Since circulating its first demo cassette tape to preparing for an eighth studio album, rock trio Better Than Ezra has clung to its University roots through the years.
The New Orleans-based band will return to Baton Rouge to perform alongside country singer Darius Rucker on Friday at the L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. The event is outdoors, “rain or shine.”
Tom Drummond, bassist for the band, said he expects it to be a spirited show.
“It’s a Friday night before a LSU game,” he said. “I’m assuming it’ll be a very energetic show with a lot of lively crowd participation.”
Even after seven studio albums, several chart-topping hits and more than two decades since its formation at LSU, Drummond said Better than Ezra is still heavily influenced by University culture. This is most evident in the group’s latest EP, “Death Valley,” which was released last October.
The seven-song album transformed Tiger Band signatures like “Hey Baby” and “Chinese Bandits” into modernized, pop-rock renditions adapted to the band’s unique sound. Drummond said fans reacted positively to the change.
“We updated the songs and put a little BTE spin on them,” he said. “It’s not like we were trying to make hits. The songs were all hits from their era.”
In November, the band will head to Los Angeles to record its eighth studio album. Drummond said the new album will rely less on pro-tools and computer automation to create a “cool vibes, band-in-a-room” sort of atmosphere.
He said gimmicks, over-production and lack of content often plague present-day rock bands, which is why the group will meticulously prepare before the album’s release.
“We want to make sure we have more than enough songs than we need,” he said “We want it to be a quality album. We don’t like to put out fluff.”
Dedication and love for music are what kept the 24-year-old band together, Drummond said. He said the band puts a heavy focus on writing, performing and enjoying itself.
When the trio isn’t working together as a group, Drummond said its members still dabble in the music industry. He is usually at his studio in New Orleans, and Kevin Griffin, the band’s lead singer, writes music for other artists.
“It’s good because it keeps us in touch with everything that’s going on and still allows us to do what we love,” he said.
A lot has changed since the band’s first performance at the now-obsolete Murphy’s Bar in 1988, including a change of line-up involving band drummer Michael Jerome.
Drummond reminisced on touring and the wild crowds of the ’90s, when the group climbed from fraternity favorites to nationally acclaimed rock stars.
“Obviously, our life expanses have changed quite bit from when you’re basically in a band to get girls and get free beer,” he said.
Now, as most of the group members have families and young children, life on the road will change. But Drummond said the band will rekindle its touring roots shortly after the release of its eighth studio album next summer.
Friday’s concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $40.
