| Sparta (band) |
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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 . HISTORY ''Austere'' '' (2002)]] After the demise of their previous band, ( 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 the group had talent and the ability, but had yet to find their voice.http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sparta/austere-ep.htm ''Wiretap Scars'' '' (2002)]] In August of 2002, Sparta released their debut full-length album, ''. 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 circulating online. Gonzalez now performs with his own band, Volador. Loss of Jeremy Ward Following a successful tour for the album Wiretap Scars , Ward suffered the loss of his cousin, Jeremy Ward . Jeremy was at the time the sound manipulator for The Mars Volta and frontman of De Facto . On May 25 , 2003 he died of an apparent Heroin overdose. The loss of his cousin would have a profound and lasting impact on Ward . ''Live at La Zona Rosa'' The band resumed writing new material, and on . ''Porcelain'' '' (2004)]] In August of 2004, the band 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 album, Ward remarked:http://www.umusic.ca/sparta/
Line-up Changes In 2005, after pulling the band 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 the band 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. {Link without Title} 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, the band announced that Keeley Davis of the Richmond , VA bands Denali and Engine Down had joined Sparta, filling Hinojo 's position as guitarist. In addition, they 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 . ''Threes'' '' (2006)]] 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. and Alice In Chains in September for a month long tour, taking over from the band Kill Hannah . ''Eme Nakia'' 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. The independent film received good reviews and is available for free with purchase of the Threes album exclusively at Best Buy. The film is also viewable in its entirety at AtomFilms . The word "Eme" is Arabic for mother, and "Nakia" was the name of Hajjar 's mother. DISCOGRAPHY Studio albums
Live albums
EPs
Singles Music videos
Other songs "Each Brave Eye" was released in 2002 as a B-side on the "Cut Your Ribbon" single. The band also performed a cover of "Kiss the Bottle" for the Jawbreaker tribute album, "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault". The songs "Farewell Ruins" and "Bombs and Us" were released on the Japanese version of . An earlier version of "Taking Back Control" originally titled "Future Needs" appears on the video game '' Madden NFL 07 ''. There are also three B-sides for at participating stores, "Blood Spills", an iTunes exclusive, and "Born and Buried," a bonus track released on the European version of the album. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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