Seeing Better Than Ezra live is not only an awesome show, it's an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience. How many shows have you been to where the lead singer jumps off the stage, into the audience, and records screaming fans with a Sampler, then proceeds to dance around with the black box in hand and incorporate the sounds into the song? Not many. Their onstage antics can probably be traced back to their days playing frat parties at Louisiana State University or at local bars in Baton Rouge.

BTE first caught the public's attention with their successful, catchy single "Good" from The Babysitters Club soundtrack. Their third album 'How Does Your Garden Grow?' is an eclectic blend of pop, rock, ballads, and New Orleans jazz. If you enjoy the music of the late Jeff Buckley you'll definitely hear his influence on this record. With catchy songs and genuinely good lyrics, this album is definitely a must have for any music lover.

The Slack Zine had the opportunity to interview bassist Tom Drummond from this wonderful band. So sit back, and get ready to be sucked into the strange world that is Better Than Ezra.

SZ: "How Does Your Garden Grow?" was a different direction from your previous releases - doing something like that is risky obviously - however was that the most positive/creatively rewarding experience you've had so far during the recording process?

BTE: Kevin and I (Tom) have been playing together for over 11 years. We felt that we need some new influences to show thru on this record. Our favorite bands are those who learn to grow and change and adapt their sound over time. I think the thing we learned most on this record was to just really keep an open mind about what direction a song can go. For example Beautiful Mistake on this record (HDYGG) was a song left over from Friction, Baby that we re-recorded in our new frame of thinking. We tried to use all the electronics on the record as organically as possible. We didn't want it to sound forced.

SZ: Also, do you think the experimentation of "How Does Your Garden Grow?" is a result of the freedom of recording in your own studio or just evolving as musicians/songwriters, or both?

BTE: A little of both. Also in the mix there is working with Malcolm Burn, who had a lot of the same ideas about direction and sounds as we did. Having your own place to record is amazing. You can just experiment until you have something instead of watching the clock and worry about studio rental rates.

SZ: Are any of you into surfing the web and online stuff when you have the time and do you have any favorites websites?

BTE: I surf occasionally, but mostly I'm kept busy online answering our sites e-mail. I visit eBay some to see what bogus autograph pieces are being auctioned.

SZ: Sometimes during interviews well known bands will admit to sort of spying and seeing what's being said about them on message boards, newsgroups, fan sites etc...do any of you do that?

BTE: Yeah, I've done that. Our fans like to have fun. Just recently there was a Prom Queen contest held at our expense. Our faces superimposed on girls in prom dresses. Go figure ?!?!? Kevin won I think. Have you visited Ferlen's Fun BTE Page? It's some really funny stuff about the band, she is very creative.

SZ: If you could be a character in an Austin Powers movie - which one would you be and why?

BTE: Austin Baby, yeah. He gets all the Shagadelic babes. Ooooo and Sarah (Heather?) Graham looks sooooo good in this new one!

SZ: When I listen to "How Does Your Garden Grow?" certain songs reminded me a lot of the late Jeff Buckley, was he someone who influenced you musically?

BTE: Certainly. Grace was one of our favorite records. Jeff was a friend of ours, and he will be deeply missed. We actually obtained our string arranger due to Jeff's record. We worked with Carl Berger in Woodstock, NY. He worked on Grace among many others.

SZ: The whole boy band trend is big in the pop scene right now - do you have any opinions on what Dexter Holland describes as "buff white guys who sing slow jams"?

BTE: For me music has to have a little more meaning. I'm mean don't get me wrong, the new Backstreet Boys song has a great melody, but that's about as far as it goes. It would be stupid to ignore the boy band thing because you can always learn about trends in the music industry. As far as Dexter Holland goes... how many times can you make the same record? Hate that band.

SZ: Do you have any predictions regarding what direction music will take next?

BTE: I think that we are definitely seeing a super-pop time in the industry right now. But, there is also this recurrent trend of really hard rock bands... Korn and Limp Bizkit etc... I'd like to believe that a good song and writers will eventually rise to the top after the fads go away.

SZ: Are you going to continue to tour till the end of '99 or will it end this fall?

BTE: We are just now starting to plan a tour that starts in late August or Early September that will run up to the end of the year. We're playing at Camden Yards in Baltimore for New Years Eve. Should be a lot of fun. I think that it is being televised.

SZ: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

BTE: Record what you've got when you can afford it. Which is getting easier and easier to do by the way. Technology is becoming way more affordable today. It's much cheaper to record now than we made our first record (Deluxe) in '95. Also, play out of town as much as possible. You'll learn more than you think.