Columnist Spencer Patterson: Sparta frontman recalls grand opening

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 13, 2004 | 8:32 a.m.

Sparta frontman Jim Ward couldn't wait to play May's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Then he checked the schedule and saw his band's time slot.

"I've done a lot of festivals, so I'm comfortable in that environment," Ward said in a recent phone interview from Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo. "I'm comfortable with the daytime. I'm comfortable with not having a soundcheck. I'm comfortable playing in front of that many people.

"But I'm definitely not comfortable playing right before the Pixies."

Going on before much-adored acts is nothing new for Sparta, a rock quartet who emerged from the splintered remains of popular El Paso, Texas, band At The Drive-In in 2001.

Sparta has opened for Pearl Jam, Weezer and Bad Religion over the years, and is currently on the road supporting hard rock outfit Incubus. Sparta replaced the Vines, who dropped out in June, citing exhaustion.

The tour lands at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night, with Sparta slated to go on at 7:30. Tickets are $17.50 and $32.50.

"We don't try to put limits on our music or stick ourselves in a genre, so we'll tour with anybody that we respect and that respects our music," Ward said. "It makes it really exciting some nights."

Still, Ward didn't relish the prospect of going on before the just-reunited Pixies, whose fans began packing the area around Coachella's main stage hours early.

"You know they're standing there because they're about to see a band that broke up 10 years ago," Ward said. "The anticipation was crazy, and you sort of feel like filler. But it was a good chance for us to show a lot of people what we're made of."

While the crowd's support of the Pixies wowed Ward, he said the experience didn't cause him to consider a possible reunion with his ex-bandmates. Nor, apparently, did the reported appearance of one-time At The Drive-In vocalist Cedric Bixler -- now a member of the Mars Volta -- in the Coachella crowd.

"I don't think we'll ever grace the stage as that band again," Ward, 27, said. "It was something that I started when I was 17, and I lived it and did the (expletive) out of it for a long time. It's a good chapter in our lives and I wouldn't want to ruin it.

"There's kind of a mystique to that band for whatever reason, and I don't see any reason to blow that."

Besides, Ward seems far too satisfied working with Sparta to look back. The band's second album, last month's "Porcelain," has been widely hailed as a major leap forward from 2002's debut LP, "Wiretap Scars."

Ward said there are several factors behind that improvement.

"The first album was really a collection of songs that me and (guitarist) Paul (Hinojos) and (drummer) Tony (Hajjar) had all written after At The Drive-In broke up, and (bassist) Matt (Miller) joined right before we made the album," Ward said.

"This album was written by a band that had toured for 18 months together, which to me is the biggest difference. And on top of that, it's Paul getting more comfortable playing guitar, me getting more comfortable singing and all of us growing up and progressing."

For the "Porcelain" studio sessions, Sparta also brought in a name from their past, El Paso buddy Mike Major, who produced some of At The Drive-In's earliest material.

"It's kind of like working with your older brother," Ward said. "It's somebody you can mess around with, but who really knows you and knows when you're full of (expletive) and when you're not pushing yourself.

"And at the same time, he had a real hunger to make a great album because it was sort of his chance to get above the El Paso skyline. So he really pushed himself to make a good record."

"Porcelain" also marked a significant shift for Ward, who stepped into the role of primary lyricist.

"I was approached by the band and told, 'You sing every night; You need to feel everything you're singing,' " Ward said. "And it really did make a difference. It's a very real album to me, very honest. It's all sincere. I guess that's the key word."

So Ward, once the backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist for At The Drive-In, now handles lead vocals, plays guitar, co-writes the music and pens all of Sparta's lyrics.

He said he is becoming more comfortable juggling all those responsibilities.

"It's a weird thing to wear this hat where you have to represent three other guys not only in a majority of interviews but also onstage," Ward said. "I've never been totally comfortable with it, but I'm getting there. Every show is another lesson learned."

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

Reggae fans have a tough choice on their hands tonight.

Steel Pulse plays Rain Nightclub at the Palms at 7 p.m. The veteran British outfit released "American Holocaust," their first album in seven years, last month. Tickets are $12.

Burning Spear headlines the "Reggae Beach Party" at the Mandalay Bay Beach at 9 p.m. Jamaican leader Winston Rodney is one of the legendary figures in the genre's history. Tickets are $22-$27.50.

Sometime Eagle Joe Walsh performs a solo gig at 8 tonight at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. The guitarist's catalog includes several classic rock staples, including "Rocky Mountain Way," "Life's Been Good," the James Gang's "Funk #49" and the Eagles' "In the City." Tickets are $57.

Hip-hop returns to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Sunday, when Lost Boyz alumnus Mr. Cheeks pairs with veteran rapper/DJ Pete Rock. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the 21-and-over event. Tickets are $20.

On sale

Van Halen returns to play The Orleans Arena on Oct. 1. Tickets are $75-$175 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at The Orleans box office, at Coast casinos, at the Boulevard, Galleria and Meadows malls, by phone at 284-7777 and at www.orleansarena.com.

Bruce Willis and the Accelerators stop at the Golden Nugget Theatre Ballroom for a pair of shows Sept. 3-4. Tickets are $75 and are on sale at the Golden Nugget box office, by phone at 386-8100 and at www.goldennugget.com.

Warren Hill, Jeff Golub, Marc Antoine and Euge Groove team for "Jazz Under the Stars" on Sept. 11 at Spring Mountain State Park. Tickets are $45.50 and go on sale on Saturday at Mr. Bill's Pipe and Tobacco Co., Michael E. Minden Jewelers, the UNLV performing arts box office and by phone at (800) 969-8342. For more information, call 228-3780.

Alter Bridge, featuring three former members of Creed, shares an Oct. 29 bill with Crossfade and Submersed at the House of Blues. Tickets are $21 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

Adema, Dope and Twisted Method play the House of Blues on Oct. 21. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now through the House of Blues and TicketMaster.