Breaking... McNabb leaves Better than Ezra

Geez, I leave the site alone for a couple of weeks because it seemed like nothing was going on in the world of '90s music, and look what I missed.

You may remember this blog's semi-breathless (and soap-operatic) reporting of goings-on in the Better than Ezra camp. At the time, speculation was that bass player Tom Drummond was unhappy. Well, Tom's back in the fold, but drummer Travis McNabb is leaving to play with multiplatinum country superstars Sugarland full time. Here's the statement from BTE's website:

EVERY NEW BEGINNING IS ANOTHER BEGINNING'S END

Fans and friends, we want to let you know that after 12 great years with Better Than Ezra, Travis McNabb is moving on to pursue other opportunities in music. You probably are aware that Travis has been touring with Sugarland for the past year and a half. We will miss Travis dearly and wish him nothing but success and happiness in the years to come. He will remain a close friend of the band and will continue to serve on the board of the band’s charity – The Better Than Ezra Foundation. Travis’ last show with the band will be this Sunday in Metairie.

That said, it is with great excitement that we welcome Michael Jerome to the band. We've been friends with Michael for awhile and have been a fan of his drumming. Michael has toured with the likes of Richard Thompson, John Cale, and New Orleans' own, Pleasure Club. He brings with him a great musical sensibility and an explosive live show.
In May Better Than Ezra will release our seventh studio album, Paper Empire. We are thrilled with how it sounds and can't wait for you to hear it. Looking forward to touring with new music, new gags and of course, new dance moves! Thanks so much for all your support over the years…many more to come!

See you on the road in '09!
Kevin and Tom

McNabb joined the band in time to record their second major-label album, 1996's Friction, Baby (ongoing legal disputes with original drummer Cary Bonnecaze have prevented the re-release of the band's cassette-only debut album, Surprise, which now goes for princely sums on eBay). For a great example of his prowess, watch him in this live clip of "Desperately Wanting":

(I always liked that maracas trick... sorry about the terrible sound quality).

Drummond, McNabb, and Kevin Griffin will cross paths again when Better than Ezra and Sugarland both perform at the New Orleans Jazz Fest later this spring. BTE's new album Paper Empire comes out May 12 on MRI Records, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Both McNabb and Jerome play on the album, and the first single "Absolutely Still" should hit radio (probably AAA and Adult Top 40) in March.

Interestingly enough, according to this post on BTE's messageboard, Jerome briefly played drums for the Toadies, and was also in Pop Poppins and Course of Empire, two fairly-minor Dallas acts in the '90s.

* Thanks to readers Chris and Siyabonga for the tips!