Jim Ward, founding member of At The Drive In and lead guitarist/vocalist of Sparta will release his debut solo record in July this year, so in support of the release he’ll be heading to the East Coast of Australia to play a few special shows in August.
Ward’s knack for tailoring unforgettable and unique music was honed in his first band, one of the most important bands of the 1990s, At The Drive- In. Widely regarded to be a defining fixture in the post-hardcore scene, ATDI inspired an enormous fan base with their outrageously energetic live shows and unorthodox techniques.
After the band’s indefinite hiatus in 2001, Ward returned to his home town of El Paso before forming Sparta with former ATDI band mates Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos. Sparta enjoyed international success and broad critical acclaim before the touring/album cycle again took it’s toll and the band announced a hiatus in 2008.
His first solo presence in Sleepercar was a spectacular success also, which allowed Ward to indulge in the challenge of writing “non-aggressive, softer sounding songs” that would eventually win over intimate venues as well as huge audiences when he toured the USA in support of Coldplay in 2008.
Quiet In The Valley, On The Shores The End Begins is Ward’s first truly solo creative project under his own name. Ward began work on the collection of EPs in 2008 while on tour with Sparta, and finished 3 years later, in the calming presence of a family home, his wife and his own recording studio in El Paso.
The album is a concept Jim has been working on for a couple of years and features a seamless combination of his three solo EP’s. Quiet (released in 2008) sits alongside two subsequent unreleased EP’s In The Valley, On The Shores and The End Begins. The result is 14 beautifully crafted tracks from one of our generation’s finest songwriters, including previously unreleased lead single Broken Songs featuring Tegan Quinn (Tegan and Sara).
Ward said of the album, “When I decided to put these recordings together and release additional versions, Australia was the first country I sorted out release details for – I love playing in Australia and can’t wait to get back with this record to share – I can not wait”
Quiet In The Valley, On The Shores The End Begins is out through Stop Start on July 22, 2011.
WED 10 AUG – ANNANDALE HOTEL, SYDNEY Supported by Isaac Graham
FRI 12 AUG – EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB, MELBOURNE Supported by Jamie Hay
SAT 13 AUG – ALHAMBRA LOUNGE, BRISBANE Supported by Jud Campbell
