Sparta

Sparta is an American alternative rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001 and active since then. The group begins with Jim Ward on vocals, Paul Hinojos on guitar and Tony Hajjar on drums, all former members of At the Drive-In. After a short period with Erick Sanger, the band adds Matt Miller, an El Paso native and then bassist of Belknap, as its permanent bassist.

Early releases and label history

Sparta signs to DreamWorks in 2001 and releases its debut EP, Austere, in early 2002. The band follows with its first full-length album, Wiretap Scars, in 2002. That record draws heavily on the members’ earlier work in At the Drive-In while presenting a cleaner and more accessible sound. The band later moves to Hollywood Records for its third album.

Albums and lineup changes

Its second album, Porcelain, appears in 2004 and reaches number 60 on the Billboard 200. The single “Breaking the Broken” is released from the album, with a video that receives substantial airplay. In 2005, Hinojos leaves Sparta to join The Mars Volta as secondary guitarist and sound manipulator, taking the place associated with Jeremy Ward, and Keeley Davis joins the band from Engine Down and Denali.

The third album, Threes, is released through Hollywood Records and reaches number 83 on the Billboard 200. It is the first Sparta album to feature Davis, and its lead single is “Taking Back Control.”

Hiatus, return and later work

Sparta goes on hiatus in 2008, at a point when Ward focuses on his alternative country project Sleepercar and that act releases West Texas. The band returns in 2011 for a show in El Paso, although that run is interrupted when At the Drive-In reunites in 2012 and again in 2016. In 2017, Sparta returns with a lineup of Ward, Miller, Gabriel Gonzalez and Cully Symington, and releases its fourth album, Trust the River, on Dine Alone Records in 2020.

Members

Across its history, Sparta includes Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos, Tony Hajjar, Matt Miller, Erick Sanger, Keeley Davis, Gabriel Gonzalez and Cully Symington.