Better Than Ezra, Tonic, et Vertical Horizon

When it comes to rock and roll, nothing forces a band to prove themselves quite like tragedy. With the passing of a band member, the rest of the group is immediately presented with two possibilities, to stop or to continue. In this case, stopping is the easy, understandable option. Absolutely no-one would begrudge any band to split due to the loss of one of their band-mates, but if they do continue and mess up, then they’re liable for more abuse than they could possibly get any other way. However, if they continue and make it work, then you know without question that the band is something very special indeed.

In the form of Better Than Ezra, we have one of the best examples of the latter scenario rock and roll has ever provided us. The trio formed as a four piece in 1988, with Kevin Griffin on guitar and vocals, Tom Drummond on bass, Joel Rundell on lead guitar and Cary Bonnecaze on drums. The quartet met while studying at the Louisiana State University, and cut their teeth performing at assorted college bars and fraternity houses around their campus. The band made their first demo tape the same year they formed and started to generate a substantial local following, and by 1990 they’d self-released their first album “Surprise” on cassette.

“Surprise” was very well received by the local press and started to gain the band some serious attention, but the very same year was when tragedy struck the up-and-coming band. On August 8th, Joel Rundell took his own life, upturning the lives of his bandmates and throwing their future as a band into serious doubt. The band decided to press on by the end of the year as a trio, and started again from scratch, playing the kind of fraternities and house parties that they’d made their name doing. By the early 90’s, the band had learned enough about the music industry to up sticks to Los Angeles, California and form their own label, Swell Records.

With their own label and their new stomping ground in the City of Angels, the band recorded their first nationally distributed album “Deluxe” and released it in 1993. The album was rapturously received and along with the bands celebrated live show, it got them their first record deal with Elektra Records in 1995. “Deluxe” was re-released the same year and it went platinum by that winter, thanks in no short part to the success of their debut single “Good” which reached the top spot of the Billboard Modern Rock Songs chart and stayed there for a whole month. After more hardship in seven years than some see in a lifetime, Better Than Ezra had arrived.

Bonnecaze left in 1996 to be replaced by Travis McNabb, and ever since then the band have been one of the most dependable rock acts around. Never seeing the mainstream success that “Deluxe” brought them again but continuing their run of critically acclaimed records with the likes of 1998’s “How Does Your Garden Grow” and 2014’s “All Together Now”, among many others. They still remain one of the most respected bands around, even having their song “Breathless” covered by the all-conquering Taylor Swift in 2010 as part of a charity telethon. They’re a band who has earned every scrap of goodwill they’ve got and are still at the top of their game. Highly recommended.

Formed by estranged childhood friends who serendipitously reunited at a pool hall in 1993, Tonic’s vocalist Emerson Hart and guitarist Jeff Russo later invited bassist Dan Rothchild and drummer Kevin Shepard to join their ranks. Initially wishing to perform under the moniker Radio Flyer, the band settled with the name Tonic before developing a proud reputation as a group of relentlessly gigging musicians. Tonic’s earliest output arrived in 1996 with the debut album “Lemon Parade”. Led by the singles “Open Up Your Eyes”, “If You Could Only See”, and “Soldier’s Daughter” the album spent 57 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 28. Produced by Jack Joseph Puig, the album’s heavy, guitar driven sound would come to define Tonic’s sound on future albums.

Following the release bassist Rothchild was replaced by Dan Lavery and drummer Shepard began to reduce the role in the band. Throughout the late ‘90s Tonic contributed songs to the soundtracks of “Scream 2”, “Clay Pigeons” and “Gossip”, before releasing their sophomore album “Sugar” in 1999. Earning respectable reviews from the critical press “Sugar” peaked at No. 81 on the Billboard 200 aided by the singles “Knock Down Walls” and “You Wanted More”. The record marked the official departure of drummer Shepard with Peter Maloney taking over percussion responsibilities on the release. Following an intense period of touring Tonic returned to release “Head on Straight” in September 2002. The record earned two Grammy nominations for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for the single “Take Me As I Am”) and Best Rock Album.

A hiatus ensued from 2004 where Hart released the solo album “Cigarettes and Gasoline”, Russo joined the band Low Stars, and Lavery played on tour with The Fray. Following an announcement in 2008, Tonic played their reunion gig in Antioch, Illinois ahead of their greatest hits compilation “A Casual Affair: The Best of Tonic” in 2009. The band’s eponymous fourth studio album “Tonic” was issued by 429 Records in May 2010. Led by the single “Release Me” Tonic supported the album with heavy touring until the tail-end of 2011.

The band was formed at D.C's Georgetown University by guitarists and vocalists Keith Kane and Matthew Scannell. The duo cut their teeth by playing sets consisting mainly of covers in places ranging from local bars and clubs to their own university campus' food court. By the end of 1992, the duo had graduated from Georgetown, relocated to Boston, Massachusetts and self-released their debut album “There And Back Again”. While their debut record was a stripped down, acoustic affair, the duo began to expand their sound over the next few years, incorporating several backing musicians and guests on their second record, 1995's “Running On Ice”. It was at this point that the band started to gain recognition outside of their adopted home state of Boston, with two of their songs appearing on Aware Records' second compilation album.

As a response to this, the duo decided to expand into a band full time in 1996, five years after their formation as an acoustic duo. Thanks to their nonstop touring schedule and their first full band live album “Live Stages”, they picked up a devoted cult following and signed a record deal with RCA in 1998. The band were all set for a major breakthrough, and after the release of their major label debut album “Everything You Want” in 1999, the band found it with their 2000 single of the same name, which was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 after 26 weeks on the chart. Its parent album went on to sell over two million copies in the U.S alone and for a moment, Vertical Horizon were one of the biggest bands in the country. Very few bands could keep up that kind of momentum and unfortunately, Vertical Horizon weren't one of them.

However, the band have flourished as the beloved cult act that they made their name as, and even after Keith Kane left the band in 2010 to pursue a solo career, Vertical Horizon continue to impress with both their live shows and their studio albums. For have more genuine longevity than the vast, vast majority of their peers and remaining a vital rock band to this very day, Vertical Horizon come highly recommended.