Sparta
Biography
When At the Drive-In announced a hiatus in March 2001, co-founder Jim Ward (vocals/guitar) immediately started working with bandmates Paul Hinojos (guitar) and Tony Hajjar (drums) under the Sparta moniker. El Paso native and Belknap bassist Matt Miller joined the band several months later. Within a year, the punk-inspired four-piece had a deal with Dreamworks, and in March 2002, released the Austere EP. Five months later, Sparta issued the full-length, Wiretap Scars. The band returned two years later with the ambitious Porcelain, and North American tours followed into 2005. In May of that year, the band announced the departure of founding member Paul Hinojos, and before year's end, ex-Engine Down/Denali guitarist Keeley Davis was added to the lineup. A deal with Hollywood followed in early 2006, resulting in the album Threes that same year. Ward has also recorded with El Paso poet Bobby Byrd for the 2006 collaboration How Will We Know When We're Dead. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
I hate all the ATDI & Mars Volta compairision s . They're all different bands that sound nothing alike. I hope to hear Sparta get back together and record another album. Hopefully better than Threes. Wiretap and Porcelain were great but I felt Threes didn't improve on their sound at all.
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I'm a fan of ATDI. They definitely took some of their punk roots and gave it their own sound. Speratic, inspirationa l , and pioneers to their own genre of music. TMV could say the same thing. No one sounds like them. They mix all these new aspects that even ATDI hadn't dwelled in, not to say they are better, but they differ greatly. Sparta.Eh. They sound like any other band striving to hold their ground amongst the music giant's but with no success. I don't choose sides, I just don't like Sparta.
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from how i see it its like sparta and mars volta are kist like half of At the drive in i mean mars volta has that kinda dark acid rock and sparta has that kinda anxty rebel rock
like wanst that how atdi was |
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I actually am a fan of both bands. (Maybe a little more so TMV) But i respect them both for what they are doing. Really its assinine how people think you would have to choose. All three bands have much to offer and put out interesting work.
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Why can't you like Sparta, Mars Volta, and ATDI? Why would you have to pick? It's music for crying out loud, you shouldn't have to choose a "side."
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Its really annoying to read comments on how people HATE Sparta because they think that At the Drive In was genius blah blah. Personally i think Sparta is much better then The Mars Volta and ATDI. & if all the haters would take time to actually listen to their albums they would see they have created some really inventive, excellent music.
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I feel bad for those who are now torn between picking Sparta or Volta's side.....At the Drive In was the perfect place to escape it all, its what happens when people don't appreciate great music when its in front of them.
You did a bad thing...... |
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omar rodrigez lopez and cedric played a pretty massive role in atdi and they were known for their semi schoatic screaming thats what made them great. the mars voltas good but different. sparta tends to sound like everybody else though.
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just bring back At the Drive In. Sparta + Mars Volta doesn't even equal 30% of ATDI's genius.
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Jim Ward is an amazing songwriter.
I enjoy his side projects Sleepercar and Quiet. Good stuff everyone should check out. Kind of sucks Sparta is on hiatus now though...... . . . . |
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call me crazy, but I've never liked much ATDI. Just too chaotic and screamy, except for pattern against user. But when Sparta came out after the split, it was like they took a prozak and tried to make actual songs that make sense. Each album that Sparta puts out sounds better and distances themselves farther from the emo bull crap that they are unfortunatel y lumped together with. Sparta rules!
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I may have liked them a little if it wasn't for ATDI. Neither of the off-shoots are spit in comparison.
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what is so rock and roll is that they did break up and one band turned left and one turned right-the band that turned right is still growing and hopefully they break up too but they're great,the other band that turned left,well it doesn't matter if they break up-they started disengrating the moment they were formed.
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I still need to get the newest album, I've liked them since my buddy gave me a sample disc in 01 er somethin'
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What 2 amazing bands we got from the unfortunate break-up of At the Drive-in!
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Love their sound, don't think that I have heard a bad song by them in the 2-3 years I've known about them. Great band - keep it up.
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how does half the band of at the drive-in like new school metal type sound and the other half went to mars volta? i don't get it.....
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