On All the Pain Money Can Buy, horns, vintage synths, and skewed sonics are all fair game. "It�s all about taking risks," says vocalist/guitarist Miles Zuniga. "This time out, we�re going for something a little more expansive and a bit more mysterious. We didn�t worry about what other people were going to think, we just wanted to make a personal statement with our music."

There are 13 memorable cuts on All the Pain Money Can Buy, each track demonstrating Fastball�s gift for sharp hooks and trenchant lyrics. The album�s artful arrangements, keyboard embellishments, and stylistic variety display growth from an already impressive position of strength. By alternating jangle-crunch rock �n� roll ("Fire Escape," "Warm Fuzzy Feeling," "Damaged Goods") with gorgeous introspective numbers ("Sweetwater, Texas," "Slow Drag"), All the Pain Money Can Buy is both rich in texture and generous in its scope.

Evenly dividing the writing chores between them, Zuniga and bassist/vocalist Tony Scalzo have created songs which somehow manage to mingle obsessive beauty, not-so-quiet desperation, and fragile punch-drunk optimism. Scalzo�s "The Way" tells the true story of an elderly Texas couple who headed out in an RV to a family reunion but never quite made it. Zuniga�s "Sweetwater, Texas" focuses on the entrapment of growing up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, wide open and lonely. Of "Warm Fuzzy Feeling," Scalzo says, "It�s about a friend of ours, the 16-year-old singer in a band called Radish. The press hyped him to a ridiculous extent and then people turned on him." Two of the standouts here -- Scalzo�s "G.O.D. (Good Old Days)" and Zuniga�s "Which Way to the Top?" -- underscore the album�s depth. Says Scalzo, "With the songs I write, every note is deliberate. And although I like a very tight sound, this is an album with several layers."

Driven by a relentlessly catchy rhythmic swing and ballsy horn arrangement, "G.O.D. (Good Old Days)" wraps bittersweet drugstore cowboy reminiscences in a pure pop vehicle. And with its vintage soul/funk vibe, "Which Way to the Top?" takes on an entirely new dimension when guest vocalist Poe joins in. "She was working in the studio next door," recalls Scalzo, "and we asked her to sing on the song." "I sang a harmony for her," adds Zuniga, "she made a couple of changes and immediately nailed it. Then she freestyled over the bridge section, and the whole thing came out great."

Ultimately, All the Pain Money Can Buy (produced by Julian Raymond) reflects a maturation -- a willingness by the entire band to pace themselves and fully delve into each song, in contrast to the breathless, breakneck velocity which had been the band�s trademark since forming in Austin in late 1994. "We�re an extremely diplomatic band," laughs Scalzo. "We�re comfortable taking the role of sideman on each other�s songs. I�ve never been happier in a band than in this one." Adds Zuniga, "While our combined tastes are extremely eclectic, we�re very much on the same wavelength when it comes to creating our own music." The trio first got together when Austin native and ex-Wild Seeds drummer Joey Shuffield introduced Zuniga (who grew up in Laredo, TX) to Scalzo, an expatriate from Orange County, CA�s punk scene. Calling themselves Magneto USA, the group caused a sensation in the Texas region and landed a deal with Hollywood Records, changing their name to Fastball shortly before releasing their 1996 debut album, Make Your Mama Proud.

With All the Pain Money Can Buy, Fastball�s cavalier attitude and creativity simultaneously reach new heights. "You know what?" laughs Scalzo, "the whole rock music thing reminds me of the film �Boogie Nights.� The movie�s underlying theme is that people tend to believe what they�re doing is really important. To me, rock �n� roll is just one step up from being a porn star. I don�t do it because it possesses any earth-shaking importance. I do it because it�s fun and makes me feel good. And, to be honest, I can�t imagine not doing it."

All the Pain Money Can Buy -- pleasure and pain never felt so good.

Fastball:

Sounds

The Way

Fire Escape

Sweetwater, Texas

Warm, Fuzzy Feeling

-- Reprinted from the official Fastball site.