Copyright 2002 San Antonio Express

"A band for the fans ; Better Than Ezra to brave the stage at Oyster Bake"
by Hector Saldana.

New Orleans alt-rockers Better Than Ezra, one of the featured headliners Saturday at Fiesta Oyster Bake at St. Mary's University, has seen its share of rowdy partiers.

But is Better Than Ezra - singer Kevin Griffin, bassist Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb - really prepared for the flying plastic beer cups that seem to greet end-of-the-day performances at the all-day party? Remember Fastball?

"That's cool, we're into that," Drummond said with a laugh. "We'll be fine, trust me. We're from New Orleans, we're used to that sort of stuff."

Likable Better Than Ezra scored the monster hit "Good" off its 1996 platinum album, "Deluxe." Then band members worked to transform themselves from grungy frat rat rockers to a band that mattered with darker hits such as "King of New Orleans."

But in doing so, they now find they don't fit in neatly in today's Britney Spears-Limp Bizkit-P. Diddy world.

"We've kind of made our own little niche in a way," Drummond said.

The band, together since 1988, performs more than 200 dates a year and has built a loyal fan base (the self-dubbed Ezralites). Radio airplay, however, is another story.

"We certainly don't fit in as much at alternative radio as we did in the past," Drummond said. "But we can tour whether we have a record out or not."

Aurally, the band is too hard for adult contemporary radio formats, but not nu-metal enough for rock stations. "For us it's about songs," he said.

The band's latest album is "Closer," released last summer. Liz Phair and Smashing Pumpkins producer Brad Wood and producer Ethan Allen (Tricky) helped the band attain its most mature and strongest record.

The working-class act is known for opening up sound checks to fans to hear songs that won't make the setlist. The band also takes song requests over the Internet (e-mail to songrequest@betterthanezra.com).

"We do that kind of stuff because we know that without our fans there wouldn't be anything," Drummond said.

What's the greatest lesson for rock 'n' roll survival? "You've got to really believe in what you do and be happy with what you do and don't do it for anybody else," said Drummond, who still keeps one ear to the pavement.

He said the buzz around acts such as Andrew W.K. and Ryan Adams signals a shift in the pop market. "I think everybody is just tired of nonsense music," he said.

"I'm not sure about Andrew W.K. To me, it's just nonsense but with a different flavor. Ryan Adams is becoming huge, and that kind of songwriting and that kind of thing could just as easily be the next big thing."