Biography
Guitarist, songwriter, and singer Miles Zuniga first tasted widespread recognition in the 1990s through his role in Fastball, later splitting his energies among multiple group projects and individual work. Born in Laredo, Texas, on September 10, 1966, he later settled in Austin, Texas, intent on establishing himself within the city’s music community, where he spent several years performing in assorted ensembles that included the combo Big Car.
In 1994 he joined Big Car drummer Joe Shuffield and singer-bassist-keyboardist Tony Scalzo to form a fresh outfit that cycled through several names before settling on Magneto USA; the band built a devoted local following that prompted a journalist to connect them with an A&R executive at Hollywood Records, resulting in a recording contract. Prior to tracking their debut, the group renamed itself Fastball after a baseball-themed porn film. Their 1996 album Make Your Mama Proud met with limited commercial response, yet the follow-up All the Pain Money Can Buy succeeded on the strength of the hit singles “The Way” and “Out of My Head,” earning the trio a platinum record.
Extensive touring and a pair of Grammy nominations followed, but Fastball’s third release, 2000’s The Harsh Light of Day, underperformed commercially despite favorable reviews. After issuing the compilation Painting the Corners: The Best of Fastball, the band left Hollywood Records, and Rykodisc released their next album, Keep Your Wig On, in 2004. Once touring for that record ended, Fastball entered a hiatus during which Zuniga devoted himself to songwriting, collaborating with members of the Dandy Warhols and Spoon while also composing independently; he also launched a band called the Small Stars with occasional Fastball collaborator Jeff Groves.
Describing the tongue-in-cheek lounge-rock outfit as a cross between Mott the Hoople and Frank Sinatra, Zuniga performed under the stage name Guy Fantasy; what began as a lighthearted weekly live act developed into a full-fledged band that issued two albums, 2005’s The Small Stars and 2007’s Tijuana Dreams. Fastball regrouped in 2008 and recorded Little White Lies, which appeared in spring 2009 and prompted extensive touring.
Upon returning to Austin, Zuniga formed another side project, the Resentments, alongside local musicians John Chipman, Bruce Hughes, and Jud Newcomb. Their weekly Sunday performances at the Saxon Pub served as a workshop for testing new songs; after a painful divorce, Zuniga began writing a cycle of material about a failing relationship that became his first solo album, These Ghosts Have Bones. He raised the recording budget through a Kickstarter campaign and released the record, which he called “a record/therapy session,” in fall 2011, with Chipman and Hughes of the Resentments forming the core of the backing band.
In 1994 he joined Big Car drummer Joe Shuffield and singer-bassist-keyboardist Tony Scalzo to form a fresh outfit that cycled through several names before settling on Magneto USA; the band built a devoted local following that prompted a journalist to connect them with an A&R executive at Hollywood Records, resulting in a recording contract. Prior to tracking their debut, the group renamed itself Fastball after a baseball-themed porn film. Their 1996 album Make Your Mama Proud met with limited commercial response, yet the follow-up All the Pain Money Can Buy succeeded on the strength of the hit singles “The Way” and “Out of My Head,” earning the trio a platinum record.
Extensive touring and a pair of Grammy nominations followed, but Fastball’s third release, 2000’s The Harsh Light of Day, underperformed commercially despite favorable reviews. After issuing the compilation Painting the Corners: The Best of Fastball, the band left Hollywood Records, and Rykodisc released their next album, Keep Your Wig On, in 2004. Once touring for that record ended, Fastball entered a hiatus during which Zuniga devoted himself to songwriting, collaborating with members of the Dandy Warhols and Spoon while also composing independently; he also launched a band called the Small Stars with occasional Fastball collaborator Jeff Groves.
Describing the tongue-in-cheek lounge-rock outfit as a cross between Mott the Hoople and Frank Sinatra, Zuniga performed under the stage name Guy Fantasy; what began as a lighthearted weekly live act developed into a full-fledged band that issued two albums, 2005’s The Small Stars and 2007’s Tijuana Dreams. Fastball regrouped in 2008 and recorded Little White Lies, which appeared in spring 2009 and prompted extensive touring.
Upon returning to Austin, Zuniga formed another side project, the Resentments, alongside local musicians John Chipman, Bruce Hughes, and Jud Newcomb. Their weekly Sunday performances at the Saxon Pub served as a workshop for testing new songs; after a painful divorce, Zuniga began writing a cycle of material about a failing relationship that became his first solo album, These Ghosts Have Bones. He raised the recording budget through a Kickstarter campaign and released the record, which he called “a record/therapy session,” in fall 2011, with Chipman and Hughes of the Resentments forming the core of the backing band.
Albums
