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Yesterday I visited a place I had never been, saw something I had never seen and heard something I had never heard.
Lakeway is a community on the shore of Lake Travis, west of Austin. Basically built around a golf course, there isn't a straight piece of road in the place. Lakeway Resort is on a hillside overlooking the lake, which means you have to negotiate all the hilly, curvy streets to get there. Good thing I had a GPS with me, or I would never have found the place.
The resort is beautiful, of course. The centerpiece, and the place where the show was held, is the large three-tiered swimming pool. Imagine three long, rectangular pools stacked one on top of the other, overlooking the lake. The stage was set up between the pools and the lake, making it quite an interesting sight.
I got there fairly early; early enough to see the band setting up on the little stage next to the hot tub. The idea of Fastball playing next to the Hot Tub made me chuckle (a joke only hardcore Small Stars fans will get). As the band went through their sound check, I noticed Miles playing a few licks from "Wind Me Up." I thought that was interesting. They then ran through "Always Never" without the bass (Bruce's bass hadn't arrived yet). I also noticed that Miles and Tony were wearing swimming trunks. Sure enough, as soon as the sound check was done, they took a quick dip in the pool to cool off.
Bruce's bass arrived just in time for a quick tuning, then the band came on to start the show. By this time, the weather, which had been hot, muggy and overcast, turned into hot, muggy and rainy. Thankfully, the shower was light and brief, and didn't affect the start of the show.
By showtime, the pools were pretty crowded. I wonder if the guys had ever played in front of a couple of hundred "half-naked people" as Tony commented. Those of us not in the water were relegated to a few rows of chairs set up along the side of the stage (across from the hot tub). Surprisingly, despite the strange angle, the sound was pretty good. I was seated stage left, and since the majority of the people were toward that direction, the main speakers were pointed in my direction. Hey, I didn't complain.
This was one of the most enjoyable Fastball shows I've been to, and I wasn't even drinking. Everywhere you looked, people were relaxing, beach balls were bouncing and kids were running around. This was clearly a party atmosphere. The guys were loose and having a good time, too. But that doesn't mean the music suffered. In fact, this was one of the best played shows I've seen. Rather, it seems that they felt free to improvise more, turning some songs into all-out jams and throwing us a curve every now and then.
The first curve ball came just four songs into the set, when they launched into "Wind Me Up," with its unmistakable intro. So that's why Miles was playing it during the sound check! That was something I had never heard before. It's a tricky number, with all those time changes, and Tony did get caught once. They quickly recovered, though, and I think they did a great job on it.
Later during the show I heard bits of "I've Got A Feeling," "Electric Avenue," "Tequila" and even "Gypsies Tramps And Thieves."
Tony broke a string during "Always Never." Fortunately, he had another guitar handy, so it only took him a few minutes to get the replacement. It interrupted the flow, though, and threw Miles off for just a bit. So naturally he improvised with a whole new guitar solo. It was great. When Tony got back, they just picked up where they had left off.
Even "The Way" took on a new life, as Tony decided to prolong the silence after the first guitar solo, taking a sip of his Dos Equis while the crowd cheered. Miles started a new guitar riff, and eventually they picked up the song and finished it off.
And everywhere, it seemed, the guitar solos were longer and more interesting.
During "The Keys To Your Heart" the wind picked up, the sky grew dark, and drops started falling. By the time they had finished the song, it was pretty clear the clouds were about to burst. Sadly, the show had to end. They hurried off the stage as the crew covered up the equipment. I hauled ass to my car just in time to avoid getting soaked.
I smiled all the way home. This is why I love this band.
Fastball
August 17, 2008
Lakeway Resort & Spa
Lakeway, TX
Tony Scalzo - Lead vocals, guitar
Miles Zuniga - Lead vocals, guitar
Joey Shuffield - Drums
Bruce Hughes - Bass, vocals
01 All I Was Looking For Was You
02 Little White Lies >
03 Fire Escape
04 Wind Me Up
05 She's Got The Rain
06 You're An Ocean
07 Vampires
08 'Til I Get It Right
09 We'll Always Have Paris
10 Out Of My Head
11 Always Never
12 The Modern World
13 Don't Let Me Down
14 The Way
15 The Keys To Your Heart (The 101ers)
San Antonio really is lame. Yes, I live here, and believe me I wish it weren't true. That's why I spend so much time in Austin. I'm not making excuses for my fellow San Antonians. But it does explain a lot about last night's Fastball show at The White Rabbit.
The whole idea of Fastball playing a show at The White Rabbit seemed a bit incongruous. The White Rabbit used to be a haven for up-and-coming indie rock bands but over the last several years it's become a hangout for young punk metalheads. The bands that play there are usually second-rate local metal bands. Still, I did see Spoon there a couple of years ago, so they occasionally have good music.
The night began strangely when, as Nese and I approached the gate, a guy standing outside asked us, almost in a whisper, if we had a pack of Camel Cigarettes. Were we supposed to know a secret password or something? We, of course, said "no" and he directed us to the ticket booth. Once in the courtyard, there were Camel Cigarette ads and booths set up all around. Turns out the concert was sponsored by Camel. Who knew?
We got there late enough that we missed the first opening band, and only had to endure half of the second one's set. The third opener was actually not terrible. Still, I was glad I had earplugs on me (and an extra set for Miles when he walked in).
Fastball came on stage around 11:15, as Led Zeppelin's "In The Light" played on the PA. As the overhead music faded, Bruce went right into the bass intro to "Little White Lies." The sound was boomy and bassy, as might be expected from a place like The White Rabbit. Still, the sound guy did a great job of balancing things out. From there they went straight into "Fire Escape," which brought a round of applause from the audience once they recognized the song. The rest of the set was a nice mix of old hits and new songs. Highlights were a rousing rendition of "She's Got The Rain," a great guitar duo on "Don't Give Up On Me," and really great versions of "Always Never" and "Mono To Stereo." I really like those two new songs.
I sound like a broken record here, but I can't say enough about Bruce Hughes' contribution to this band. His bass playing is impeccable and his vocals are amazing. Sometimes he just fills out the sound, and other times he expands it and enhances it. He has truly been a great addition.
This show was definitely one of the more interesting Fastball shows I've seen. There was more improvisation and ad libbing from the band than usual. "The Modern World" started with Miles on vocals solo for the first verse, Tony joining in on the second. Even "The Way" was given a new twist with an extended guitar intro. It's always interesting to see the crowd reaction when they start playing this one. It usually takes them a while to realize what it is; as recognition sets in, people suddenly start clapping and cheering. In this case, one couple even started dancing in the middle of the floor.
Near the end of the set, Miles announced that he really didn't feel like putting his guitar down, going off stage and then coming back to do an encore. Instead, they would assume we wanted an encore and just play through. The pseudo-encore started with "Soul Radio," which sounded really good. The set list showed "Get Yourself Together" and "Crawling From The Wreckage" after that, but some kid came up to the stage and requested "Freebird." Miles refused to play it, but much to everybody's surprise, instead launched into Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark." The rest of the band followed suit and they pulled it off. It actually sounded great. Afterwards, Miles told me had had heard the song on the way down to SA and, although he loves the song, he hates the arrangement, and had always wanted to do it himself.
So, why was it lame? First off, the crowd was rather small. A small crowd can still be a good crowd, but San Antonio crowds are notoriously quiet and unresponsive. With the exception of a few die-hard fans, who were up against the stage, dancing and clearly enjoying themselves, most of those present were standing around or wandering in and out of the place. It's a shame, really. It's hard enough to get good music in San Antonio. When we do get a kick-ass band like Fastball to come do a show, and they get the reception they do, it further cements our reputation as a musical dead zone. It's not very likely Fastball will be playing The White Rabbit again any time soon.
Oh, well. At least Austin is only 80 miles away.
Fastball
June 27, 2008
The White Rabbit
San Antonio
Tony Scalzo - Vocals, guitar
Miles Zuniga - Vocals, guitar
Joey Shuffield - Drums
Bruce Hughes - Bass, vocals
01 intro (In The Light recording)
02 Little White Lies >
03 Fire Escape
04 She's Got The Rain
05 You're An Ocean
06 Vampires
07 Rampart Street
08 All I Was Looking For Was You
09 Out Of My Head
10 Lou-ee Lou-ee
11 Don't Give Up On Me
12 The Modern World
13 Always Never
14 'Til I Get It Right
15 The Way
16 Mono To Stereo
17 White Noise
[pseudo-encore]
18 Soul Radio
19 Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen)
Comments
funny, just the other night i heard an old fastball track and wondered what the hell ever happened to them. nice to hear they're still alive and kicking.
Back in March, during the SxSW Film Festival, I caught Fastball at The Saxon Pub in their hometown of Austin, Texas. They always seem to put on a great show there, and this one was no exception.
I made audio and video recordings and my friend Shelly also filmed the show. I put the recordings together and it turned out pretty nice. Here's an example. (Hint: Click on the Permalink below to see it in its full size.)
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Comments
Wild that a place like that would book them, I guess even the resorts around Austin are cool.
I saw Fastball once -- when "The Way" was a hit -- at the 9:30 Club in DC. My wife and I enjoyed them.
interesting story texas