Lucinda Albers
The road for Sparta has been long and hard, but the rewards have been great.
The band formed in 2001, most members coming from punk legends At The Drive-In (others went on to form The Mars Volta). Jim Ward (lead guitarist, vocals), Tony Hajjar (drummer), Matt Miller (bassist) and Keeley Davis (guitarist) have put out several albums since they formed and have gone on several tours.
But the road to today hasn’t been the easiest for any of the members.
Sparta released “Wiretap Scars” in August of 2002 (which includes the hits “Cut Your Ribbon” and “Air”) and continued the tour for it. In 2003, Ward’s close cousin, Jeremy Ward (who was also in At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta), died of an apparent heroin overdose. The death hit Jim hard, but he continued on with Sparta.
In 2004, Sparta released “Porcelain.” In the middle of their tour in 2005, Jim walked out to re-group. He disappeared and refused to talk to anyone until he was ready.
“We had taken a break that was definitely needed,” said Miller. “More than anything, it was about where we were going. We just threw out the negative thoughts and just did what we wanted.”
The band regrouped and recorded “Threes,” which was released in 2006. Along with the album is a short film the members made based on Hajjar’s childhood in war-stricken Beirut, Lebanon.
“The movie was primarily under Tony’s supervision, but we all took part in it.” said Miller. “It was a very cool process. It’s completely different [from recording] but it’s still strenuous and difficult.”
When it comes to the music, the boys all contribute to the lyrics, but Ward claims most of them.
“[The lyrics] are about everything from true life experiences, to fictional stories from history,” said Miller.
In their downtime, the members are just regular boys.
“We watch movies, and a lot of TV,” said Miller. “Otherwise we just catch up on family phone calls or work on music. And we like to sleep in.”
Sparta will be in Sioux Falls with openers Moneen and Private Drive on Thursday, March 22, at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall. The show is all ages and will start at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are general admission and cost $13.
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