The three high-profile frontmen who comprise Ezra Ray Hart have played holiday-themed performances in the past, but their current 90s Hits & Xmas Riffs tour marks the first time they’ve taken the show out on the road—let alone to Graton Resort and Casino this Friday, Dec. 19.
The superstar trio, which consists of Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath and Tonic’s Emerson Hart, will be playing their respective bands’ best-known hit songs, along with holiday favorites, and several cover songs.
Together, the three artists have impressive musical resumes.
Better Than Ezra’s 1995 single, “Good,” topped the charts, paving the way for subsequent hits like “Desperately Wanting,” “In the Blood” and “King of New Orleans.” Griffin has also gone on to become a successful songwriter, collaborating with artists ranging from Taylor Swift and Molly Tuttle to Sugarland and Train.
Mark McGrath, meanwhile, is the driving force behind Sugar Ray, whose mega-hit, “Fly,” elevated their Floored album to double platinum status. The group followed up with hit singles like “Every Morning” and “Someday.” McGrath has also hosted television shows like Extra and Don’t Forget the Lyrics!
Rounding out the trio is Emerson Hart, whose band, Tonic, scored one of the ’90s most successful alt-rock hits with “If You Could Only See,” which was alt-rock radio’s most-played song in 1997. Their debut album, Lemon Parade, went platinum, and Hart has also gone on to be a Grammy-nominated solo artist and successful producer.
We caught up with Griffin to talk about the hits of the ’90s, the encounter that opened the doors to collaboration and the fun of sharing the spotlight with two of his best friends.
Bill Forman: Is it a relief to take a break from being the frontman of a band for the whole night and share the spotlight with two other frontmen?
Kevin Griffin: We love it. All three of us are used to being kind of the benevolent dictator in our respective bands, but this band is a true democracy. You gotta check your ego at the door and be a team player.
So I get to be the frontman for the four or five songs in the set that I’m singing lead on. And then while Mark McGrath runs around being Mark McGrath, I get to be a sideman. So it’s a blast. Emerson Hart and I were talking about it and just how much we enjoy it. We’re all like, ‘Man, in a perfect world, this is the only band we’d do.’
In your book, ‘The Greatest Song,’ you write about the importance of collaboration, which you’re obviously doing here. But you’ve also collaborated with a wide range of other artists. How did that all get started for you?
Well, you know, we’ve always kept the band (Better Than Ezra) going. But as far as the collaboration, I wasn’t seeking it out. It just kind of happened. Back in 2001, we were recording at Conway Studio in Los Angeles, and there were two other artists who were working there at the time. Justin Timberlake was in Studio A, we were in Studio B and Meat Loaf was in Studio C.
And when Meat Loaf walked past our studio one morning, he heard a song that I’d written called ‘Closer.’ Then later, his manager, Alan Kovac, sought me out in the studio and asked if I would write a song with Meat Loaf. It was just crazy. My initial reaction in my head was fear, which is why I’d never collaborated before. But then I was like, wait a second, this is one of my favorite artists as a child, and he’s a legend. And so I went and wrote a song with him.
So that was the beginning?
It was. And then Meat Loaf’s manager, who also managed Blondie, got me to write a single for her (Deborah Harry’s band), and Barry Gibb, and all these different people. So suddenly I was collaborating, and I saw how much more productive I could be, how many more doors it opened for me as a songwriter in my career. And I’ve always really been about options, and irons in the fire. And that always keeps me excited, like, what’s next?
You’ve also written about drawing inspiration from other artists and reverse-engineering songs. Can you give me an early example of that, where you heard a song and you thought, ‘This is amazing,’ and then figured out why it was amazing?
Yeah, we did a song called ‘In the Blood,’ which was the second Better Than Ezra single we ever released. I was really into a song called ‘Black Metallic’ by a ’90s band from England called Catherine Wheel. And there’s this little note it hits that I just love, and I thought, ‘They should have made that a bigger part of the song.’
So I knew the melody and I learned the chords underneath it, and I used that as a jumping off point for my own song. So if you listen to ‘Black Metallic’ and ‘In the Blood,’ you can hear where I got that chorus from and what the starting note was.
Your Pilgrimage Festival has been going on for a decade now. Given that New Orleans is your former stomping ground, was Jazz Fest a big part of the inspiration for it?
The DNA of Pilgrimage definitely comes from Jazz Fest in New Orleans, which is 50-plus years old now. I’ve been going to it my whole life, and it made a huge impression. I love the idea of a multi-genre music festival that’s family friendly, but still cool and challenging, and celebrates an entire region. So that’s what I wanted Pilgrimage to be as well.
Getting back to the tour. What are some of the Christmas songs that fans can expect to hear at one of your shows?
There will be classics like ‘Little Saint Nick’ by The Beach Boys and ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! We’re also going to play an original song that Mark McGrath and I wrote called ‘Must Be Christmas.’ We played it as part of a super group, if you will, called Band of Merry Makers with Fitz & The Tantrums, Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees, Natasha Bedingfield and Nick (Hexum) from 311. And then a few other Christmas songs that will be surprises.
And the rest of the setlist?
We’ll be playing the best of your favorite ’90s bands. So not only do we play Sugar Ray, Better Than Ezra and Tonic hits; we’ll also play hits from other ’90s bands, whether it’s Blur or Chumbawamba. So it’s a party from start to finish.
Ezra Ray Hart performs from 8 to 11pm, Friday, Dec. 19, at Graton Resort & Casino, 288 Golf Course Dr. West, Rohnert Park. Tickets are $49.50 to $79.50. 21+. More info at bit.ly/never-ending-90s.
