Sleepercar
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Sleepercar is the
alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
project of Jim Ward, a member of
Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
and former member of
At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was 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 (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
. 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."


Career

Sleepercar's beginning can be traced back to the end of
At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was 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 (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
. The oldest Sleepercar song, "Fences Down", was written during a sound check at one of At the Drive-In's last shows. After the band had parted ways, Ward had expressed interest in the genre of alt-country and thought about starting a band to pursue it. However,
Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
was formed and it became the main focus. During down time between Sparta albums and tours, Ward worked on finishing Sleepercar material. It would take several writing sessions before the songs had achieved their final incarnations. During these sessions, Ward was introduced to Chris Heinrich. Heinrich would go on to perform pedal steel guitar on the Sparta album ''Threes'', ukulele on Ward's ''Quiet'' EP, and finally pedestal for Sleepercar. Micah Adams (guitar), Clint Myers (drums), Ward's father Jeff Ward (bass), and Gabriel Gonzalez (piano) rounded out the line-up during the early practices. Gonzalez has also performed in Sparta during the band's earlier tours for ''
Wiretap Scars ''Wiretap Scars'' is an album by Sparta, released on August 13, 2002 on DreamWorks Records and peaked at number 71 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Only months separated this release from their debut EP '' Austere''. The album is greatly influenced by t ...
''. In 2005, Sleepercar was approached to open a show in El Paso. They would perform with a revised line up now including Matthew Schmitz on drums and Ward's brother in law Clay Anderson on guitar. Videos of this show were taken and have shown up on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. In the Summer of 2008, the band toured with
City and Colour Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwr ...
. In the Fall of 2008, they supported
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
on their U.S. tour. In September 2010, the band's trailer was stolen in San Antonio, with a large amount of gear inside of it. A list of the missing gear was published on their website. On November 17, 2015, Sleepercar released their newest album, titled ''Breathe & Count'', as a digital download at Tembloroso.com.


Discography

* ''
West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
'' – 2008 * ''Breathe & Count'' – 2015


External links


Sleepercar Official WebsiteSleepercar Official MyspaceSleepercar 2009 live performance song: wednesday nightsDiscussion with Jim from Absolutepunk.netJim Ward interview by Synthesis.netInterview at StereokillSleepercar '05 part 1Sleepercar '05 part 2Sleepercar '05 part 3Sleepercar '05 part 4


References

{{Authority control Rock music groups from Texas American alternative country groups American country rock groups Americana music groups Musical groups from El Paso, Texas