THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multiplatinum hitmakers Fastball are remembering it’s OK to have hits. Reflecting on their meteoric rise with chart-topping debut The Way, singer-guitarist Miles Zuniga wryly remarks, “I like to say that The Way gave us the freedom to continue doing what we do.”
And what Fastball do is write hits. Their latest, Sonic Ranch, produced by David Garza (Fiona Apple) and John Fields (Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus) at Garza’s west Texas ranch studio, Sonic Ranch, contains 10 singalong gems, combining pop smarts and the wisdom of Fastball’s 30 years together.
Formed in 1994 in Austin, Texas, Fastball combined a fondness for melodic, Beatles-inspired pop with the alternative aesthetic of late-’90s mainstream rock. Zuniga, bassist/vocalist Tony Scalzo and drummer Joey Shuffield — all veterans of Austin’s underground rock scene — originally banded together under the name Magneto U.S.A. After signing with Hollywood Records, the musicians changed their name to Fastball and released their debut album, Make Your Mama Proud, in 1996. The album demonstrated the band’s synthesis of modern flavor and bygone pop hooks, a combination that would later launch Fastball into the mainstream.
The followup effort, All The Pain Money Can Buy, appeared in early 1998, featuring a tighter band and more pop flourishes. Although the bandmates were still working side jobs at the time of its release, lead-off single The Way proved to be a meteoric hit, topping the American rock charts for seven weeks while enjoying crossover success as a pop single. Fire Escape and the piano-fueled Out Of My Head did similarly well, and All The Pain Money Can Buy went platinum within six months of its release, earning two Grammy nominations along the way. Fastball celebrated their success with a considerable amount of touring, including shows alongside Marcy Playground and Everclear.
The Harsh Light Of Day arrived in fall 2000, featuring piano work by Billy Preston and an increasingly arty sound, including the Top 40 hit You’re An Ocean. Fastball eventually left the Hollywood roster in favor of a new deal with Rykodisc. A retrospective compilation, Painting the Corners: The Best of Fastball, marked the band’s final release for Hollywood in 2002. Two years later, they resurfaced with Keep Your Wig On, having fully embraced their power-pop roots with the help of co-producer Adam Schlesinger. The album strengthened Fastball’s work ethic, with frontmen Zuniga and Scalzo writing together for the first time. That collaborative spirit helped fuel another album, Little White Lies, which appeared in 2009 to warm reviews.
Fastball returned to the studio in 2015, recording in Austin. The self-released album Step Into Light emerged in 2017, and the band supported it with an extensive tour of the U.S. and Canada. The following year, Fastball celebrated the 20th anniversary of All The Pain Money Can Buy with an expanded edition. Most recently, in 2019, Fastball returned with The Help Machine, produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and The Deep End, released in June 2022.”
