Live music review: Fastball played Scoot Inn in support of their new album Sonic Ranch

There aren’t many Gen Xers or older Millennials who don’t remember Fastball. The late 90s hitmakers will always be associated with hit song, “The Way” which propelled that record, All the Pain That Money Can Buy (1998) to soaring sales. The album was released in March 1998 and by June had already been certified Gold. The recording included some more radio hits and it seemed the Austin band with a hit sophomore record were on their way. Fast forward to last week’s show at Scoot Inn on the East Side of the Live Music Capital when fans gathered to hear the band introduce their latest effort, Sonic Ranch. What may surprise fans who haven’t kept up with group, is this record is quite good. If you were at Scoot Inn on Thursday last week, you saw the pride on the faces of bandleaders, Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga as they introduced their new songs. They have every right to be proud.

Fastball took the stage at Scoot Inn early as they were opening for Texas act, The Old 97s with their movie star-looking front man, Rhett Miller. it was easy to see Fastball had drawn their own fans to the venue with several hundred people in attendance for the opening slot. Perhaps they’d heard the new record? Or maybe they were hoping for a nostalgia trip down memory lane? Either way, Austin fans were treated to an enjoyable set that introduced live versions of a few of the new recordings with the well-known songs most fans already knew.

Zuniga and Scalzo were in high spirits playing in front of their hometown fans, quickly introducing new songs, including the first single, “Hummingbird” a track Zuniga wrote that the Austin Chronicle compared to David Bowie’s “Changes.” That might not be what came to mind when The Cosmic Clash listened to the album but we recognized the quality of the songwriting and enjoyed the track on first listen. Upon listening to the record, it was clear the band had done perhaps their best work since their breakthrough album. Fans were receptive to the new tunes, as they also played “Get You Off My Mind” off Sonic Ranch. While the show was the first in a tour run supporting the new record, the 14-song setlist spanned the career of Fastball, saving the hits everyone knew for the latter part of the performance.

Late in the set, that song (you know which one) made an appearance but not before the band played “Love Comes in Waves” with an interlude from Steve Miller’s “The Joker.” Fastball certainly know their audience and they responded in kind, applauding every song including hits “Out of My Head” and “The Way.”  The band encouraged the crowd to sing the chorus from “The Way” and fans dutifully complied. It was quite beautiful to see everyone singing the song along with Scalzo who sang lead on the hit he’d penned so many years ago. He seemed genuinely pleased with the audience response and graciously thanked them at the end of the song, looking thrilled so many folks still knew all the words.

We caught up with Scalzo following the set at the band’s merch table. Full disclosure: Tony Scalzo and author, Greg Ackerman grew up as neighbors in Tustin, California (Orange County). Scalzo mentioned the band doesn’t often play Austin these days, choosing to perform only when it feels appropriate like this year’s album release. He was in good spirits and seemed eager to continue playing the new songs for fans as Fastball embarked on a brief Texas tour that included Dallas, San Antonio and finally Houston on November 10. Currently the band only has two dates on their calendar. One of those dates is a 90s Cruise January 31 originating from Tampa, Florida that will include fellow Texan Lisa Loeb, Everclear, Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms among others.

All photos by Virginia Hernandez

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