Exactly 11 years ago, Miles Zuniga was jetting off to Amsterdam with his Austin-based alt-rock outfit Fastball to try to put some touring muscle behind its latest release, The Harsh Light Of Day. Expectations were high, given the surprising mainstream success of 1998’s All The Pain Money Can Buy, which the band milked for almost two years. Fast-forward to today, and Zuniga has humbler aspirations for his first solo effort, These Ghosts Have Bones (33 1/3), a wrenchingly personal, fitfully melodic ode to the breakup of his 10-year marriage. Though Fastball is still very much a working entity, Ghosts’ quirky centerpiece, “Marfa Moonlight,” would’ve undoubtedly been a much different animal with bandmates Tony Scalzo and Joey Shuffield involved. The same goes for the rest of this inward-looking song cycle. Zuniga will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Zuniga: When I lived in Berkeley, Calif., we used to bomb across the Bay Bridge to eat at the House Of Nanking. We always had to wait in line. There was a Chinese restaurant right next door as well, but it was always empty. Meanwhile, there was a huge line to get in to the House Of Nanking. At the time it was a little tiny restaurant and you would sit cheek to jowl with the other patrons. They’ve since expanded but I’m happy to report that on my last visit, the food was still phenomenal. It’s fun to go with a big gang of friends and just let the owner bring you whatever he thinks you should eat. Every time I’ve done this, it’s been a symphony of Chinese food.
Video after the jump.
