The video was directed, shot, and edited by Angie Reza Tures. Angie Reza Tures is the Executive Director of Femme Frontera, a film organization in El Paso, Texas made up of six women filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border region. Femme Frontera advocates for the amplification of films made by female filmmakers from borders across the globe and celebrates these unique voices through showcasing work, funding female-directed projects, and providing film education. She had this to say about the video: “Miracles are hard to come by and, I think at some point, we all hope for one. I shot in stop motion, a series of snapshots/moments, to show our day to day - how we live, how we work, our tenacity, and the inspiration we receive along the way. More often than not though, I think we can get lost in the routine, ultimately taking life for granted, and failing to see what's actually in front of us. I filmed the last shot of the video in real time to illustrate that, as much as his vision of his future is strong and hopeful, nothing hits your harder than the reality of the present moment.”
Trust The River is available for pre-order here and it marks Sparta’s first new album since 2006’s Threes. The band have also shared the singles “Believe” (which Brooklyn Vegan called a “promising taste” of the album) and “Empty Houses.” Of that track Consequence of Sound noted it, “kicks up the dust of the housing bubble burst that occurred over a decade ago. While that might seem well in the past, there remains an undercurrent of anxieties for those who experienced the financial upheaval, a consternation Sparta captures in a cauldron of tense drumming and twirling guitars." MXDWN said, “ it challenges what the listener expects from Jim Ward and company, taking on a bit of an folksy Americana flair in the guitar lead and subdued rhythms, though it retains some of that Southwestern influence that At The Drive In exhibited, particularly in their early days."
Sparta has postponed their previously announced tour in support of Trust The River. Rescheduled tour dates will be announced soon. Please hold onto your tickets and await further news. In light of the postponement, Jim Ward has set up a Patreon account, you can view it HERE.
When it comes to his long and fruitful career in music, Jim Ward is not guided by vanity or money or some grand narrative in which he’s the central player. It’s all about the song, the melody, the lyric. So in late-2017, when he began making heavier, more riff-laden music, he rang his Sparta bandmate of more than 20 years, bassist Matt Miller, and began work on Trust The River. Of their absence Ward notes, “I’ve made a real point to never break up a band, mostly because if you look at my history it’s filled with on-and-off-again projects. As much as I can control it, I don’t want there to be permanence.”
Making the album was a multi-month songwriting process that culminated in some of the most inspired recording sessions of his career, with help from Miller, drummer Cully Symington, and guitarist Gabriel Gonzalez. Also joining them was Austin-based musician-producer, David Garza.
Beyond Sparta, Ward has performed in various bands and under several monikers over his long and winding career— from the iconic post-hardcore band At The Drive-In, to a slew of solo albums and, recently, his alt-country project, Sleepercar. Having been a member of heavy bands but also showcasing his more melancholic side via his solo work, Ward says the new Sparta album feels like the logical meeting point of his influences. “Naturally it’s coming to this unity,” he says. “Those two worlds have always been on a path towards unity. And I knew in my heart that it was coming.”
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