Interview: Tony Scalzo Explains Starting Over with Fastball

Back in 1998 Fastball was riding high in the alternative rock world with three hit singles off of their disc All the Pain Money Can't Buy. The band, out of Austin Texas, quickly became alt. rock darlings with their Beatles styled harmonies, guitar driven pop, and storybook lyrics. The band faded from view for a bit but in 2009 they are back with a new disc, "Little White Lies", a new record label and a fresh start.

I had the chance to catch up with Fastball's Tony Scalzo to find out where the band has been and where they are headed.

Associated Content: It's been a while since your last disc "Keep Your Wig On" was released in 2004. What has the band been up to?

Tony Scalzo: Well we toured a lot to support our last record...we toured from 2004-2005 straight through. At that time our record label got a new president and from there they just didn't seem interested in supporting the band anymore. We needed a new record deal but we also were involved in some solo stuff ...I did some acoustic gigs...Miles did some theatrical stuff...I did a little production work for a couple artists...about two years ago the three of us got together and decided we still wanted to be Fastball and we started writing the record that became "Little White Lies."

AC: It's been ten years since your signature disc "All the Pain Money Can't Buy". How has the music game changed in your opinion? What new challenges has the band had to deal with?

TS: Well it's not a new ball game when it comes to making music! It's a new ballgame when it comes to selling music!! I mean...record stores have fallen out of vogue so I guess there are different ways to get the disc out there...I guess to me one challenge that we had was to make sure we didn't sound younger than we really are! I think one of the goals we had was to try and make a mature sounding, cohesive album...another issue I guess is the idea of making original music. So many bands just seem to follow the climate of the day. We really wanted to make something original.

AC: Well do you think you have succeeded?

TS: I don't know. HA! I still don't know how to make a truly cohesive album. I do know how to write songs...I just start writing songs and then half way through I start asking, hey does this fit, do these songs work together? I guess it might be a good challenge for us to make a cohesive album where everything fits from start to finish!

AC: What are you listening to nowadays? Do you have a couple favorite singer/songwriters?

TS: Hmmm...well singer/songwriters grow on trees in Austin...I have to say I am not big on the whole singer/songwriter thing. There are some I really like but I am more into bands... I listen to a lot of old stuff from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. As far as artists today...I have really dug the stuff Amy Winehouse has done...she has actually influenced a few artists to do what she does... you know... without all the drugs! HA! I also really like MGMT and The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs...they have some really cool stuff going on.

AC: Everyone talks about how amazing the Austin music scene is. What makes the music scene there so good?

TS: Honestly, I think it's the musical diversity that we have along with the fact that the people in the scene are very accepting of different musical styles and they have a wide variety of musical tastes.

AC: What was the motivating factor to do another Fastball record and tour?

TS: After fifteen years we still get a long great and we had some new things to put out there. We are also trying out new things live on stage. I started out in this band playing bass and now I get to play guitar, keyboards and piano on stage...we are getting a chance to try new things so it feels fresh.

AC: What was the best thing about having hit singles like "The Way" and "Out of My Head" and what was the roughest thing about that period in time?

TS: Well the best thing about it was that everything that we had been working for had come to fruition. It was like winning the lottery...we had a good time...we traveled the world and well, made more money than I had ever seen at that time. I guess the toughest part of it was at some point, it just became a job. The fun of doing this just seemed to disappear...we started opening for all these bands and their fans did not care about us at all!! I mean it became a chore to play for empty theaters or for people who were still looking for their seats! We should have headlined our own shows and played clubs...I guess it was a learning experience.

AC: How are things different now? What will you do differently?

TS: Well we are definitely headlining on our own...we are doing everything on our own and doing it out of pocket! The goal now is to have fun and to be a successful business.

AC: Sounds like the band is indeed starting over. What's that feel like?

TS: Well we are starting over. That's exactly what it feels like...it's a good feeling...we know a lot, we are realistic...we have a foundation from what we have learned in the past.

AC: Will Fastball be on tour through the summer?

TS: Yeah, we will be touring all summer long, headlining shows and finding the RIGHT opening slot to be on!

AC: Thanks for chatting with me and I hope to see you guys live when you hit LA.

TS: Thank you!