Better Than Ezra - A little better than I remember

"Free concert by the mall on the west side, behind the Walmart and near the Chic-fil-A."
"That doesn't sound promising, I think I'll pass. Who is the band?"
"Better Than Ezra."
"Oh really?..Oh why not. I guess"

Yeah, that really happened. Better Than Ezra played at a monthly moving Summerfest in a suburb shopping shopping district in Albuquerque. Is there anything more un-rock n' roll than the lot behind the Walmart, in front of Perfect Teeth dentists, and next to AT&T Wireless? I am sure there is something more uncool, but I would really have to think about it. None of that really matters, though, because Better Than Ezra owned it and certainly made it a lot more out of it than expected.

Let us analyze what I just said: "Better Than Ezra owned it," a band while I was in high school who were really only for teeny-bopper girls. There were really no boy bands in that era of music – BTE was about as close as we got – and they were borderline adult contemporary. If any boy liked them, they had to keep it pretty quiet. They are a group that had a few minor rock hits scattered throughout the mid- to late-nineties. They had at least four that even people who weren't paying attention will probably remember. And yes, I learned how to play the song "Good" on the guitar if for no other reason than to garner attention from the cute girls. So I guess you could say I owe them one.

The concert setting was as bad as I described. It had a beer garden about 100ft from the stage off to the left, where a great chunk of their original fan base resided. There were a few food trucks where you could buy some fair food, a few booths from local vendors, and a modest bounce house. Aside from the potential for some professional rock n' roll, it was possibly the lamest festival you have ever seen.

The opening group was an ensemble of pop/bluegrass style female quartet. They were certainly talented but probably not a good lead in for the band. As we endured the rain in Albuquerque, waiting to see what BTE looks like now, it was very difficult to imagine they would have a crowd at 9pm, even for a free show. The place was filled with 5 years olds, which I imagine most BTE fans have about now. Things looked bleak for the former MTV golden boys. Then the show started and the skies cleared for some fine rock n' roll.

At first, they are exactly who we remember – no more, no less. With the exception of about 10 pounds and 2 crow's feet, they look exactly the same as when they first broke out. In the most understated era for rock since the 50's, Better Than Ezra was probably the most understated of them all. They were the antithesis of Van Halen, Guns n' Roses – hell, they didn't even really have the grunge thing going that Nirvana did. They were clean cut and tattoo free. BTE was certainly not a band whose lifestyle you really envied behind closed doors. They looked more like the guys you stayed up with cramming for that Western Civilization final exam in college than a bunch of rock stars. There were no wanking guitar solos, controversial lyrics, or complicated music structure to speak of. Maybe that was their secret – they were very safe, very accessible, and very separated from the image of the day. Or maybe having no image or excess was their image. We can relate to them.

As much as my adolescent self wanted to deny them any credibility as a rock band, there was something disarming and hard not to like about singer Kevin Griffin's unique voice. Much like some of their contemporary light alternative rockers, Gin Blossoms, Soul Asylum, and Counting Crows, it was a voice that you listened to that made you feel better on a bad day, a voice that almost seems to take a photo of warm sentimental moments of being young. Music that just sounded good in the morning after a great party with your best friends.

This was the  realization that occurred to me only while finally watching them live. Much like their music and image suggests, they are not a wild stage show, they are not a particularly funny group of guys like Blink 182, and they are certainly not the dangerous type. Still, they are fun and you would be hard pressed not to smile even if you don't catch yourself hand-banging. They made plenty of 90's-esque self-deprecating jokes, particularly about playing across from a Best Buy and Chi-fil-a. They like to toss their picks in the crowd and walk to the edge of the stage and smile. Better Than Ezra for me proved that if you honestly have a great time earning your check the fun way, it can be infectious to those around you, in their case the crowd. We were truly entertained.

The crowd did fill right up as the show began. It wasn't a hostile or crazy-girl crowd, but one that preferred standing. I would guess around 400 people showed up to enjoy the show with sincere enthusiasm. The stage, although collapsable, was large with professional lighting and sound.Other than its odd placement, there was nothing to suggest the band has fallen from relevancy. Clearly they maintained marquee value, even if it was a community event. And for what it was, it was spectacular. My hat's off to who ever booked Better Than Ezra – it looked to have been a huge success and a memorable concert. Safe enough for the family, fun enough for the teenagers.

I can't tell you after watching them that I would drive two hours to see them again or even buy their newest record. I was never able to listen to their records front to back in first place. Sincerely do I doubt I will ever be faced with voting for BTE on the ballot for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Despite all that, I will say, I cannot listen to a 90's compilation and feel it to be complete without some peppering of Better Than Ezra. After seeing them live, I still don't envy their lives back stage, because it is probably exactly like mine, but I certainly envy their lives while on stage. "Keep spreading the good cheer Better Than Ezra, and rock on."

Donna Dunne - Ireland's best kept secret... for now.

Traveling to Ireland on holiday, I had lots of anticipation for the country side, historical landmarks, and culture, but what I wasn't looking for that I found was the most alive bar district and music scene I have ever experienced. And I definitely wasn't expecting the local rock starlet Donna Dunne.

To digress a bit, nobody ever told me, "Hey Randy, you need to go to Dublin, you would love it there. It's an endless sea of pubs almost all with live music entertainment." Yes, I do feel my surroundings have let me down. I have partied in Memphis, Hollywood, Kansas City, Seattle, Nashville, and Austin with the best of 'em, but none was more fun than Dublin. With U2, The Cranberries, Thin Lizzy, Dave King (Flogging Molly) and a few others who hail from there, I should have suspected it was a vibrant scene, but I was still taken for the ride of my life. But this isn't a travel blog; this is about Donna Dunne.

Donna Dunne is someone I unearthed on the web as an Irish rockabilly act. She is very hot, she has instantly catchy songs (strangely very rare in the rockabilly revival world), a fantastic voice and she has a pretty polished couple of music videos. Since I love a good rockabilly show,  I was excited to see she had a gig the night after I got into town. What I saw live, though, was something different than I had seen online – it was intense, inspirational and highly intriguing.

In the heart of the Dublin Temple Bar district lies a rock pub that was filled wall to wall with patrons that should have been considered a dangerous fire hazard with eager fans. In the U.S., keeping the crowd dancing at full stamina until 1:30 A.M. on a school night requires you to be something very special, and I imagine it is the same in Ireland as well.

Rockabilly music, although very fun live and even more fun to play, usually does not translate well to a record, and I certainly gave up hope years ago that there will ever be another Stray Cats. Dunne's show didn't have the rockabilly essentials: no slap echo guitar, string bass, pompadour (or whiff as they call them in Ireland), cliche tattoos of the devil and juke boxes. No, Dunne and her band looked very original, modern, even, and only carried a slight nod to the 50's era of rock. Normally I wouldn't put much emphasis into image, but it seems to say a lot about what they are not. Donna Dunne is not a novelty act who should get a standing gig at the Elvis Presley Cafe in Memphis or the Flamingo in Las Vegas – she is an act dripping with potential for something much greater.

They came out swinging with her single Woman In Black, high energy with a dynamite gunslinger on the guitar who plays like Chuck Berry going through a pencil sharpener. Crowd responded accordingly because, it almost seems as if they all know the song, perhaps she is supported by her local radio stations.

The band almost reminded me of the 70's girl punk band The Runaways, only far more gifted musically. They are both intense and listenable, which can be a tricky combination. Maybe it is the culture Dunne comes from with the Irish and their sing-a-long tunes, but she knows how to craft an instantly catchy melody and the band knows how to rock that melody until the walls shake. The ensemble really gets into the music, particularly Donna, and when they do, it is very hard to stand still.

Donna Dunne, although original and different from what she may have already put out on the web, still wears her greatest influences on her sleeves: Elvis, Johnny Cash, and a host of other Sun Records icons. She likes to talk about her pilgrimage to Memphis where her music career took a drastic turn and she wanted bring those great performers back to life in her music. Can she be wrong to draw heavy influence from rock music still most treasured icons?

Don't get me wrong, she may be bursting with potential, but Donna Dunne is not a complete product. Although she has been performing for nearly a decade, her current band is still gelling together, and she has only discovered who she was musically a few years ago. Her first full length record comes out this month and she is still a self-managed artist with a new record contract. To say the least, the rocket ship is only now launching up the into atmosphere, but I am one who is certainly going to keep an eye on the journey. Hardly ever do I hitch my wagon to such a young talent, but I have a feeling about this one. In the U.S., rock music has to make a triumphant comeback sometime, and when it does, there is no foreseeable reason Donna Dunne can't make her presence known across the pond.