Fastball

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.