Vol. 3 No. 1 (Mar. 1, 2005) Page 6

2005 Mardi Gras Review & More!
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4

Mark Mullins Interview
Page 5

Meet Robert Vaughn, "Surprise" Engineer
Page 6

Fan Profile / An M.O.M Bites the Dust?
Page 7

What Lurks Below - News from Oz
Page 8

The 4th Annual
Ezra Open
Page 9

The Bootlog
Page 10

Fan Profile - An Ezralite Couple
Page 11

BTE is the Winning Bet at the Seminole Hard Rock
Casino
Page 12
Page 13

Another Ezralite Halloween
Page 14

Meet Stattica / GCB Lights Up With Cigarette
Page 15

News & Links
Page 16

Map of Ezra
Page 17

TTOY Hall of Fame
Page 18

Cowbell Hall of Fame
Page 19

BTE Impressions
Page 20

THE ARCHIVES

Volume 1
Mar. 2003
May 2003
July 2003
Sept. 2003
Nov. 2003
Jan. 2004

Volume 2
Mar. 2004
May 2004
July 2004
Sep. 2004
Nov. 2004
Jan. 2005

ROBERT VAUGHN'S
"SURPRISING" MEMORIES
by ChrisK

Surprise Front Insert
(Photo: Courtesy CJ, click to enlarge)

Before the chart-topping success of BTE’s Deluxe, first released in 1993, there was the cassette-only Surprise album released in 1990.

If you're like most Ezralites, you probably only have a poor quality copy of this first album, but you probably also have some questions about this early BTE work.

In order to shed a little light on the project, the Serenade is very pleased to bring you an interview the original Surprise recording engineer, Robert Vaughn.

Surprise was recorded in 1989 at Baton Rouge’s Bayou Breeze Studios. Band personnel at that point in time were the Deluxe line up of Kevin Griffin on vocals and guitar, Tom Drummond on bass, Carey Bonnecaze on drums and vocals, and the fourth other original band member, Joel Rundell, on guitar and vocals. The  tracks were as follows:

Side 1
Ezra Pound
CDU
Favorite Blanket
Tremble
Winter Coats
Hold Me Down
Rearranging the Bones

Side 2
And We're Fine
Circle of Friends
Bag of Cobras
Burning the Map
Devil Girl

Robert, take us back to Bayou Breeze Studios in the Fall of 1989. What's your most vivid memory of the recording sessions?
Well, the guys were just starting to tour a lot so the recording took awhile, unlike what the liner notes say. That was an inside joke. The recording and mixing took something like 6 or 7 months to complete. There where times when some of the guys were just worn out sleeping on the floor of the studio while the rest of us worked on the mix.

What do you recall about the Baton Rouge music scene at that time?
At the time it seemed as it was starting to change from a Punk town to more of an Alternative with some Folk mixed in vibe, as well as the always over the hill cover rock bands gasping for life.

How did you hook up with Better Than Ezra?
At the time I was working days at a local electronics store [New Generation] just outside of the North Gates of LSU and nights in the recording studio. The best I can remember is that Chris, the record manager for New Generation, introduced me to this guy named Dave, who was trying to help BTE as somewhat of a manager.

Dave and I then set up a 2-hour recording session for BTE to come in and play some of their songs live in the studio. A kind of test to see if they liked the sound. That was the first time I met all of the BTE guys and I guess they liked the sound good enough because we made arrangements to start recording Surprise.

When you made those original recordings, did you have any idea that BTE would go on to such success and longevity in the music business?
It’s funny to say but I knew they were going to be successful when my Dad overheard me listening to a mix of "Wintercoats." He went out of his way to make a comment that he really liked the song. For my Dad to say that was big because by that time, he had heard hundreds of original songs that I had recorded and never had anything good to say about any of them. I told the guys about my Dad’s comments, the next time we were in the studio, so they knew they were on their way. Ha. They may have not believed it but I did.

Were there any challenges in the studio?
The BTE guys were looking for their own sound. They didn’t want to sound like every other band with a minute long guitar solo in every song. We tried some really off the wall mic techniques and even made a special piece of gear for a vocal part in "Ezra Pound."

There were some disagreements but none too bad. You’re going to have some disagreements in the studio while recording an album you just hope it doesn’t come to blows. The bad kind, not the good. Ha.

As a recording engineer, when you listen to Surprise, is there anything you'd like to go back and change?
Yes and no, I’ve gotten much better as an engineer - you would hope so after 15 years, and could now do a much better job with the recording process, but Surprise is what it is and that’s part of its charm to me. It reminds me of that time of my life and for that I’ll deal with the sonic issues.

Surprise Back Insert
(Photo: Courtesy CJ, click to enlarge)

Was there any particular song that seemed to come together almost instantly? And which seemed almost impossible to complete?
"Ezra Pound" seem to come together pretty fast and as I recall "Winter Coats" took a little time to get right because of the timing. As bands go, they pretty much knew what they wanted to do and did it in good time.

As you listened to the band record, could you identify their influences?
We talked about their influences some before we started recording, but you could hear the R.E.M. influence right away.

Were there any songs that didn't make the finished album?
No. They were working on some new stuff but we went with what we had.

Do you have a favorite song off of Surprise? Any particular reason it's your favorite?
Yeah my favorite off Surprise is "Ezra Pound." I grew up a rocker and I still really like the hard driving stuff, even though "CDU" is a close second. With a line like "Happy dreams at the CDU" it’s got to be good. I also really like "Burning the Map" because you can read your own meaning into it so it can feel really personal.

The Original Surprise Cassette, Sides 1 & 2
(Photos: Courtesy CJ)

Are there any other interesting stories or tidbits you'd like to share with us about the time you spent with BTE in the recording studio?
Maybe one, I don’t know if Kevin was ever told about this but the background vocals in "Circle of Friends" were recorded while Kevin was not in the studio. So the other guys came up with their own inside joke. It is hard to hear in the song but the story is that at the time BTE had to move their gear in and out of gigs by themselves. Drums, guitars, speakers and such. There was one big case that was especially heavy that I believe they called "25."

From what the guys told me Kevin was not much on helping load the gear in and out of gigs and would always seem to come up with an excuse why he was not there to help. So the first line in the background vocals that start at 1:38 is something like "And it’s you that lie to us at haul" the second at 1:49 line is "And your gone when 25 is there to haul."

Just a little additional note, and you would never guess this by listening to "Surprise," is that while we were mixing we used a Rush CD as a guide. I remember driving back to the studio after going out to get Chinese food, listening to that CD and everybody saying "Yeah, that’s the sound we want." Ahh good times!

BTE at Murphy's, 1990
(Photos: Courtesy CJ, click to enlarge)

Are you a Louisiana native?
Yes. Born in Baton Rouge in 1965.

Are you still working in the recording industry today?
Yes. I work mostly doing audio for film these days and some video editing and I have been tossing around the idea of starting my own Record Label and building a new studio. The music is where my heart is but you have to do it all to feed the family.

Do you have any favorite Better Than Ezra albums or songs from recent years?
I would have to say "Desperately Wanting." It’s a song that speaks to my rock roots and reminds me of High School.

What kind of music are you listening to these days?
Well being and audio engineer I try to keep up with everything as much as possible. I do seem to be on the same wavelength as my 12-year-old son in as I like Linkin Park, Disturbed, Incubus, and Saliva. By the same token I think I’m rubbing off on him some. The other day he picked out a Blue Oyster Cult song on the radio and right now I can hear him listening to Earth Wind and Fire. So if you’re in my house you will probably get a dose of everything.

Mr. Vaughn, thanks for agreeing to talk with the Serenade.  Likewise, thanks to ChrisK for a great interview.