Sparta

selected  Sparta TShirTS, PosTerS & Prints

Sparta is an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. Jim Ward (vocalist/guitarist) and Tony Hajjar (drummer) were former members of At the Drive-In. Keeley Davis (guitarist) is the former frontman of Engine Down.

After the demise of their previous band, At the Drive-In, Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos got together and talked about forming a new band. Hinojos contacted former At The Drive-In guitarist and back-up vocalist Jim Ward, to take the role of lead vocalist. After a brief stint with Erick Sanger, the three recruited Matt Miller, a native to El Paso and then bassist of the band Belknap to permanetly fill the position of bass guitarist. The band then scored a deal with Geffen Records (Dreamworks) in 2001, the band released their first EP entitled Austere in early 2002 under the name Sparta. The EP had mixed reviews, with most believing that Sparta had talent and the ability, but had yet to find their voice.

In August of 2002, Sparta released their debut full-length album, Wiretap Scars. The album, although not well received by all of the mainstream Post-Hardcore audience, brought well-earned respect and relieved some of the pressure brought on by the shadow of At the Drive-In. The record was deemed a cleaner, more accessible sound than ATDI's distortion fueled offerings. True to their roots, the opening song "Cut Your Ribbon" was described as "splintering, power-hungry rock", and other standout tracks such as "Cataract", "Glasshouse Tarot" and "Mye" were noted for their emotion and "absurdly exuberant melody". Sparta maintained its underground following with shows at smaller venues throughout North America and Europe. Sparta were also exposed to a wider audience in April and May of 2003, opening several shows for Pearl Jam. While on tour for Wiretap Scars, Sparta employed the help of their friend Gabriel Gonzalez to play third guitar and keyboards, he can be seen in the videos from 2003's Big Day Out festival, among other videos circulationg online. Gonzalez now preforms with his own band, Volador.


Sparta resumed writing new material, and on March 19, 2004 recorded a live album at La Zona Rosa. The album had 7 tracks and 6 songs, including two previously unrecorded tracks: "Lines in Sand" and "La Cerca". The album captured some of the live performance experience, but was not sold in stores and only available as a promotional CD. Videos for the songs "Cut Your Ribbon", "Mye", and "La Cerca" can be found online, recorded by the music television station Fuse TV.

In August of 2004, Sparta released their much anticipated second album, Porcelain. Despite popular belief, none of the tracks are fueled by the loss of Jeremy Ward. Tracks such as "Death in the Family" and "Travel by Bloodline" stem from other personal losses, such as Ward's grandfather and a close friend. In a 2004 issue of the magazine Alternative Press, Ward describes his feelings towards these events, and how they have affected him. "...he will admit that he hasn't yet made sense of it, and, perhaps for that reason, there isn't a song on Porcelain about Jeremy. "I don't think I'll ever make peace with that," he says. Immediately prior to the release Sparta toured as the opening act for Incubus, after which followed their own headlining tour.

On the title of the Sparta album, Ward remarked:
"I just liked the word Porcelain and what it implied: Something that's really beautiful and durable, but at the same time vulnerable, easily shattered. I like the duality."


In 2005, after pulling Sparta off the road mid-tour, Ward said he needed to re-group. "I walked out in the middle of a tour.... I needed to get away from everything and everyone. I wasn't enjoying myself at all, and I didn't feel my life or the band was where I wanted it to be.... I needed to step back and reassess everything." For two months, he retreated to his home without speaking to anyone in his professional life. In an article with PE.com Ward said, "When I left, I honestly didn't know if I was going to continue Sparta or not, so I told everyone to pursue whatever they wanted,". During that time guitarist Hinojos left to join former At The Drive-In bandmates Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in The Mars Volta as their new sound manipulator, filling the void left by Jeremy Ward's death.

Eventually, after Ward had dealt with the problems he was having, he went to visit Hajjar in Los Angeles. They began writing new material without the restrictions of a deadline, and soon Ward had rekindled his desire to perform.

In January of 2006, Sparta announced that Keeley Davis of the Richmond, VA bands Denali and Engine Down had joined Sparta, filling Hinojo's position as guitarist. In addition, Sparta also signed a deal with Hollywood Records, and announced their intention to release a short film, titled Eme Nakia, based on Hajjar's experiences as a child in war torn Beirut, Lebanon.

On March 9, 2006, by way of their official website, Sparta announced a new album, entitled Threes. Two days before the release, the entire album was available for streaming on their MySpace. The album was released on October 24, 2006. Their first single off the album was "Taking Back Control", and "Erase It Again" has been announced as the second single.

Davis' first show with Sparta was at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, in July of 2006. However, Sparta looked at the show as a "warm-up" and the show at Los Angeles' Troubadour, July 29th, 2006, was referred to as their "first show to the public in 15 months" by Ward. Three songs off the upcoming album were played, "Crawl", "Weather The Storm", and the single "Taking Back Control". At this show Jim Ward (musician)|Ward also told the crowd about what happened when he left Sparta the previous year, saying he would rather have the crowd here it from him, than the press in the following months. Sparta played at Chicago's Lollapalooza festival the following week. Sparta has been touring the United States, Canada, Austrailia and Europe heavily since the release of the album with bands such as Lola Ray, Aloha, As Tall As Lions, Sound Team, Moneen, MeWithoutYou, Lovedrug, Straylight Run, Deftones and My Chemical Romance. On February 19, 2007, Sparta played a free concert with Lydia Vance in Las Vegas for the XPOZ Coaliton, an anti-smoking organization designed to inform teens about the dangers of tobacco and the tobacco industry. While touring with Straylight Run and Lovedrug, Sparta allowed Lovedrug to continue touring by letting them use their instruments and equipment after Lovedrug's gear was stolen following a show in Detroit, Michigan. According to the bands Myspace page, Sparta are currently touring in Europe, and will be joining Velvet Revolver and Alice in Chains in September for a month long tour, taking over from the band Kill Hannah.


In conjunction with the album Threes, Sparta has also released a 16-minute short film entitled "Eme Nakia". The film, the soundtrack for which is performed by Sparta, is about drummer Hajjar's remarkable personal history, set during the Lebanese civil war of 1975-1990. Hajjar fled at the age of five to the United States, settling in the sprawling west Texas border town of El Paso. When Hajjar was fourteen his "Eme" died after a bout with cancer and his father, who had been distant, left the family. His brother, only 18-years old at the time, assumed responsibility for the family and raised Hajjar and his sister. The film follows Hajjar's early life story, showing his challenges and ending with him in present-day.

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