January, too! Something else to look forward to! :)
December 12, 1998
Hey! Aren't these cool? Pat and I found them at the Celtic Arts Festival in New Orleans last month. It's Tom's and Travis' family crests and tartan plaids! Clan Drummond (Mr. Badass Kilt Man) and Clan Macnab(McNabb) (Looks kinda like a miniskirt and kneesocks, doesn't it?:) )
November 16, 1998
Hellooo! The Halloween pictures are up!:) ...As are the Starkville pics. Baton Rouge pics coming soon.
Keep calling your radio stations and requesting "At the Stars"... We want this to go all the way for them. And you know what they say... If the airplay is good, a video is in our future. So CALL, okay? :) I'm working on something where you can email your requests in from here. Keep checking back.
November 11, 1998
Quick update...The Starkville pictures are up, as well as the "At the Stars" promo ad. Check them out! Halloween and Baton Rouge pics up soon!:) Speaking of "At the Stars," they had another great wek. They were number one on the "Most Increased Plays" list, up from 10 plays a week two weeks ago to 690 plays last week!!! Rock ON, guys! Call your stations!! Till next time...:)
November 4, 1998
Yeah, yeah, I know it's been like a month. I've been really busy... Managed to squeeze in a few shows, too. The Jackson pictures are up in The Darkroom, and the Starkville and Halloween-Houston pictures are gonna be up soon. Speaking of Halloween...They were ZZ Top!! It was SO cute - they had the beards, fuzzy guitars, and everything. That show was so awesome. Moonlight Madness must've struck them and made them loopy (not to mention they'd already played Endfest earlier that day)... Kevin was half naked for a good chunk of the show, Travis was sporting a huge Eric Cartman head, and Tom had bunny ears!
CONGRATULATIONS to the guys, too! "At the Stars" was #1 Most Added at Alternative Radio last week, and was on the Most Added list at Rock, Active Rock, and Adult Alternative stations. They were added on 72 stations!!!! Go, guys!! I'm starting a list of radio station numbers/e-mail addresses, etc. It'll be posted soon. I need volunteers to help out in my little campaign to get ATS played...A LOT. Basically, we're gonna email/call (800#s) in shifts and see what happens. Even if you don't want to get big-time involved, please call your local stations and request ATS. The guys thank you. :)
I've added new questions to The Gameroom, too...Check 'em out. They're great...matey.;)
If you're planning on going to Baton Rouge this Saturday, I'll be there. Just look for the velvet wonder.:) We're gonna recreate our trip and NOT wipeout this time...we hope.:P If you see the guys, they should be somewhat sparkly. Kevin asked me to bring them some body glitter in Starkville, and it was delivered in Houston, so they should be going nuts with it. :)
October 8, 1998
This is real quick, but the guys were on MTV News' website today... Watch for them on MTV. Read the article here. It's about Cary and lawsuits.
September 30, 1998
Hurricane Georges can bite me. Endfest was cancelled (and on a personal note, my apartment has been without power for two days now, thanks to the stupid thing). A lot of people travelled in for it and were stuck. The Jackson show went on, though. I got LOTS of pictures (really good ones!)... As soon as my power comes back (I'm on at work...no scanner), I'll have them up for you. In the meantime, there are a lot of new tour dates at The Driveway... Check 'em out. I'm gonna try to make the Halloween show in Houston. Sounds like fun... The guys are trying to come up with costumes that'll top Devo. I've got a couple of ideas... Ha ha.
September 30, 1998
Hello! There's a new room to the House...The Gameroom! Check it out and let me know what you think. Your computer has to be able to play .wav files for it to work correctly, though. People wrote and said they couldn't find some of the rooms that aren't on the main map, so if you're interested, you can still go to The Bushes and the Wipeout pages.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Hurricane Georges doesn't wipe out New Orleans before Endfest next weekend. The tickets say rain or shine, but surely they wouldn't attempt a festival in a hurricane...Right? (?!?!) I hope it's a nice and sunny day because a lot of people (including me) are planning a trip down to New Orleans for the show!
Not much else to report. The guys are getting ready to kick off the official HDYGG tour, with Athenaeum and Possum Dixon opening. Almost all of the dates I have are at The Driveway, along with the roadtrip guide. If you're driving, drive safely!! I don't want a Wipeout, Part Two page! Till next time...:)
August 29, 1998
Hellooooo! So, what do you think of the album?? Each time I listen to it, I find that I love it even more. [Giving the guys a standing ovation] I hope it goes all the way for them.
So, lotsa stuff's happened in the past week... Did you hear Rockline? If so, you heard me on there. Ha ha! Kevin actually did NOT murder me for that question... He and Izzy said it was really good. Ha ha... I'd told Tom earlier that I wasn't going to embarrass them TOO much!:)
Go to The Darkroom! Why? I've got a ton of pics from the Virgin Megastore performance up. More coming later...whenever I feel like scanning them.:)
The Driveway has been updated with a LOT of new dates, too. I'll work some more on the Roadtrip Guide. I should've known they'd add a ton of new dates as soon as I finished it... Oh well! :) If you're going to Endfest or Jackson, MS, let me know...I'll be there, too. Till next time!
August 18, 1998
Howdy! I've been doing a bit of remodeling...can you tell?:)
I've added two new rooms to the House of Ezra. The Bushes and the Wipeout page. The last one is a little on the graphic side, but if you're going to roadtrip, you may ought to look at it.
August 11, 1998
Hello! New stuff to report! There are new tour dates at The Driveway! The infant version of the Roadtrip Guide is up in there, too. Remember that if you're going to roadtrip, Roadtrip Safely! The guys will be in the official chatroom Sunday, August 16th, at 9pm... The only thing with that is that I'm not positive what time zone that 9pm is... I'm guessing central, since that's the time zone for New Orleans, but you never know...
The guys are gonna be busy in the next couple of weeks. Sunday, August 23rd, the guys are going to be on Modern Rock Live, a call-in show on many alternative radio stations. The next night, they'll be on Rockline, a call-in radio show on many rock stations. The Rockline number is 1-800-344-ROCK, and the show starts at 11:30pm Eastern Time... Then Tuesday, THE ALBUM IS RELEASED!! For people in and around the New Orleans area (which includes me - WOO HOO), the guys will be at the new Virgin Megastore in the French Quarter around 7-ish to sign copies of the album. I'm gonna try to be there...Will you?
Advance order the album here!
More new stuff coming soon! Till next time... :)
July 21, 1998
ALBUM NEWS!!! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a track listing for How Does Your Garden Grow?!:)
How Does Your Garden Grow?
1. Je ne m'en souviens pas
2. One More Murder
3. At the Stars
4. Like it Like That
5. Alison Foley
6. Under You
7. Live Again
8. Happy Day MaMa
9. Pull
10. Particle
11. Beautiful Mistake
12. Everything in 2s
13. New Kind of Low
a) Low
b) Coma
14. Waxing or Waning?
Plus, Tom said that there's an uncredited song, too... No word on whether it's at the beginning or end of the CD, though. :) I've heard a lot of the album, and it's really wonderful. Tom said they're really proud of it... They should be! There was a website that had a lot of the album up in RealAudio... It lasted about three days. Hear Tom's reaction to the site.
Remember how the word of the year was "Hellooooo"?:) Call the BTE Info line (504-899-8371). That first word is all you need. HAHA! Actually, pay attention to what Travis says. He said that they're playing a show in Dayton, OH (but I can't remember the date), and August 23rd (Sunday), they'll be on Modern Rock Live, which is carried on many alternative stations. On Monday, August 24th, they'll be on Rockline, which is carried on many rock stations. It starts at 10:30pm Central Time, and the number is 1-800-344-ROCK... Call in with your questions! On Tuesday, August 25th, the album is released!! The guys will be at the Virgin Megastore in the French Quarter, signing copies on the 25th... As soon as I find out a time, I'll let you know.
Remember... The Baton Rouge show is THIS FRIDAY!! It's 18+, and I think tickets are sold out. Unless something major happens, I'm definitely there... Look for us dedicated hanging out in the front row... I want to meet everyone! See ya Friday!
July 14, 1998
Hola! Hope you're gonna be in Baton Rouge at the Varsity on July 24th... BTE's gonna be there...are you? Tickets are $16 (plus that not-so-convenient charge) and available at Ticketmaster. I might actually be able to make this one...not sure. I'm trying for a job in Laurel (hahaha), MS, and if I'm down that way by next week, then I'm there. Otherwise, I'll be at Metallica in Nashville...:) Hee hee... Either way, it's all good.:) Not too much else to report. I'm working on a new room... The Closet. It'll be up in the next few days...I think you'll get a kick. :) See ya!!
July 6, 1998
Hey, guys! Yeah, I know I need to get a little better about this, but things are coming together, and this page is gonna undergo some cool changes...Keep checking back.
Have you seen the official site yet? When you're done with my site, Go see it! Have you seen the X-Files movie yet? I highly recommend it. My obsessive X-phile self has seen it 3 times already. "One More Murder" isn't in the movie, but the movie's still awesome. Tom said that OMM is gonna be the 3rd single from the soundtrack. I hope it does well... Blitz your local radio stations when it's released. From what I understand, the video's done (or close to it), too. When it's released, dial 1-800-DIAL-MTV and let's keep it on Total Request. I can't wait. :)
The St. Louis Independence Day show was WONDERFUL!! The EzraGurls had a GREAT time! The pics are up in The Darkroom...Go check 'em out! A full review coming soon in BTE Live (email Therese to sign up)... Let's just say it involved beads, panties, and Elvis...Hehe. It rocked. Not to mention that I was there with some of the coolest people I know!:) I can't wait for the next one! Till next time...:) SEE YA!
June 10, 1998
Hey! New stuff! Woo hoo! Tom's Room is now finished...for now. I'm adding more to it, but what I've got is a start, and it's up... You can click here to take you there. Let me know what you think!
Speaking of Tom, I got to talk to him the other day... He said that the official site, betterthanezra.com is going online June 19th, the same day as the X-Files movie. From what he described, it sounds really neat... Just, um, remember how long this page has been up... It's been up for over a year now...
So what do you think of "One More Murder"? I think it has single potential, and apparently the powers-that-be do, too, 'cause Tom told me that it's gonna be the 3rd single from the X-Files soundtrack!! YES!! The movie's gotta do well... It's the X-Files, ya know? ...So that means there's a darn good chance there will be a VIDEO for it! Alright! Like I said... Lotsa good news. :) If anything else is announced, I'll keep ya posted... Till next time...
April 29, 1998
Just a quick note to let ya know that the Mojo Fest and Mardi Gras pics (they're kinda dark...sorry!) are up in The Darkroom. Enjoy!:)
June 8, 1998
Yeah, I know it's been a little while. I'm sorry. Lotsa stuff happening. I'm working on a neat new little feature for the House of Ezra... I just need tour dates first. Trust me, you'll think it's cool...:) Gee, I'm so modest...haha
Okay, so what's happened this past month? Well, last Tuesday brought us the X-Files: Fight the Future soundtrack featuring "One More Murder." Awesome song... Album version is quite a bit more electronic than what you've heard at shows. It isn't bad by any means. I absolutely love it! The movie itself comes out June 19th, and word has it that the song is NOT in the movie. What? Yep. Only three songs from the soundtrack made it, and BTE wasn't one of them. Oh well... Song still rocks. According to Travis (on the BTE Hotline), the song will ALSO be on the new album. Groovy, baby! The new album (could be called How Your Garden Grows) is set to be released August 25th. Mark those calendars... and check to see what stores in your area have midnight sales! I had good luck at our 24-hour Wal-Mart for the X-Files soundtrack, believe it or not.
I'm gonna try to be a little better about keeping this updated. Like I said, though, lotsa stuff going on. :) Till next time...:)
Page Owner's Little Editorial... Exactly where is that sacred line? The one that some people cross over into unwelcome territory? Unfortunately, I've heard some stuff about some Ezralites getting a little too overzealous in their quest to know everything about the guys. We need to stop this from happening. Know why? Have you noticed how convienent and easy it is to meet the guys after a show (most of the time)? They hang out by the T-shirt stand. This could stop. They could run to the bus after the show. We all know the guys live in the Garden District of New Orleans, along with Anne Rice, Trent Reznor, and others. Let's leave it at that. We don't need to know the exact addresses... They aren't going to invite you in for tea. Having a restraining order against you is NOT something to be bragging about! Ya know? Okay. I had to get that off my chest. Soapbox is going back in the corner now...:)
That's all for now... Keep checking back for the new stuff, 'cause it WILL be here soon! :) Love you guys! :)
Back to the Front Door!