Born and bread in the American south, friends and bandmates Tony Scalzo, Miles Zuniga, and Joey Shuffield hall all previously played in the rock group Big Car. Scalzo, Zuniga, and Shuffield subsequently decided to form their own group, which despite being unable to decide on a moniker, developed a devoted following in and around Austin. In 1996, after signing with Hollywood Records, the band settled on the name Fastball, and issued their debut album “Make Your Mama Proud”. The record went on to win the “Best Pop Band” award at the Austin Music Awards and spawned the radio single “Are You Ready For the Fallout?”.
Whilst still working day jobs in January 1998, by April, Fastball had appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” to promote their sophomore album “All the Pain Money Can Buy”. Earning a string of positive reviews and platinum certification, the record was led by the singles “The Way”, “Fire Escape”, and “Out of My Head”, the former of which topped Billboard’s Modern Rock chart for seven weeks. The following year the record was nominated for two Grammy Awards, “Best Rock Performance” and “Best Long Form Video” (This Way”, and was supported by an extensive tour alongside Marcy Playground and Everclear.
The band’s third full-length, “The Harsh Light of Day”, arrived in September 2000 produced by Julian Raymond. Led by the single “You’re an Ocean”, the record features the likes of Billy Preston, Brian Setzer, and Michael Ward, and was again supported by generous touring. The studio album “Keep Your Wig On” followed in 2004, as did the full-length “Little White Lies” in 2009.
Fastball has been steadily touring for their entire career, riding on the seemingly endless high from 1998 when 'All the Pain Money Can Buy' went platinum. They've played venues large and small and seem to have finally hit their middle ground in the last several years. I had the chance to catch Tony Scalzo and the band a few years ago at a hole in the wall venue in St. Louis called Two Cents Plain (now The Crack Fox). I wasn't sure what to expect from the show, and was only moderately familiar with a few of their pop-charts songs like 'The Way' and 'Fire Escape.'
I was blown away with the professionalism and quality these guys continue to put out in their live sets. The crowd was full, but not uncomfortable, and there was a definite feel of nostalgia in the air for the guys that had, arguably, one of the biggest hits of the late 90's with 'The Way.' The band was really upbeat, and you can tell in the way they perform and interact with the crowd that they still love what they do, and haven't lost any of the passion that got them to the big time.
This is a fantastic, laid-back show for anyone who wants to knock back a couple of beers and hear some good alternative-rock, and get taken back to the hey-day of the alternative/pop scene.
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