West Texas (album)

Last updated
West Texas
Sleepercar - West Texas (2008).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 22, 2008 (US) [1]
Genre Alternative country
Country rock
Acoustic rock
Length40:00
Label Civil Defense League

West Texas is the debut album by Jim Ward's latest alternative country project Sleepercar. Although the beginning of Sleepercar dates back to the demise of At the Drive-In, Ward only found the time to focus on the project and make it his full-time commitment after the hiatus of his second band Sparta in 2008, when he started working full-time on the Sleepercar album.

Contents

The album's music is influenced by such artists as Gram Parsons, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Wilco. [2] [3]

Track listing

All songs written by Jim Ward

No.TitleLength
1."A Broken Promise"2:58
2."Wasting My Time"2:57
3."Fences Down"3:53
4."Wednesday Nights"4:04
5."Kings and Compromises"4:52
6."Heavy Weights"4:42
7."Sound the Alarm"4:19
8."End of a Year"3:36
9."You Should Run"4:20
10."All Will End Well"1:22
11."Stumble In"2:57
Tembloroso re-release
No.TitleLength
12."Heart" (Originally appeared on two different Sleepercar 7" records (Fences Down 7" & A Broken Promise 7")3:35

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Adams</span> Canadian musician (born 1959)

Bryan Guy AdamsFRPS is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million records and singles worldwide. Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and a dozen or more in each of the US, UK, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">At the Drive-In</span> American post-hardcore band

At the Drive-In is an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López, Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums) and Keeley Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparta (band)</span> American rock band

Sparta is an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Jim Ward and Matt Miller (bass), who are touring as a three-piece with rotating session drummers. Founding members Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar were members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, forming Sparta in 2001 after the break-up of their former band. The band entered a hiatus from 2008 onwards for Ward to focus on his solo career and side projects, reuniting from 2011 to 2013 for a series of shows and permanently reuniting in 2017. The band has released five studio albums to date; their fourth, Trust the River, was released in 2020 after a 14-year break between releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Reverend Horton Heat</span> American psychobilly trio

The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A Prick magazine reviewer called Heath the "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly".

<i>Into the Fire</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Bryan Adams

Into the Fire is the fifth studio album by the Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams. It was co-written by Jim Vallance. It was released on 30 March 1987 by A&M Records as the follow-up album to the chart-topping Reckless (1984). Into the Fire peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart and reached the Top 10 in several other nations. Six singles were released from the album: "Heat of the Night", "Hearts on Fire", "Victim of Love", "Only the Strong Survive", "Into the Fire" and "Another Day".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Cashdollar</span> American musician

Cindy Cashdollar is an American musician specializing in steel guitar and Dobro. She grew up in Woodstock, New York, where she perfected her skills by playing with bluegrass musician John Herald, blues musicians Paul Butterfield, and Levon Helm and Rick Danko of The Band. After residing in Austin, Texas, for 23 years, she has now returned to her native Woodstock, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar Rodríguez-López</span> American guitarist and songwriter

Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the dub band De Facto. He has embarked on a solo career, both in studio and in concert, frequently described as experimental, avant-garde, or progressive. He has also collaborated with numerous artists, such as John Frusciante and El-P.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Ward</span> American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Oregon

Matthew Stephen Ward, known professionally as M. Ward, is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings. He has released 10 studio albums since 1999, primarily through the independent label Merge Records. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of indie pop duo She & Him and folk-rock supergroup Monsters of Folk, and also participates in recording, producing, and playing with multiple other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Ward (musician)</span> Musical artist

Andrew John Ward is an English progressive rock drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ward (musician)</span> American musician

James David Ward is an American musician. A self-taught guitarist and pianist, he is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Sparta; he is also a co-founder of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, which he formed in 1993 when he was 17 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hinojos</span> American musician

Pablo J. Hinojos-Gonzalez, also known as Paul Hinojos, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for At the Drive-In, and former touring member of The Mars Volta. He is also a former guitarist of Sparta.

Jeremy Michael Ward was an American musician, best known as the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and De Facto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleepercar</span>

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."

James Douglas Vallance is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main songwriter for Canadian rock band Prism under the pseudonym "Rodney Higgs." In addition to Adams, Vallance has written songs for many famous international artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Europe, Kiss, Scorpions, Anne Murray, and Joe Cocker. His most recognizable songs are "What About Love" (Heart), "Spaceship Superstar" (Prism), Run to You, "Cuts Like a Knife", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "Now and Forever ", and "Edge of a Dream". He also co-wrote "Tears Are Not Enough" for Northern Lights for Africa, an ensemble of Canadian recording artists in support of the 1985 African famine relief. He has won the Canadian music industry Juno award for Composer of the Year four times. Vallance is a Member of the Order of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearts on Fire (Bryan Adams song)</span> 1987 single by Bryan Adams

"Hearts On Fire" is a song performed by Bryan Adams on his 1987 album Into the Fire. Written by Adams and Jim Vallance in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1984 it was not completed until 1986 or early 1987 when Adams went to record in September 1986 at Cliffhanger Studios, West Vancouver. The song was mixed by co-producer Bob Clearmountain in January 1987 at AIR Studios in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band</span> American band

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band is the name taken by Conor Oberst and his backing band. The band is composed of Nik Freitas (guitar), Taylor Hollingsworth (guitar), Macey Taylor (bass), Nate Walcott (keyboards/organ) and Jason Boesel (drums). The band was formed to back Oberst on his 2008 solo album but soon evolved into a band of its own with all members singing and providing songs for 2009's Outer South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run to You (Bryan Adams song)</span> 1984 single by Bryan Adams

"Run to You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. It was released in 1984 as the lead single from his fourth album, Reckless (1984). The track deals with the subject of infidelity, and is sung from the perspective of a man who declares that he will continue to "run to" his seductive mistress over his faithful partner; critic Ira Robbins for CMJ called it a "cheating classic". In the accompanying music video, however, Adams portrays his guitar as the object of desire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Morakestra</span>

The Morakestra is an American rock band that was formed in El Paso, Texas in the year 2000. The band started gaining more attention of the mainstream music scene after the release of the second album Witness To Connection. The album produced by Jim Ward (musician), and Gabriel Gonzalez of the band Sparta (band) has been acclaimed by several reviewers and identified by its "addictive guitar riffs" and its multi-genre nature. The band has been categorized as a British music band by some reviewers for the style of guitar and the lyric content. The band primarily performs with Fender equipment consisting of two Fender Stratocaster electric guitars played. The band started promoting their second album in 2009 and gained fans one by one.

<i>Everything Comes and Goes</i> 2010 EP by Michelle Branch

Everything Comes and Goes is an EP by Michelle Branch, released to her official website on July 16, 2010, and was released at iTunes on August 27, 2010.

"Kern River" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in July 1985 as the only single and title track from his album Kern River. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

References