Black Rain Online News Archives: 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010
December 6, 2008 - Interview with Miles; talks tour and album
Recently, NBCWashington.com published a Q&A interview with Miles prior to the band's show in Vienna, VA on November 28. They cover questions about the current tour, the band's history and music, and the upcoming album. The word from Miles in the interview is the album will be released in March, saying "We were just gonna put it out all by ourselves but, you know, we put down a distribution deal. But that means you have to have a release date. We were just gonna release it and be like, “Okay, now!” But long story short: March." Miles doesn't state anything about a label, nor is he asked. To me "distribution deal" doesn't say label. It just says that the band has worked with a company to have the album distributed through certain stores, etc. throughout the states. Either way, label or not, hopefully this will give many fans the opportunity to know about it in advance, and go purchase it on release. Read the full interview.
Another, slightly less recent interview with Tony and the Monitor was posted on our forums. It's in the form of an audio interview, and the link is at the top of the article. The article was posted October 16, but the interview, while not dated, occurred prior to the band going to Peru. It's a 20 minute interview, but be prepared, the audio is pretty bad, a lot of scratchiness and distortion. Anyway, read the article and listen to the interview.
November 9, 2008 - Last minute bassist replacement
The band will be hitting the road for their upcoming tour, with a new bass player. According to a blog posting on the band's MySpace page, Bruce accepted an offer to join Jason Mraz's band 4 days ago, thereby leaving the band little time to recruit a new bassist. However, John Clayton, a singer/songwriter in the group the Rite Flyers will join the band on their upcoming tour. Hopefully he will be a quick fit to the team, especially given Joey's involvement with the Flyers over the last several years.
November 3, 2008 - Late Update
A few things now that I am back. First the current lineup of shows has been updated to reflect recent changes/additions. Second for those that haven't heard it or heard about it yet, you can head on over the SPI Festival website and hear an updated version of All I Was Looking For Was You. Possibly the Clearmountain mix? I have also update the link below for the YouTube versions of the Peru video diaries from Love Hope Strength. Apparently the prior user account was removed and a new one set up by LHS.
Lastly, SPI was a great trip. It was great to see Qgirl again and meet TexasYesFan and Shinobiman. That was a definite pleasure, and cool to meet the people behind the names. The island was beautiful and the weather was great. Fastball put on a fantastic high energy show at Pelican Club West, which was a really nice venue. The songs sounded great and the band was tight, with Kevin Lovejoy adding keys to several songs. The club was packed, as was the dance floor in front of the stage, and stayed that way throughout the show. All in all a fantastic weekend trip. And also I think a great sign for what to expect on this next tour to come. The guys sound great and should only get better along the way, so go catch 'em if you can.
October 24, 2008 - Peruvian artifacts
A quick search of the net has turned up some tidbits from the recent Peru Rocks trek. First up a video of the impromptu acoustic performance of Out Of My Head. The performance features Tony, Joey and Brien McVernon (of Australia's Retro Rockets), who filled in on second guitar (video clip presented by Tyler).
Next up is a live performance of Always Never from the band's show in Lima on October 15th. Another live video of their performance of The Way from the show can be viewed here on YouTube. Some photos from this show can be found here on Flickr.
Lastly the LoveHopeStrength journal videos are now up on YouTube. You can view them by going here. Know of any further content related to the band's Peru trip, let us know.
October 22, 2008 - Fastball packs 'em in
The band, fresh off the [Inca] trail, prepares to hit the road again. A slew of fall tour dates (see list to the right), covering nearly all of November and many areas of the US. The band have recently added several New York and East Coast dates to the calendar to cap off the month. Hopefully dates will continue to be made through part of December to cover more ground, and provide more opportunities for fans to catch 'em live before the end of '08. Head over to our message board and let which show(s) you'll be hitting and perhaps connect with other fans going to the shows also.
By the way, congrats to the band, Nese, and all the other Peru trekkers for raising money, taking the trek and helping to raise awareness and aid for cancer testing and treatment in rural Peru. A great cause, supported by wonderful people.
October 12, 2008 - Peru Rocks Well Underway
The Peru Rocks trek is half way done, finishing up on October 17. Journal entries are coming in along with pics and videos. Go to www.perurocks.org/journal/ to read and see what's been going on, where the trekkers are, and the stories behind why everyone is there. Among them catch Miles tell about not being an outdoors person, and an acoustic mountainside performance of "Out Of My Head."
October 8, 2008 - New shows lined up
As you can see from the shows list to the right, the guys have lined up ten new shows for the month of November, hitting the west coast and mid-west mainly.
September 25, 2008 - Black Rain to the power of 2!
Okay so no real Fastball news going on a the moment. But I am happy to report that my old webhost got off their hands and provided me with the info to get my old domain back. I have forwarded it to the new site, so anyone using www.blackrainonline.com will now be directed here also. So welcome back to those who didn't get the word that the site moved.
September 16, 2008 - We have a new home (www.fastballblackrain.com)
The short of it: Following weeks of downtime, inaccessibility, and lack of support response from my hosting provider, Black Rain now has a new host and a new home, www.fastballblackrain.com. The whole situation with my host and this current screw-up (which is supposed to be an upgrade to new more systems) is bad, plain and simple. My apologies for the downtime, but I had no prior knowledge or control, and have gotten little response from the host. The 2 big things are that I do not have a backup of the data from the site's forum (so we start here from scratch), and they have not provided me requested info to transfer the domain name, hence the new address. Hopefully fans will be able to find the new site. Hopefully I will get access back to old site to put up a notice of this new address. For what it's worth expect the site to continue to grow, develop, and change here at our new home. Thanks, and spread the word to other fans.
Also a note, I now have a new e-mail address here. It is now erik@fastballblackrain.com. Please update any contact info you may have. Thanks again.
August 19, 2008 - Black Rain get the official treatment
Much thanks to Miles for plugging myself and this site on the band's official site. Turns out I had a hand in the recent Fastball MySpace revamping. I was glad to help the guys out with getting something new up there. And hey, we're already seeing some additional visitors by way of that link, so thanks again. Keep up the great work with the music, and we look forward to the upcoming release.
August 8, 2008 - Fastball's MySpace page hacked?
Well no, but it has been updated with a new custom layout. www.myspace.com/fastballtheband Go check it out and see the new look.
August 8, 2008 - 2009 Indeed
Further clarification as to the push back. Simply put Fall 2008 is not good timing. Along with some personal individual commitments for the guys, the band will also be in Peru for most of October. If released in September, the band would not be able to properly tour to support the album until the beginning of 2009. Therefore it makes sense to hold off, that way better touring plans can be made to coincide with the release. Of course it also leaves more open time for some possible label involvement
August 5, 2008 - Fastball set to feature in music festival
This coming Halloween weekend, Fastball will take part in the South Padre International Music Festival. They follow along with acts like Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, Los Lonely Boys, Alejandro Escovedo, and headliner Willie Nelson. The event runs Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in South Padre Island, Texas. Date and time for Fastball's performance not yet known. Weekend passes for the event are current $78 (with $15 off early bird special), available through Ticketmaster.
In other tour news, the guys have two new shows scheduled: Aug. 16 at Harrah's Louisiana Downs Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, and Aug. 17 at Live at the Lake presented by KGSR, in Lakeway, Texas.
August 4, 2008 - Album release pushed back to 2009?
According to a posting on the forums, the band might be looking at a February 14, 2009 release date for the new album now. This from an apparent message from Tony. The last word from one of the guys was that there were no labels looking at the album, despite earlier comments to the contrary. Has this perhaps changed? Seems like quite a big jump in time for an independent release, especially given that it is recorded, mixed, and likely mastered. Keep in mind that this has yet to be confirmed officially on the band's site or MySpace page. But if true, it leaves fans longing even longer.
August 1, 2008 - The boys are back in town
The band has returned to Austin from their recent stint through the mid-west. In a short recap on the official site, Tony states that the six show run was a great success and that the band only got better with each show. Unfortunately Tony laid to rest a new Mesa Boogie amp he was just starting to use, to a blown power fuse. Thanks to the other band's Tony was able to borrow a amps for a couple shows, but replaced the Mesa with a new Vox at a Chicago Guitar Center. The review features a few pics from along the way. Signing someone's body part seems like a strange thing to me. It's like a temporary tattoo - eventually it goes away. Anyway, there's a pic of Tony with a fan and her temporary tattoo. :) Keep the shows coming guys, you know we all want a piece of the live Fastball cake!
July 20, 2008 - New album cut online now!
Okay guys head on over to the the band's MySpace page to hear the studio recording of Everyday All Of The Time, now called We'll Always Have Paris. It sounds fantastic! Also the label listed on it says 2008 Gatos Negros. Don't find anything about it with Google, so...either really new or just the guys messing around.
July 16, 2008 - Mixing / Mastering of Album 5 done
That's right Album 5 should now be complete. The band were mixing the last two album tracks this past Monday and were scheduled to sequence the album on Tuesday. As this is now Thursday, we can assume that everything is done with the recordings. The next step should be to finish up artwork and packaging options, and get the physical copies produced. In the meantime the guys are apparently getting the van ready to hit the road for their upcoming, short mid-west tour.
Also, you can now check out some new promo shots of the band over at the official site. The four pictures were taken by Kim Stringfellow, the person currently doing the band's site. They're great b/w pics of the guys, and are a far step above the promos done by Ryko for 'Wig.' Check them out.
July 6, 2008 - Demo download on the Official Site
The guys have put a demo of All I Was Looking For Was You - feat. Miles on lead vocals - up on the official site to download. Go download it now.
July 1, 2008 - The Official is now official again
The Fastball official site has just relaunched, in a brand new 3-tone environment. The site features a straightforward red/black/white design with a header image featuring many new band images, the "fast-ball" logo, and some stenciled pigs that say "thank you." So far the site is in basic form, with several pages still needing to be added, but it's coming along. The first news post regard the upcoming album, confirming the Fall 2008 release, as states that the album is currently out in LA sunning it up and being mixed by Bob Clearmountain. Stay tuned to www.fastballtheband.com for more to come.
June 19, 2008 - Official Site In Progress
Yesterday the www.fastballtheband.com link stopped pointing to the temporary MySpace homepage. Today the link now points to a holding page stating that the new Fastball Official Site is currently under construction. Further discoveries about what the site is starting to look like have been made, and there is a thread about it in the forum. But, I have decided to remove the description and the screen shot of the site in progress from here. I'm sure if the band intended us to know what was being done, then they would have made the site in progress available through the main site link. Perhaps it is intended more as a surprise, so out of respect, I leave you guessing.
June 16, 2008 - Spotlight on Fan Videos
Well as most of you know, the availability of Fastball related videos has increased exponentially over the last 4 years, due mostly to the fine cameramanship of you fine fans. So I'd like to spotlight some of the great recent additions.
First, TexasYesFan compiled video that he and Shelly took from the Saxon Pub show in March and has composed a synced two-angle video for The Modern World. More dual angle videos from this show will be coming in the near future. Until then, great work, check it out below.
Second up, long time fan Shinobiman, previously known for his own Fastball fansite Red Lights, recently took time to compile a music video for All I Was Looking For Was You. He took numerous segments from the many live videos of the song out there, cut and pasted them together, and synced it all up with the studio recording of the song from the MySpace page. Check it out below.
Third, long time fan (and a long time forum lurker :) ) InkBlotPanel took an unbelievably long bus ride down to New York recently to catch Fastball at the Rocks Off Cruise show. He pulled out his camera from his spot in front of the stage and captured some great, albeit slightly truncated, video of new song Soul Radio. Good enough for Miles to upload it to YouTube and put it on the band's MySpace page. Check it below.
Next, fan Shelly has come out be a strong force in Fastball fan video arena over the past several months. She recently partook of the Fastball's acoustic set at the Belmont Hotel, and she's posted some wonderful vids from the show. The one below features Rampart Street and Working On A Love Song. The dedicated fan she is, let the video roll through the whole show, and in this vid caught Miles retelling a quite funny story. You gotta see it, so do so below.
Lastly, long-time fan, long-time Fastball follower, and long-time Fastball videographer Andy was also at that same previously mentioned Rocks Off Cruise a couple weeks ago. He had his camera as usual and has since posted several videos from the show to YouTube. Featured below is Fastball performing the rarely performed live song, Everytime She Walks. Now if we can just coax him into posting on the forum some also. :) Check the vid below.
Not only do these videos depict some great music from Fastball, but more over they show just how dedicated the fans are, and how eager and willing they are to share their live show experience with the rest of the fans around the world who might otherwise not see them otherwise. You guys and gals are great! Keep it up. And to everyone reading check out the rest of the fans videos and post your thought or thanks to them on their respective pages or in our forum.
June 16, 2008 - Album to get September release and proper mix
According to Tony at recent shows and on his MOG page, the band are hoping to release the new album on Tuesday, September 9. This is a much later release date then previously speculated by fans. The band have previously indicated the possibility that they may release the album with a record label, noting that there were a few possibilities. This later release date, and the fact that it is set on a Tuesday (when new music is typically released) tend to suggest that the album might in fact be released through a label; however, this has yet to be confirmed by the band.
Tony also mentioned recently, that the guys will be returning to Mix This Studios to mix the new record with Bob Clearmountain. Bob Clearmountain is a reknowned mixer/producer, having worked with artists like Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, INXS, Squeeze, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Robbie Williams, and so many more. Most Fastball fans will be familiar with Bob, as he mixed Fastball's 'Keep Your Wig On' and the Small Stars' 'Tijuana Dreams.' The results should be fantastic, as his previous work with the band resulted in some great music. Visit Mix This for more info on Bob and his studio.
June 14, 2008 - Fastball premier album art and title on MySpace
That's right folks. The guys just uploaded a couple new pics to their MySpace profile, one of which looks to be the new album's cover art. The other is a new picture of the band. The cover art features the new "fast-ball" logo, previously seen on the band's official site. And according to the cover art, the new album will be called Little White Lies. A great title, and nice sharp cover. Click the image to the right for a higher resolution version.
June 9, 2008 - Fastball to open 2 shows for Squeeze
Two new shows have been added to the Fastball calendar. The band will be opening 2 dates for 70's/80's New Wave/Pop band Squeeze, probably most well known for their hit single "Tempted" from 1981. These dates are part of the band's ongoing reunion tour. Fastball / Squeeze will play La Zona Rosa in Austin on Sept. 5, and The House of Blues in Dallas on Sept. 6.
June 9, 2008 - News-Times Article with Miles Zuniga
The May 30th edition of Danbury, Connecticut's 'News-Times' featured an article about Miles and Fastball. It is a great article filled with a lot of insight and information about Miles, the band, and the new music. Everything from Miles' show biz days as an extra in shows like 'The Practice' and 'Hill Street Blues' to his time in prior bands The Neptunes and Big Car, the Rykodisc affair to how age and family have matured the band and influenced their view on Fastball and the music they create. Not a big article overall, but a very insightful (and fact filled) one, nonetheless. Read the whole article, "Fastball: Passionate Professionals" now.
June 8, 2008 - Cruise Reviews
In addition to the fan reviews making their way onto the forum, the band's recent set aboard the Half Moon was a featured review for New York's QRO Magazine. The band received an overwhelmingly good review from the magazine giving them high accolades for putting on a quality, crowd pleasing set, despite the conditions of being on a crowded moving boat, with no real stage. And while the band may have tripped (figuratively) with a couple [new] songs that didn't quite fit the mood, they more than kept the pace, by going into the next song, and playing the hits. The article also shed's light on the upcoming album by repeatedly bringing up the new songs, as well as tying things from the band's past, making it a well rounded review. The review features video clips and link to a photo gallery of pictures from the show.
June 8, 2008 - Song Updates
For those looking for lyrics/info on some of the band's newer songs they are now online or updated. I have recently added song pages for Always Never, Everyday, All Of The Time, Rampart Street, Soul Radio, and updated the song lyrics for Mono To Stereo.
June 3, 2008 - Fastball rock cruise ship in NY harbor; Tony let's another album title slip
Okay, so Fastball rocked out 2 shows in New York this past weekend. No news on the Poughkeepsie show, though it certainly does take a back seat to the band's show the next day, aboard cruise ship the Half Moon in New York harbor. I think it can be said that there was a lot of energy at this show, from Fastball, the crowd, fans, and opening band The Energy. TexasYesFan and his friend made the long trip and made a long weekend out of the New York shows. He was just one of numerous fans to make the trek to or from New York to catch this unique show. And word is that a great time was had by all, not just by catching the band play, but by hanging with old and new friends and fans. He has posted a full review of the Rocks Off Cruise show on the forum, so check it out. He's also posted a link to a online photo album with a bunch of pics. We also hope to get a Q-Review from Qgirl who was also on hand for the show.
In other news, in Tony's MOG post about the recent NY shows, it shows he is currently listening to She's Got The Rain from the album "Little White Lies." Have the band found another strong contender for the new album's title? Or perhaps decided on one? Hopefully some official news about new album will be revealed by the band this month.
May 26, 2008 - Fastball to play free concert in Virginia Beach
The band will play as part of the 2008 Neptune Festival Concert Series taking place in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The concert will be at 7:00 pm on July 3rd on 31st Street. The show will be free and open to the public.
May 24, 2008 - Fastball play news songs; New LP (almost) done
The set last night at Threadgill's in Austin was a hot one. According to TexasYesFan, the band kicked it out despite the stifling heat. The band played a 20 song power set chock full of new material, including four new songs (Rampart Street, Always Never, Soul Radio, Everyday All of the Time). According the TYF, the YouTube video featuring the orchestration is a part of Always Never. The show was also a stand out as it is the band's first with new keyboardist Derek Morris, now making the band a live 5-piece. Let's hope TYF made it in with some recording equipment so that we may get a taste of these new songs.
In other news, according to a comment from Miles, the new album is almost done. And according to a comment from Tony to Shinobiman, the album is done. Maybe all the recording is done, but the album itself is not complete yet. Either way, still no word on a release date yet from either Miles or Tony. Also in a recent update check of Tony's MOG page, I noted that there is another "Soft Box" song called 21st Century Blues. listed under the band F Ball.
May 12, 2008 - Soft Box full of songs
Well newswise it's been pretty dry since the closing of the official site last month. However, over the weekend a fan made an interesting discovery in Tony's Mog page, a new cache of songs and mixes.
Modern World (Ref 7), White Noise (Final 2), All I Was Looking For Was You (Final 3 Master, M4RT_01), Always Never (Final 1, M4RT_01), Mono to Stereo (Final 2, Kick Down, Bass Up, M4RT_01)
Soul Radio (Final 1, M4RT_10), She's Got The Rain (Final 1), Little White Lies (Final Mix 2, Lower Slide, M4RT_01), Everyday, All Of The Time (Final 1, Kick Down, M4RT_13), Rampart Street (Final 1, M4RT_06), Angelie, How Did I Get Here
All these songs are listed under the 'Soft Box' so we can assume that title is still a contender for the album. Interesting to note 4 new songs, as well as the yet to be heard Angelie, and Tony's How Did I Get Here. So far it seems that we may have a possible 12-song album on our hands, and hopefully the band will stoke the fire some more with some official news via the MySpace/Temp Official Site.
April 29, 2008 - Name that Fastball album
Okay Fastballers, the band has laid a challenge at our feet - name the new Fastball record. Send in your ideas for the new Fastball record, and if the band decides to use your idea, then they will send you a signed copy of the album when it comes out, as well as a couple of backstage passes to the next show in your area. So go post your ideas on the blog post on the Fastball MySpace page, or post them on our Black Rain Forum, where hopefully the band will check them out. Get posting!
April 29, 2008 - Scottish Rite show Cancelled!
According to Miles, there has apparently been some flooding at the Scottish Rite theatre so the upcoming show on May 9th has been cancelled.
April 20, 2008 - New forum at Black Rain
To those now displaced by the recent closing of the official site, I welcome you to come and join the new forum I've set up here at Black Rain. Please come make yourself at home. Black Rain Online Forum
April 19, 2008 - Breaking News : The official site down for the count?
Mysteriously the official site (www.fastballtheband.com) has gone off the air (net) so to say. The link which is still active now redirects to the band's MySpace page. According to a post by Miles, the MySpace page will be the band's home "for the time being." No real explanation there, but this switching to MySpace pages for quasi-official sites is not uncommon nowadays; it can be seen more commonly when artists go without an actual official site, or when the site is possibly undergoing redesign. In this case, who knows. While a new redesign seems unlikely so soon after the last one, it is somewhat conceivable; however, doubtful. As for the Winos, guess you'll have use iTunes as the link redirect sends you right back to MySpace.
April 17, 2008 - Live Calendar
Three new tour dates have hit the calendar over at the official site. First up is a show at the White Rabbit in San Antonio, TX on June 27, next a show at Sticky Fingerz Rock 'n' Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock, AR on July 23, and finally a show at Rock Island Brewing Co. in Rock Island, IL on July 26. More (and more non-Texas) live shows are great, and the continued addition of new shows is only a further indicator that the new record is well on it's way towards completion.
April 14, 2008 - Help send Fastball (and fan) to Peru
An update to the the earlier report about the band going to Peru in October for the Lope Hope Strength Foundation's charity climb and concert Peru Rocks. The event will take place beginning October 8 when 100 cancer survivors and a group of trekkers will begin a 10 day journey that will take them along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and end with a finale celebration and concert in Lima. The way this benefit works is that every person wanting to go on the trek to Peru must raise a minimum of $5,000 to be able to go. Also hoping to make the trek is longtime Austin Fastball fan Nese, and if you visit the official forum, you know her. And together with the band they make a great addition to such a worthy and eventful project. Here are links to each of the trekkers' pages: Miles Zuniga, Joey Shuffield, Tony Scalzo, Nese Eddleman. So donate as/what you can towards them and this worthy cause.
April 14, 2008 - Fastball fan site gets new look
No, not this one (I know what you were thinking). No, the UK based fansite Drifting Online. has undergone a facelift. It's a simple, clean and effective design based around the band's new logo. It's nice to see fresh fan support for the band on the interweb. Seems like Jack is still tweaking and putting up new stuff ,(as we all are ;). Looking good Jack, keep it up.
April 7, 2008 - Recording update - Sorta
Well no Winos this past week, but Miles did take the time over the weekend to post a few YouTube clips from the band's recent recording work at the Wire in Austin. Recording Clip #1 appears to be Tony in deep concentration trying to find the right pulsating noise. Recording Clip #2 features Joey and C.J. Erickson (?) in the production booth listening back to some orchestrations. Can you hear the Lou-ee, Lou-ee riff in the music? Interesting clips. Hopefully we will continue to see new clips from the band in studio. Perhaps song clips? Hopefully the guys will also do anther EPK like they did for 'Keep Your Wig On.' I know a bunch of us have our fingers crossed. Check 'em out below.
April 2, 2008 - Live Calendar
According to the official site Fastball will play the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL on July 25 at 7:30pm. This is likely part of the zoo's Jammin' at the Zoo summer music series. The event has yet to hit the zoo's events calendar, so no ticket info yet.
March 31, 2008 - Live Calendar
Two more live dates are now on the books. Fastball will be playing at The Belmont in Austin on Wednesday, April 16th at 7:30pm. The guys are playing the Concert for Candlelight 2008, benefiting Austin's Candlelight Ranch, a non-profit outdoor retreat ranch for special needs children. Tickets are $25 for gen. admission, and can be purchased via the event link, but give $100 for preferred seating with dinner and desert. Definitely a worthwhile cause. The guys will also be playing the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry temple theatre in Austin, TX on Friday, May 9th at 8:00pm. This show is part of a benefit for the Scottish Rite's theatre.
March 31, 2008 - Wino Times EP VI
Well as promise we received another new Winos episode this past Friday. Recorded while the band was out in California's Santa Barbara wine region for the 2008 Durango Songwriters Expo. Miles and Tony were two of the featured songwriters at the expo for the second year in a row. Last years expo resulted in a handful of new songs co-written with Ben Margulies (famous for his work with Mariah Carey's debut material). The Wino's latest guest was Nashville/Texas singer/songwriter Chuck Cannon who has co-written songs with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Toby Keith. Tune in to the new episode now and/or read a Santa Barbara Independent article about last years Songwriter Expo which talks about Miles and Tony's participation in the event (toward the end). Also check out a small YouTube clip from the podcast recording.
March 26, 2008 - Live Calendar
Fastball has added another East Coast date to their upcoming shows. They will play the Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York on May 30. I've added full details to the calendar on the Shows page.
March 24, 2008 - Album update
I meant to do this yesterday, but.... Tony recently blogged on his MySpace about the upcoming Fastball album. He says that the band will be heading back into the studio in April to finish up the album. He also states that it will be released this Spring (otherwise, within a few months). No mention was made as to mixing/mastering the album, but with the proposed release time, one can only surmise at this time that those duties will be done locally and not by Bob Clearmountain as with the last album. But, let us not discount the possibility though. He does confirm that it will be an independent release. And one final note, he says to "watch out for Fastball Mark VIII." Is that another possible album title? I don't mind it, I will; however, if they put that horrible looking Lincoln on the the cover. I was just getting used to 'The Soft Box,' but I kind of like 'Mark VIII.' Anyone agree? Oh, also check out the band's new "fast ball" logo which now graces the official site.
March 24, 2008 - SXSW '08 Recap
Well South by Southwest 2008 has been and gone. Reports were that the Fastball shows went well, with the exception of a bought of sickness (Miles). Yep, reports were that Miles' voice was basically shot during the Schulz Garden show. As such the band primarily stuck with Tony led songs, with Tony taking center stage and even taking over Miles' usual song announcement duties. Not to be fooled though, Miles made up for his diminished vocals with extra strong guitar work throwing in some searing solos and even jumping off of Joey's drums at one point. Don't know much about the band's other two shows. A brief search of Google yields this blog, in which you can find a couple pics of Fastball personel.
The band also played a show in the morning, Monday the 10th, at the Four Season's Hotel in Austin. Check out the write up on the News 8 Austin site and click "Play" to see a an interview with Miles and Tony as well as clips of the performance. Also: a photo from the show.
And in the tradition of past SXSW's, the band played a News 8 Austin "Rooftop" show on (I believe) either Thursday the 6th or early morning on the 7th. Click "Play" on previous link to watch Miles and Tony perform a great acoustic version of The Modern World. Also: Check out past "Rooftop" shows, find Fastball under SXSW 2003, SXSW 2004, and The Small Stars under SXSW 2007.
March 23, 2008 - Wino Times - EP V - The Return
The Moderately Priced Winos have returned with their first (and long awaited) episode of 2008. Their featured guest is Mr. Mike Mills bassist of that band - R.E.M. It's a wonderful podcast consisting of topics about haunted hotels, the state of the music industry, the new R.E.M. album 'Accelerate' and also include some great stories (and great laughs). Check out the show now, and remember to pick up your copy of the new R.E.M. on April 1st. I've had a listen to it, it's a short album, but I think it's their best since Bill Berry's departure. I particularly like the opener "Living Well Is The Best Revenge." Miles also promises a new podcast every Friday, unless of course there isn't one.
March 23, 2008 - Live Calendar and Merch updates
According to new updates on the official site, the trio of "Intimate Evening" dates at the Belmont, Bend Studio, and Hill Country Galleria have all been rescheduled to early June. Also the band will playing the 2008 Herndon Festival in Herndon, Virginia on June 1st. It's from 4-6pm at the Municipal Center Stage. It has also been reported that the band will be traveling to Lima, Peru in October to play as part of the special concert event for Love Hope Strength's 'Climb Back From Cancer.' This special event will feature numerous musicians and cancer survivors to help raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer; as well as spread Love, Hope and Strength to the people of Peru and people inflicted with cancer.
Finally, for you T-heads, the guys now have some brand spankin' new t-shirts for sale via the now active merch page on the official site. Tune it over there now to check the new shirt being fabulously modeled by one bearded Tony Scalzo.
March 20, 2008 - Fastball get their rocks off on a cruise
Fastball will not being playing in Bee Cave on May 31 (it just hasn't been removed from their site or MySpace), instead they will be hoping a cruise ship in Ney York, and will play live while floating around NY harbor. This event is scheduled for May 31 with boarding at 7pm and departure at 8pm and is part of the Rocks Off Concert Cruise series. The show is 18 & up, and tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of. Full event details on the Rocks Off website, along with ticket info. - Thanks to Gilles for the tip, confirmed with Rocks Off.
March 13, 2008 - Fastball sanction live recording archive
It was announced yesterday, on the official forum that the band has sanctioned a public archive of live recordings at the Internet Archive - view Fastball's Live Music Archive. Up for grabs [currently] are five shows, including the recent Saxon Pub show, and with it the live version of new tune Mono To Stereo. All shows were recorded by JAS (TexasYesFan), and are streamable and available to download both as individual tracks and full show sets, including mp3 and flac versions. Check it out now, and grab a few for your collection. And speaking of Mono To Stereo, it's a great song with a classic rock beat and melody. I really like it and can't wait to hear the studio version. Lyrics are up now. I've tried my best from the live version, and any further help is appreciated.
March 12, 2008 - Another new Mog song
Hummingbirds is the name of a new song appearing under Tony's Fastball music collection on his Mog page. It is listed as finished demo #1, under 'Latest and Greatest.'
March 10, 2008 - Fastball premier new song at Saxon Pub
Regular Texas reporters TexasYesFan and Shelly were at the Saxon Pub show in Austin on Friday. TYF has written up a full review of the show on the official forum. The guys' rocking set was chock full of new songs, most notably a very new song Mono To Stereo. The band was packing heat and in top form, and the crowd was eating it up, especially the new material, with White Noise striking a strong note with the crowd. Shelly has posted pictures from the show to a photo album. Read TYF's full review under the Gigs and Tours section of the official forum.
March 4, 2008 - Fastball add 2nd SXSW date
With SXSW 2008 just a week off, Fastball have added a second show on Friday March 14. The band will play the 8:00 slot of the Bug Music Showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard. This date has been added to the live calendar on the Shows page, of which we are now using Google calendar to present the show information until/unless some better option is found.
February 29, 2008 - Tony's MOG yields new cache of songs
Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very familiar with the MOG. I don't check Tony's page, I find the site to be slow and generally too busy. That being said some of you do snoop around on Tonys MOG page and have come across interesting stuff, particularly new songs. First thanks to Tyler for pointing out some of these new tracks. Okay, first up from a title called 'New Demos' we have Free World, Anymore, and More Dead Than Alive. From title 'The Bubble' comes the song Angelie, coupled with How Did I Get Here. Under the title 'Demos 2001' are When It's Over and Let's Talk About It. From 'Demos 1995' is the song California Comes Our Way. From 'Basset Sound Demo' comes International (Instrumental). Also of note is a demo of live favorite cover Crawling From The Wreckage as well as two 'Live' songs How Does It Feel (When the Night Begins), and Mon Père, along with with several other mixes or versions of known songs.
February 28, 2008 - Tony Scalzo song appearance
Tony co-wrote the song I Plan On Loving You last year with singer/songwriter Madelyn Cascio. The song is featured on her self titled 4-song EP, which is also produced by Tony. You can certainly hear Tony's influence in the song. It is funky and bluesy, and sung and recorded superbly (As are the other songs streaming). Listen to the track on Madelyn's MySpace. Lyrics are online now.
February 27, 2008 - New Studio Recordings (from 'The Soft Box')
New studio tracks are streaming at Fastball's MySpace. Head on over to stream new studio versions of All I Was Looking For Was You, Little White Lies, and She's Got The Rain. Be prepared, 'cause they sound fantastic, especially "Little White Lies" - love it. That's 3 steps closer to the new album, The Soft Box (?) - yep they all list 'The Soft Box' as the album. It's going to be another fun, exciting and well versed album, similar to, but distinctly different from 'Wig.' Perhaps a release date is on the horizon?
February 24, 2008 - Live Calendar
The guys are scheduled to play Schulz Garden in Austin on March 14, as part of Texas Music Magazine's Reader Appreciation Party. The band will play the 4-5pm time slot following Paula Nelson.
February 19, 2008 - More Upcoming Shows
The guys have just added four new shows to the schedule, one in Austin in early March, and three in Dallas and Bee Cave at the end of May, including one at the Bend Studios. Might be that we get a new live CD out of that one.
February 19, 2008 - Media and Site Updates
If you check the bottom of the Media page, you'll find a large listing of video links, separated by show/date. There are still more to add, including some of the Louisville cuts from Doug, the Rooftop performances and such, but it's a start. Hopefully you'll see something you hadn't before. As always, and help is appreciated, so if you know of some other good vids that should be listed, or a recorder who has just put some new ones up, please let me know so I can link them in. In other site news, I am currently working on the photos section, and hope to have at least some galleries online in the next week or so, once it's fully set up and all the bugs are worked out. If you have photos that you would like included on the site, please e-mail me.
**Update: Added 2 videos from the recent Austin Marathon (although one has very fuzzy audio).
February 18, 2008 - Marathon Report
TexasYesFan hit the FBTB forum with a full review of Sunday's marathon mini shows. The guys played 2 fantastic 8 song sets ripe with current material. But despite the great shows TYF relays the other great aspect to going to shows, particularly those set outdoors and not in a traditional venue - seeing other great fans again, meeting new fans, and their families, and otherwise just enjoying hanging out and enjoying the company and community. Sounds great, wish I could have gone as well. Also of note is the continued accolades being received by new FB bassist Bruce Hughes, who is apparently doing a fantastic job on bass and also with his added harmony vocals. Look forward to seeing you live Bruce. You can read TYF's full review, and even submit your own review of a past show. See the 'Gigs & Tours' section in the FBTB Forum.
February 13, 2008 - Every Time She Walks @ the House of Blues
Shelly has uploaded the only other video she got during the recent House of Blues show. She decided to record it following an interesting introduction from Miles about the movie it features in. So...Check it out! Thanks for the clip Shelly. This song is a great Fastball gem, and I'm glad to see that the guys are bringing it to their live show. Hopefully it will stick around in their shows for awhile.
February 11, 2008 - Photos from the House of Blues show
Shelly has graciously put up a few, okay 80, pictures that she snapped off during the recent House of Blues show. Check them out on her Photobucket page. And don't forget her live clip of "She's Got the Rain", from the same show. Thanks Shelly!
February 10, 2008 - Site tweaks
Hi all. Just to let you know, I've been tweaking things across the site. These are mainly to help optimize the site and to better its functionality/visibility on the net, as well as some limited visual elements. The primary thing you'll notice is a new search box on the main news page. Now the site is easily searchable for those who might want to search it. Also I have updated the JAS Recordings "Join" link on the media page. I was unaware he had switched the group location. It is current now, so it you've tried to join at the old link from the site, please try again at the new one. And as the media page is now online, I've taken the link off the news page. I hope the site is performing well for everyone; no loading or compatibility issues and such. If anyone is encountering any problems, please let me know so that I can look into them.
February 8, 2008 - Fastball to play 2 sets at marathon finish
That's right, Fastball will entertain marathon runners and spectators 2 times on Sunday, February 17. The band will play the annual Austin Marathon finish line at 11:00 am & 12:00 pm (not 10:00 am as previously reported), preceded by performances by the Austin City Showgirls. The event is a freebie for spectators, but it supports a number of good charities, so go support the event, the runners, and of course the band.
February 7, 2008 - Fastball rock the Go-Go crowd
As if we expected anything less. Reports are in on the band's recent stint as opener for 80's pop-rockers the Go-Go's. Regular reporters Nese and Shelly were at the shows (one a piece at least) and both reported that the band played great rocking sets which included plenty of classic track as well as lots of the guys' new material, including the previously unheard new song "She's Got the Rain." Shelly, quick with her camera, managed to snag a video clip of this performance - Check it out! Both shows were packed and the audience really got into and enjoyed Fastball's performance, which is not always easy for an opener. Read the full review here on the official forum. Thanks Nese and Shelly. We look forward to more live reports, and of course any new live pics, vids or audio.
February 2, 2008 - First SXSW '08 details emerge
As previously reported, Fastball are set to play this year's South by Southwest Festival next month in Austin. The first details of that show have now been set. The band will play the Dirty Dog Bar on Thursday, March 13. Showtime and cost are not yet available. Fastball last played the SXSW festival in 2004.
January 28, 2008 - Fastball site finds new form in ProjectX
The official website for Fastball has undergone a change. Now online is a sleeker replacement to the version that has been in place for the last couple years. The new site features a bold red background with a black body, held down by a large flash header featuring new and current pics of the band. Overall the site is bare bones at the moment, but it does have all the pertinent necessities: news, shows, and forum. Plus there is an audio player featuring many of the recent demos from the MySpace and Winos shows. The first news posting indicates the guys still hard at work writing/recording Album #5, and that the return of the Moderately Priced Winos is imminent. Check it out now!
January 24, 2008 - Media returns to Black Rain / RSS Feed
Well, I know you guys have been looking for it. The site tells me that it's a very popular page, so apparently you guys have been checking in often to see if it was online. Well the checking is over. The media page is now online. Right now the only material online is the Magneto USA demo tape and 2 live shows. The b-sides, bonus, and non-album tracks will return later - I'd like to get some new higher quality rips from CDs I have. You guys might be able to help with some that I don't. Right now the files are single set (.rar) files downloadable from this site. I'd like your feedback on this. I'd like to keep them as full sets, but it might mean using one of those file sharing sites (ie but not Rapidshare) to get a faster download speed. Enjoy, and if you have something to contribute, let me know.
Also, as a note, I'm testing using an RSS feed for the site. Just another way to have information available for those that make use of RSS feeds. The RSS feed icon will eventually be linked somewhere at the top, but until then, find the feed link in the feed section of your browser window, or here.
January 23, 2008 - Fastball gets new live bassist
Word on the FBTB forum is that Harmoni Kelley, will no longer be playing bass for Fastball. This according to a MySpace message sent out to fans. Harmoni, who has been playing bass with Fastball live for the last couple years (as well as side projects TSM and the SS), is leaving to play bass with another Austin area artist. Austin singer/songwriter Bruce Hughes will be taking over the live bass duties for the band, and according to TYF, he has already proved to be a great addition to the set. Check out Bruce's FB debut in this clip of "Til I Get It Right" from the Jan. 12 show at Momo's in Austin.
January 22, 2008 - Attention: Guitarheads
For your picking pleasure, I've added two new tabs to the Tab Page. I've added "All I Was Looking For Was You" done from the Moderately Priced Winos acoustic performance, and one of my favorite Small Stars songs "Bombarderos y Pistoleros." I've gone through these quite a bit to try and get them right. Thanks to TexasYesFan and his live video for assistance with some additional parts for "Bombarderos." There is a guitar riff in the chorus that I still can't quite make out. Give 'em a try and let me know what you think, or if you catch an error or typo. Anyone [Miles], care to help me out with that riff? Meanwhile, I will try to work on at least one more to put up in the next couple of weeks. - Also check out TYF's Small Stars site, now added to the links page.
January 16, 2008 - Site Updates still to come
I honestly thought I would have some new stuff added to the site by now, but as it is I've still got several other things in the way at the moment. However, I am making minor updates, changes, and additions as I can along the way, along with updating News and Show info. In fact I've finished and uploaded all the past news archives, including 2007. Now this main page won't be so large. Second I've corrected an error in the music videos listing, as it was a video for "Airstream," not "Til I Get It Right" that was produced. Thanks for the alert TINML! I am also currently working on getting together some tabs/chords for some newer songs to add to the site in the coming weeks. So stay tuned for that. And if there is a particular song you'd like to see tabs/chords done for, let me know and I'll give it a try.
January 15, 2008 - Fastball to open Go-Go's shows
Fastball will be opening for The Go-Go's for their show at Antone's in Austin on Monday, February 4th and their show at the House of Blues in Dallas on Tuesday, February 5th. It will be interesting to see whether Tony and Kathy perform one of their co-written songs during these shows.
In other Valentine/Scalzo news, according to a Nov. 9th posting by Michael Corcoran to Austin360.com Kathy Valentine has put together an all-star group with Tony Scalzo, Rachel Loy, and Johnny Goudie with all members taking turns singing lead, and possibly switching instruments.
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Linkage: Austin360.com
January 10, 2008 - Updates from Miles
Miles has posted some slight updates to the FBTB message board. First he alerts us to a last minute show scheduled for tomorrow night (Friday the 11th) at Ruta Maya in Austin. He and Tony will be playing an acoustic set as part of a benefit for Jen Marchand, a friend of theirs who was hit by a car. They go on at about 10pm, so head out if you can and support a good cause. Miles also states that the band will be playing at this years SXSW festival, but date/time/venue info is not yet known. He also says that he and Tony will do another Winos podcast, but haven't so far due to working and the holidays. He is looking for suggestions for discussion topics for the shows. If you have one, post it on the forum.
January 9, 2008 - Modern World Remix
A new mix of The Modern World has appeared on the band's MySpace page. The vocals and guitar solo are much fuller now, a great improvement.
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Linkage: Fastball @ MySpace