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Jim Ward | |
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 Ward in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James David Ward |
| Born | September 19, 1976 |
| Origin | El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Dine Alone Records |
| Member of | Sparta |
| Formerly of | |
James David Ward (born September 19, 1976) is an American musician. A self-taught guitarist and pianist, he is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Sparta; he is also a co-founder of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, which he formed in 1994.
While in At the Drive-In, Ward played guitar and sang backup vocals, as well as playing piano and keyboards on select songs. He performed lead vocals on two tracks, entitled "Hourglass" and "Ursa Minor", as well as singing co-lead with lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala on a number of tracks. Using the money from his college savings, he created the label "Western Breed Records" specifically to release Hell Paso and Alfaro Vive, Carajo!, At the Drive-in's first two releases. After the demise of At the Drive-In, Ward has stated that he is happy with the break-up, that he started the band when he was 17, and felt like he was always 17 while in the band. On January 9, 2012, it was announced that At the Drive-In were reforming. [1]
On March 18, 2016, days before the 2016 reunion tour would start, ATDI announced that Ward would no longer be part of the group, simply stating on their Facebook page that "As our ship prepares for voyage, we announce that Jim Ward will not be joining us on future journeys. We wish him well and are excited to see you soon." [2]
Following the split of At the Drive-In, Ward joined with Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos as the lead vocalist and guitar player for a new musical project; Matt Miller was later recruited to play the bass guitar. [3] The band, Sparta, wrote nearly nine songs in their first week of rehearsal, with all members incorporating ideas and lyrics. Ward cites Radiohead and Billy Joel as influences for his songwriting during this period, which led to Ward incorporating more piano in Sparta (despite his informal knowledge of the instrument). [4]
Sparta eventually signed a record contract with Geffen and released its debut album, Wiretap Scars, in 2002. [3]
On June 11, 2021, Ward's solo album Daggers was released by Dine Alone Records. [5] [6]
Ward was born in El Paso, Texas. He is a 1994 graduate of El Paso High School. He is the cousin of musician Jeremy Ward.
While he was a member of At the Drive-In, Ward used different guitars and amps, as well as several keyboards. The following is a list of some of the equipment Ward performed with during this era:
Guitars
Amplifiers
Ward uses several different guitars and amplifiers while performing with Sparta. Since the equipment Ward uses changes from tour to tour, the following is a list of some of the equipment he has been seen using.
Guitars
Amplifiers
The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961, following on from the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. The SG Standard is Gibson's best-selling model of all time. SG stands for "solid guitar".
Jake E. Lee is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the heavy metal band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Cartel in 2013, and their debut album released in January 2014 entered the Billboard Album Chart at number 69. He has also recorded solo works under his own name—examples being the instrumental album A Fine Pink Mist (1996) and cover album Retraced (2005).
Epiphone is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in İzmir, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over his father's business, Epaminondas Stathopoulos named the company "Epiphone" as a combination of his own nickname "Epi" and the suffix "-phone" in 1928, the same year it began making guitars. From the 1930s through to the early 1950s, Epiphone produced a range of both acoustic and (later) electrified archtop guitars that rivalled those produced by Gibson and were the instruments of choice of many professionals; a smaller range of flat-top guitars were also produced, some designations of which were later continued during the Gibson-owned era for the company.
The Gibson EDS-1275 is a double neck Gibson electric guitar introduced in 1963 and still in production. Popularized and raised to iconic status by musicians such as John McLaughlin and Jimmy Page, it was called "the coolest guitar in rock".
An archtop guitar is a hollow acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with jazz, blues, and rockabilly players.
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Sleepercar is the alternative country project of Jim Ward, a member of Sparta and former member of At the Drive-In. Regarding the band, Ward has noted that: "I think it will always be 'my' band. People can come and go as they please: I don’t want the stress of trying to maintain five or six happinesses, I love playing with the guys and when they want to move on, I will support them in whatever ways I can."
The G-400 is an Epiphone solid body electric guitar model produced as a more modestly priced version of the famous Gibson SG. Currently, Epiphone is a subsidiary of Gibson and manufactures the G-400 and other budget models at a lower cost in Asia. Visually and ergonomically, it is almost identical to a 1962 SG.
The Gibson EB-0 is a bass guitar that was introduced by Gibson in 1959. When production ceased in 1979, a total of 20,844 instruments had been built.
The Gibson Hummingbird is an acoustic guitar model/series produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.
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Keeley Davis is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and graphic designer. He is best known as a member of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, with whom he has recorded one studio album, In•ter a•li•a (2017). Davis is also a former member of the rock bands Sparta and Engine Down.
The Gibson Les Paul Junior is a solid-body electric guitar introduced in 1954 as an affordable, entry-level Les Paul. It was first released with a single-cutaway body style; models with a double-cutaway body style were introduced in 1958. The Junior continued through the first three years of the Les Paul/SG body redesign. The initial run was discontinued in 1963.
The Gibson Melody Maker is an electric guitar made by Gibson Guitar Corporation. It has had many body shape variations since its conception in 1959.
The Epiphone Casino is a thinline hollow body electric guitar manufactured by Epiphone, a branch of Gibson. The guitar debuted in 1961 and has been associated with such guitarists as Howlin' Wolf, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Keith Richards, Dave Davies, Brad Whitford, Shirley Manson, Paul Weller, The Edge, Josh Homme, Daniel Kessler, Brendon Urie, Gary Clark, Jr., Glenn Frey, John Illsley, and Peter Green.
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Kalamazoo is the name for two different lines of instruments produced by Gibson. In both cases Kalamazoo was a budget brand. The first consisted of such instruments as archtop, flat top and lap steel guitars, banjos, and mandolins made between 1933 and 1942, and the second, from 1965 to 1970, had solid-body electric and bass guitars.
The Gibson ES-333 is a semi hollow body electric guitar made by Gibson Guitar Corporation.
Matt Miller is a native of El Paso, Texas and the bassist for the Post-hardcore band, Sparta. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
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