Behind-the-Scenes with Fastball's Tony Scalzo

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<v SPEAKER_01>My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Industry professionals, whether famous stars or behind-the-scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories.

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<v SPEAKER_01>This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing information on how they evolved into their chosen career.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes, and hear from people who help them achieve their goals.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Hi, I'm Tony Mantor.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm thrilled to welcome Tony Scalzo of the band Fastball.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Fastball has made a significant impact in the music scene since 1994 with a unique fusion of the Beatles-inspired pop and 90s mainstream rock.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Their debut single, The Way, was a resounding success, topping American rock charts and garnering two Grammy nominations.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Fastball has continued to produce high-quality music, releasing nine albums over the years, including their latest album, Sonic Ranch, this past June.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So welcome to the show.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Hey, thanks for having me.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Let's talk.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Let's talk anything you want to talk about.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I'm here.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I'm so glad to have you.

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<v SPEAKER_01>When did you decide that, hey, I think I'm going to be in the music business?

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<v SPEAKER_01>And did you in your wildest dreams think that you'd be as successful as you have been and have the longevity that you've had?

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<v SPEAKER_03>So at first, until I was maybe 14, I didn't expect that I would ever be a musician as a career.

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<v SPEAKER_03>But I started playing with some older guys in my school.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I was already taking piano lessons, maybe age of seven.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I picked up the guitar.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I was also in the school band.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So in elementary school, I was playing trumpet.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And then I got into the band in the junior high.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And by high school, I went into uh playing low brass.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Like uh I played a baritone horn.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Okay.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So, and that was mainly in the orchestra.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I played trumpet in the marching band, a little bit lighter in the orchestra when it was like the winter time after the football season's over.

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<v SPEAKER_03>We uh switched to orchestra and I played baritone horn in that.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So I've always been musical.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I don't know a time when I wasn't either singing or you know, messing around on the guitar trying to learn uh, you know, songs off records and things like that.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Um, I learned how to do a lot of stuff by reading magazines like Guitar Player Magazine.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And Guitar Player Magazine wasn't really the magazine it it was later.

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<v SPEAKER_03>It was just this really, really, I don't know, a really selective readership.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So you kind of had to be a guitar player and or uh someone who was really obsessive because uh I began to learn about some of the vintage players like Frank Beecher from uh Bill Haley and the Comets, and uh Eddie Cochran, and uh uh learning about the blues and people like Buddy Guy and Freddie King and of course, you know, the the British greats like Jeff Beck and uh Robin Trower and Jimmy Page and Richie Blackmore.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I really got obsessed with guitar playing.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So it that in the 70s, as you probably remember, was pretty much it starts with kind of hard rock, right?

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<v SPEAKER_03>But then it branches off into like fusion.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So you have like Steely Dad and Larry Carlton and people um and the people who you know, and like Return to Forever, and you get all these like like and you know, bass too with like Jocka Pistorius, I'm a big fan of.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, Frank Zappa, I love Jimi Hendricks, and to this day I'm still obsessed with guitar playing.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I don't play a lot of guitar these days, but I was for quite a long time in fastball.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I was playing guitar along with Miles for about 15 years in fastball, and I only since reverted back to the bass about four years ago.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And it's been really great to take to take that old position up again because I realized that maybe the band had been lacking a little bit without my bass playing.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I think that I was trying to do this other thing.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I was trying, you know, as a singer-songwriter, it's quite a challenge if you don't play music.

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<v SPEAKER_03>It's kind of difficult to play bass when you're the lead singer in a band, and there's a few people who do it very well.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That became my sort of recent goal is to get back that sound that we had when we started out in the 90s when we were a three-piece.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Things have gotten tighter and musically more focused on the live end.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I couldn't say we're focusing on the recording end right now because we do a lot of what we want to do and tend to branch out stylistically.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Sure, sure.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Which I think we've done for all of the 21st century that we've been playing, that recording and writing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>When you first started, you were doing it for the love of the music, and you still are.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But as always, the music business will always take over.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Then when you created fastball, and of course you had that big hit that started it all.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm assuming that you're probably like everybody else that I've dealt with that has had that one big hit.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So, how did you handle that impact of everybody wanting you all at the same time from all over the country?

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<v SPEAKER_03>Look, it was hard.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Very difficult, time-consuming work.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You don't have time for a life, you don't have time to enjoy that uh sort of imagined fantasy.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I I won the lottery, I can do whatever I want.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You can't do whatever, you can't do anything.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You have to work and you have to continue to make that thing roll and pick up more dung as you roll it, or snow.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So it gets hard, and you know, it goes by very quickly, and then you realize your standards have risen.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You're easily you're more easily disappointed in things that never would have bothered you before.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And if you're not prepared for it, you're gonna make big mistakes.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yes.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And if you're not prepared for it, you could die.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Oh, yeah, yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Literally die.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I will say, from experience and from knowing many people who don't breathe anymore, right?

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<v SPEAKER_03>It's a freaking dangerous job.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, it is.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Show business in general is is dangerous and the hazards are incalculable.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, yeah, because people that do the average job Monday through Friday, they clock in, clock out nine to five, and of course, there's nothing wrong with that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Of course not.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But when you do music, then all of a sudden you're elevated to that hit record star status, then the demands and the pressures come along, and it can be insurmountable at times.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, it can.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And but it isn't insurmountable.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Um, there are ways, and I think people, you know, there's a lot of people that would have fared better if they'd have listened to some people, maybe trusted them.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Or not, or maybe not trusting some people would have been a good idea.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You gotta learn how to put off your immediate gratification desires, if you know what I mean, to focus on the future, to take care of yourself for the next day, to your time in a way that's gonna preserve your energy and help you recharge so that you can go do it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And you know, you can't kick gas if you're sick.

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<v SPEAKER_03>It can make you very sick.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And plus, if you start drinking or you smoke a lot or you're into drugs, that's right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Um, it may seem like it really works for a little while, and and maybe it does, but I mean, chances are that's gonna put you on a fast track to death.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And we've seen so many people, you know, hit that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Well, me too.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Some people who you wonder why were they so miserable, you know.

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<v SPEAKER_03>On top of it, all is the idea that you're expected to be super happy.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I'm talking about something from a perspective of one who was maybe in that point for a very short time, a long time ago.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right, right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Um, I'm not famous in the way that I don't suffer from fame.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I I'm able to enjoy it because I only utilize it when I'm placed where I'm supposed to be and where it does the best good.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And that's usually at my own performances and my own.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I don't run around scenes in Nashville and LA and New York and Austin and and and uh ask people if they if they don't know who I am.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Don't you do you not know who I am?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Right, right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, that's not an attractive position for me to be in.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So it sounds like you've gotten into your comfort zone.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You've accepted your fame, you've accepted the things that you've done, which allows you to keep working on new material and moving forward.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And just you know, focus on your work.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh, and hopefully generate enough popularity within the audience to keep building on that and keep things going.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And we have more of an opportunity to do that now in this day and age, due to technology and due to connectivity between uh a great deal more people that exist now than did 25, 30 years ago.

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<v SPEAKER_03>The population has increased.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You know, of course, the internet has helped tremendously.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And there's more people have the internet, so the that connectivity is is in place, and now we know that we can literally keep a career going as long as it's you're not trying to like I don't have a 21 million monthly stream Spotify account.

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<v SPEAKER_03>If I did, I'd be under pressure to keep that up some way.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Sure.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I don't know, maybe you don't have to worry about it too much because things sort of generate now, they self-generate.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>We do have, you know, over a million monthly streams.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And if I stop and think about that for a minute, it it's kind of mind-boggling.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And it's like, wow, that's a million times somebody's listened to one of our songs in one month.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And that continues to be the case.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And the beauty of that is the tiny royalty rates on those streams, notwithstanding the beauty of it is that it's a thing that continues, you know, as opposed to a hard recorded piece of material that you sell one time, right?

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<v SPEAKER_03>And you only get that royalty for that one point of purchase.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That's an opportunity.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I like that about today's music world.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Now, are you going back on tour?

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<v SPEAKER_03>Back on tour?

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh, we're always playing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Okay.

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<v SPEAKER_03>We're planning for a fall tour in late October, November, but the summer's been full of weekends, jumping around on planes, going to different cities.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And then we did actually in April, some of the timing got a little bit messed up, and we had a record that came out in June, but we had already done a proper tour in April, May that, you know, kind of missed the mark.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>But um, you know, it again, it's a new world now.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And so, like, here I sit in my comfortable home in central Texas, and I can talk to you, and I concurrently say that, you know, I'm working.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, that's awesome.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And I could do all this stuff from home.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Meanwhile, Saturday night, I was in uh Morgantown, West Virginia, and we had a great show.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And and uh in a couple weeks I'll be in I'll be in Georgia in the Atlanta area.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh fastball plays all over, and we're trying to keep that going for as long as we're healthy and able to do it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I've read where the latest CD that you've recorded and put out has gotten great reviews.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I've heard a few songs off, and that's really good.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I think you've really hit the mark with it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Thank you.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh yeah, we like it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>We're very happy about it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And we're planning on doing some more as soon as we can uh you know get enough songs together to to justify going to the studio.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Now, do you do most of the writing yourself or do you collaborate?

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<v SPEAKER_01>How do you come up with your songs?

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh well, how does how does that whole thing work anyway?

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<v SPEAKER_03>People want you to say, I give hour and a half seminars to people on songwriting.

00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:15.440
<v SPEAKER_03>I wouldn't call them seminars, but I've uh I've spoken on it and I've done round table discussions with young artists.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And uh, you know, there's a lot to be said for the craft of songwriting.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And yes, I uh I can break it down with you know, with our band, it's it's myself writing usually uh at home and trying to get the bulk of a song together, maybe 80-90% of it together here on my own.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Uh, which is a sort of a comfort zone so that I have more control over what it sounds like later with the band, which is not necessarily uh ideal thing.

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<v SPEAKER_03>So, you know, that's what I was saying.

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<v SPEAKER_03>There's a lot to be said.

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<v SPEAKER_03>There's many ways to create songs.

00:14:59.440 --> 00:14:59.840
<v SPEAKER_03>That's right.

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<v SPEAKER_03>There are no wrong ways to do it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>No, so sometimes you have to put aside what you think is the way a song sounds, and let some other people jump in and do what they do, and maybe you'll get something really great.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, collaboration.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I write by myself, and then Miles writes songs on his own, or he might collaborate with someone else.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Sure.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I might collaborate with someone else too.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Sometimes Miles and I collaborate together, and that has been fruitful over the over the span of nine albums.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And yeah, uh, we just you know, it's it's hard to say how you do it when you haven't written a song in a while, and I'm still working on getting some songs together since this record was recorded, and it's it's it's kind of baffling, you know.

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<v SPEAKER_03>You on the other side of an album, you go, Well, how did I do that?

00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:00.240
<v SPEAKER_03>How did how did we come up with that material?

00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:08.240
<v SPEAKER_03>And it sounds so good, and it's just because you're in it, you don't really uh you don't know what how it's gonna come out until it's all done.

00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:09.039
<v SPEAKER_01>Exactly.

00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.080
<v SPEAKER_03>And that goes through a lot of phases.

00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:17.600
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, there's the writing, there's the working out with the guys, right?

00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:49.759
<v SPEAKER_03>And then there's the recording where you're like working with a producer who says you hear something here, and there's the mixing, in which case the mixing, you might feel like after you get a couple of mixes together that you want to add something even more, or you want to edit something, you want to change something, or you want to fuse two songs together, even yeah, there's a process, but and everybody has their way, and then there's mastering, and then there's mastering, and then you've got to think about how you're gonna put this out.

00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:53.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Are you gonna put it out only streaming, only digital?

00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:55.519
<v SPEAKER_03>Are you gonna put out a vinyl version?

00:16:55.759 --> 00:17:02.480
<v SPEAKER_03>You have to get mixes that are analog friendly, that's right, or you get mixes that are digital friendly, yeah.

00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:14.400
<v SPEAKER_03>So, and now there's a thing called Atmos, and then there's enhanced audio, uh, which is phenomenal sounding if you have a really, really good recorded hormone.

00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.000
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, I found that it works for some of the songs.

00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.960
<v SPEAKER_03>I've done we've done a few Atmos mixes, and most of them work really well.

00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:26.480
<v SPEAKER_03>And I won't say which track it is, but for me, there's another.

00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:48.480
<v SPEAKER_03>There was one song that came out that I was noticing it sounded like disjointed because there's so much separation and there's so much spatial organization of the different tracks that it's glaringly uh what it what it's like putting a spotlight on some of the less than perfect bits.

00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:54.960
<v SPEAKER_03>And so that's one of the reasons why mono and early stereo sound so good to us, right?

00:17:55.279 --> 00:18:03.519
<v SPEAKER_03>We listen to Records by the Beatles, uh, which are mono mixes from a four-track at the at the most, right?

00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:13.200
<v SPEAKER_03>And we hear that those levels had to be perfect upon tracking, yeah, and everything had to be good, and the performance had to be tight as you can get.

00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:30.079
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, here we work a lot faster, here and now we work a lot faster because we want to be able to get to certain parts and we want to be able to hear different ideas at a quicker rate so we actually don't waste our time or scrap a whole recording.

00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:30.480
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:31.039
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:39.119
<v SPEAKER_01>And the beauty of the 60s and the 70s is that sometimes the music was perfectly imperfect.

00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:44.559
<v SPEAKER_01>One of the instruments might have been out of tune slightly, or just different little things that happened.

00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:51.680
<v SPEAKER_01>But when they had all the players playing it together, it just got that right sound and it came out perfectly imperfect.

00:18:52.240 --> 00:19:03.440
<v SPEAKER_01>And now we've got Pro Tools and CubeS and all those platforms where you can manipulate whatever you need, but sometimes that raw feel is just the sound that you actually need.

00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:04.079
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:12.559
<v SPEAKER_03>Well, I will say that you can you can definitely get all of those things that we love about that music from those times.

00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:15.200
<v SPEAKER_03>You can get it from a digital format.

00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:15.680
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:19.440
<v SPEAKER_03>You just have to do things kind of the way they did them.

00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:35.759
<v SPEAKER_03>And really, what you're trying to do is capture uh the way an instrument sounds in a room, and which means you got to use vintage microphones, you got to use vintage uh instruments and amplification, drones.

00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:40.720
<v SPEAKER_03>That's right, maybe just crazy placement and baffles.

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:41.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:19:42.160 --> 00:20:12.480
<v SPEAKER_03>So if you can do all those things, you can still utilize the benefits of digital, you can use the Pro Tools because, like I say, if you are really if you're working with a and if you're working with a producer like David Garza, who who's like a mile a minute, this guy can go and you don't even know what's going on because he's jumping around, jumping from like a Melotron to a to a xylophone, and then he'll pick up a guitar and play this Spanish thing that'll just boil your mind.

00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:25.359
<v SPEAKER_03>And you know, if you are doing that in a set period, like they did things back in the in the Beatles times at Abbey Road, you're talking about hiring people to come in.

00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:25.839
<v SPEAKER_03>Right.

00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:31.519
<v SPEAKER_03>You try it out, you spend two days and it doesn't work, and you scrap it all.

00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:36.880
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, we know within a couple of hours whether it works or not.

00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:42.880
<v SPEAKER_01>So, in the last 20 years or so that you've been out there performing, what comes to your mind?

00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:47.920
<v SPEAKER_01>Something that you will always remember, and it'll be a performance, someone you met, just anything.

00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.400
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, well, lots of things, obviously.

00:20:50.640 --> 00:21:01.519
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, I remember actually more of how we adjusted to kind of a decline than I do the actual being up there, the heady times.

00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:02.000
<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:08.160
<v SPEAKER_03>They're heady, and that that's going to make things blur in your memory a little bit.

00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:11.440
<v SPEAKER_03>Forget where you were when something happened.

00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:13.599
<v SPEAKER_03>You'll only remember certain aspects.

00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:20.559
<v SPEAKER_03>This is just basic psychology of memory, but you'll pick out things that are not the whole picture.

00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:23.599
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, what do I remember the most?

00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:29.680
<v SPEAKER_03>I just remember, I don't know, you know, gosh, there's no one incident, that's for sure.

00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:31.039
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, I get that.

00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.440
<v SPEAKER_03>Or remember going to the Grammys.

00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:36.079
<v SPEAKER_03>I remember not winning a Grammy.

00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:36.559
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.440
<v SPEAKER_03>It's okay.

00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:38.640
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, sure.

00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:42.799
<v SPEAKER_03>I remember being around people, famous people.

00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:48.400
<v SPEAKER_03>I remember just the constant feeling like I fly a lot still.

00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:53.039
<v SPEAKER_03>And I remember a lot when I'm on a plane, especially in the summer.

00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:53.359
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:59.599
<v SPEAKER_03>When we were moving our fastest in 1998, because the record was on the top of the charts and we were doing them.

00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:09.200
<v SPEAKER_03>TV and VH1 and all the shows, all the TV shows, and then radio shows, giant radio shows and stadiums.

00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:13.119
<v SPEAKER_03>And I remember the way I felt on those planes.

00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:16.079
<v SPEAKER_03>Very excited and very like, here we go.

00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:16.640
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:23.599
<v SPEAKER_03>And I, you know, I don't really feel that today because it's been done a million times, and I've sat on those planes.

00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:27.759
<v SPEAKER_03>And but I do remember it that feeling every once in a while.

00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:32.640
<v SPEAKER_03>And I remember how it was on, you know, and kind of compare and contrast that experience.

00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:33.039
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:38.079
<v SPEAKER_03>I'm not motivated by most of the things I was motivated by back then.

00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:38.559
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:45.119
<v SPEAKER_03>Like I was really interested in, you know, women and how much play I could get out there.

00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.000
<v SPEAKER_03>And because that's what rock stars do.

00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:50.079
<v SPEAKER_03>And, you know, the partying.

00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:58.079
<v SPEAKER_03>Well, a lot of what I think about when I go out and work is I try I tell myself to try to, you know, keep it together.

00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:10.079
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, don't go out and you're, you know, eating a giant Italian meal with two bottles of wine is probably not gonna feel that great, you know, because experience tells me so.

00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.319
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, absolutely.

00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:12.960
<v SPEAKER_01>I get it.

00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:17.440
<v SPEAKER_03>I remember a lot of the painful, horrible moments, actually.

00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:18.240
<v SPEAKER_03>Really?

00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:27.599
<v SPEAKER_03>Being sad and lonely in the middle of you know, in a hotel room in say Oslo, and just freaking out, kind of.

00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:28.319
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:32.000
<v SPEAKER_03>Drinking way too much and and just losing it.

00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:32.799
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:38.480
<v SPEAKER_03>And um feeling like crap, having to go to the doctor a couple times.

00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.119
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:52.880
<v SPEAKER_03>You know, knock on wood, it it never really um, oh, I'm sure it probably probably affected my and our careers, you know, negatively in some way, but for the most part, not consequential.

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:55.279
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, it sounds like you transitioned really good.

00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:01.119
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, and and we're all doing very well now, and we um we're good little boys.

00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:01.759
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:06.000
<v SPEAKER_03>And our job subsequently is easier and more fun.

00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:08.480
<v SPEAKER_03>We're way better at playing.

00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:13.359
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, and the thing is, is back then it was the rush of everything.

00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:14.160
<v SPEAKER_03>Oh, yeah.

00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:15.759
<v SPEAKER_03>What else are you gonna do, right?

00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:21.680
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, you got this many hours before you don't have any hours, you have an hour usually.

00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:31.839
<v SPEAKER_03>When you have a hit record in the late 90s and you're a band, yeah, you basically get up from a sleep that's only about three and a half hours old.

00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, yeah.

00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:38.559
<v SPEAKER_03>Because you didn't get to bed after the show till three in the morning.

00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:46.160
<v SPEAKER_03>Now you've got to go do morning radio, and you're gonna have to go and morning radio, you know what morning radio is like.

00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.599
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh, yeah, been there.

00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:49.359
<v SPEAKER_03>It's a big joke, right?

00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:50.960
<v SPEAKER_03>People just joke around about it.

00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:52.960
<v SPEAKER_03>You can't be serious about anything.

00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:58.720
<v SPEAKER_03>If you have anything serious on your mind, you're gonna be the butt of more jokes.

00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:05.200
<v SPEAKER_03>So you kind of have to go along with that, and you know, you do that, you sing your songs on the radio.

00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:08.400
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, oh, you gotta go to another one right after that.

00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:09.119
<v SPEAKER_02>Oh, yeah.

00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:10.880
<v SPEAKER_03>Then it's lunch, hopefully.

00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.680
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, next thing you know, it's sound check.

00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:20.480
<v SPEAKER_03>You might be able to go home, get in that when I say home, you know, a hotel room or your bus.

00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:25.680
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, climb up and go and have a little nap, but then you gotta play again.

00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:26.799
<v SPEAKER_01>Right, exactly.

00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:31.119
<v SPEAKER_03>And sometimes you have to sit at dinner with a bunch of people for a couple hours.

00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:33.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, you know, been there, done that.

00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:37.440
<v SPEAKER_03>It may be great a couple of times.

00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:38.000
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.720
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, the good thing is is that that you're still here doing it.

00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:45.039
<v SPEAKER_01>You can reflect on the things that you've done.

00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:46.960
<v SPEAKER_03>I don't have to work as hard either.

00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:47.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Right.

00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:56.480
<v SPEAKER_01>You can appreciate what you're doing because you started out you started out with it for the love of the music, and now it's truly for the love of the music because you've done it all.

00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:57.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Yep.

00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:10.079
<v SPEAKER_03>It's 80% for the love of the no, it's 50% for the love of music, it's 40% for the money, and it's 10% because I'm codependent and I don't want to let my friends down.

00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.519
<v SPEAKER_03>We're in a band together.

00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:12.640
<v SPEAKER_02>Right, I get it.

00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:17.279
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, they would, you know, you don't just say, I'm out of here after 30 years.

00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:18.000
<v SPEAKER_02>That's right.

00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.960
<v SPEAKER_03>You gotta put a little bit of a what do they call it?

00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:22.480
<v SPEAKER_03>A two-week notice.

00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:23.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, yeah.

00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Notice I just read our partnership agreement today.

00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:29.279
<v SPEAKER_03>It says we have 60 days.

00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:32.000
<v SPEAKER_03>So that's whether we're leaving or not.

00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:32.799
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, yeah.

00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:38.720
<v SPEAKER_03>And if you break you could breach your partnership, uh oh yeah, you know, how many times has that been done?

00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.759
<v SPEAKER_03>But that's fine.

00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:41.200
<v SPEAKER_03>No, no, no, we're cool.

00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:49.759
<v SPEAKER_03>I'm I'm only joking about all the it's true, we do have a 60-day notice, but that's the only thing I shall reveal about our business.

00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:55.759
<v SPEAKER_03>It's fun, yeah, compete in a band with the same guys for 30 years.

00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:56.640
<v SPEAKER_01>That's awesome.

00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:02.960
<v SPEAKER_03>You'd end up doing this thing, and it's funny because well, you know, like twins have a language.

00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.799
<v SPEAKER_03>Okay, well, we're we're like triplets, and we have a language for sure.

00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:20.720
<v SPEAKER_03>And we have a sound guy who's only been with us for a few months, and he's funny because uh I saw a post that he did on on Facebook and he said, I've been with these guys for a couple of weeks, man.

00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:31.119
<v SPEAKER_03>Sometimes I don't know what they're talking about, but they'll say a couple things and they'll look at each other, and the whole room just starts busting up in laughter, and I don't even know what they're talking about.

00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:39.039
<v SPEAKER_03>And that and that is what we're that's what I'm saying is we have this thing in place that sometimes a look will do it.

00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:41.440
<v SPEAKER_03>We don't have to say much.

00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:47.920
<v SPEAKER_03>We definitely see that we have to communicate, and communication is a key to any relationship.

00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:56.160
<v SPEAKER_03>That's right, any relationship, a business relationship, a personal relationship, yeah, a parent kid relationship.

00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:01.599
<v SPEAKER_01>The cool thing that you've done is you've not only stayed consistent but putting out great music.

00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:03.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Well, I appreciate that.

00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:06.000
<v SPEAKER_03>I think we've had some low, low points.

00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:09.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Everyone does, but not in our recording.

00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:09.759
<v SPEAKER_01>Good.

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:11.440
<v SPEAKER_03>Not in our recorded output.

00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:12.640
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, that's great.

00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:25.920
<v SPEAKER_03>And if I I would say that uh if I had any if reason to do if I had a couple things I'd like to change or do better, it would be to be a better performer 20 years ago.

00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:48.160
<v SPEAKER_03>20 years ago, I think uh we were up on our laurels a little bit and we were complacent, we were bored, we were kind of trying to figure out if we liked each other as people and we wanted to be in to we want to continue this, and then um I I wish that we had made more records.

00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:52.160
<v SPEAKER_03>Honestly, I I'd like to have made maybe four or five more records.

00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:54.000
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, sure.

00:28:54.799 --> 00:29:02.960
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, I have to say this what you've done is really good because you've been together what 25, 26, 27 years.

00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:05.119
<v SPEAKER_03>We've been together for 30 years.

00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:06.079
<v SPEAKER_01>30 years.

00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:09.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, that's astounding for any band to stay together that long.

00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:11.279
<v SPEAKER_01>That's just amazing.

00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:12.720
<v SPEAKER_01>Yes, I agree.

00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:13.839
<v SPEAKER_01>It is, it is.

00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:17.759
<v SPEAKER_01>I've seen so many come and go in my 30 plus years here in Nashville.

00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:26.960
<v SPEAKER_03>And a lot of times it's just one the one guy who sang or wrote the hit, gets rid of everybody else, and just gets a bunch of people he can boss around and pay.

00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:28.079
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, so true.

00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:33.200
<v SPEAKER_03>We put in our deals with each other, we worked that out beforehand.

00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:39.279
<v SPEAKER_03>We made it uh a written thing, which is how we agree, and we did it early.

00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:45.279
<v SPEAKER_03>We did it before there was anything to even argue about, so it's all in place, yeah.

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:46.880
<v SPEAKER_01>So, how do people find you?

00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:48.880
<v SPEAKER_03>How do they find us?

00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:55.599
<v SPEAKER_03>You can go to Spotify, fastball, you can go to our website, fastballtheband.com.

00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:01.359
<v SPEAKER_03>We have pages on Instagram and on Facebook and on TikTok, and we are on YouTube.

00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:09.359
<v SPEAKER_03>We have a fastball official Facebook, and if you want to see a lot of our stuff in video, you can go on there.

00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:12.319
<v SPEAKER_03>There's a lot of stuff that other people post.

00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:19.680
<v SPEAKER_03>We have a new video out that goes with our new single, which is called Rather Be Me Than You.

00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:33.119
<v SPEAKER_03>We shot a video in March uh here in Austin, and um, it's a great fun video, it's a real rock video, and you can see that on YouTube right now.

00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.920
<v SPEAKER_03>And uh urge everybody to uh come to our shows.

00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:41.440
<v SPEAKER_03>You can buy merch from us at the shows.

00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:48.000
<v SPEAKER_03>We always come out and sign stuff for people if they buy something, and even if you don't buy something, we'll sign it.

00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:56.160
<v SPEAKER_03>But if you don't have money to buy our stuff at the stores or through our website, feel free to stream on the streams, man.

00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:58.000
<v SPEAKER_03>I have no problem with that.

00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:08.640
<v SPEAKER_03>It helps our band, it supports our band, and you can listen as many times you want, and you know, it's great for us to have a million streams every month.

00:31:08.880 --> 00:31:10.400
<v SPEAKER_03>It actually pays off.

00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:14.559
<v SPEAKER_03>It doesn't pay all our all our bills, but it it helps.

00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:16.400
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:18.319
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, I tell you, it's it's been great.

00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:19.680
<v SPEAKER_01>I really appreciate you coming on.

00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:21.200
<v SPEAKER_03>Tony, it's been a pleasure.

00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:22.000
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, man.

00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.359
<v SPEAKER_03>I've I've had a good time.

00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.240
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, me too.

00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:25.599
<v SPEAKER_01>The pleasure's all mine.

00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:37.119
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks for joining us today.

00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:39.599
<v SPEAKER_01>We hope you enjoyed the show.

00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:43.440
<v SPEAKER_01>This has been a Tony Mantor Production.

00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:48.240
<v SPEAKER_01>For more information, contact media at plateau music.com.