#143: Jim Ward (Sparta / At The Drive-In 1994-2016)

<p>Jim Ward is the lead singer, guitar player, and frontman of the band, Sparta. Jim also is a founder of legendary post-hardcore band, At The Drive-In. On this podcast episode, we talk about Jim&#39;s musical upbringing and the scene in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. We also talk about starting ATDI when he was just 17 years old, and he goes into detail on getting fired by the band in 2016. Other topics: Sparta, selling merch, growing up straight edge in the El Paso scene, eventually &quot;breaking edge&quot;, getting banned from being backstage while on tour with Weezer and Dashboard Confessional in 2002, meeting Dave Grohl, touring with Pearl Jam, and much more.</p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Catch Sparta on a world tour in 2023, featuring supporting acts: &#39;68, Zeta, and Geoff Rickly | Tickets &amp; more info: </strong><a href="https://www.sparta.band/"><strong>https://www.sparta.band/</strong></a></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Links &amp; socials:</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <ul> <li>Sparta Instagram: <strong>@spartaband </strong>⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/spartaband/"><strong>https://www.instagram.com/spartaband/</strong></a></li> <li>Jim Ward Instagram: <strong>@jimwardofficial </strong>⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jimwardofficial/⁠"><strong>https://www.instagram.com/jimwardofficial/</strong></a></li> <li>Jim&#39;s Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/JimWard">⁠<strong>https://www.patreon.com/JimWard</strong>⁠</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sparta.band/">⁠<strong>https://www.sparta.band/</strong>⁠</a></li> </ul> <p><br></p> <ul> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> </ul> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Two Week Notice Podcast partners:</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e1fdiuq/metadata/edit">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<strong>www.piebald.com</strong>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> | Instagram: <strong>@piebald</strong></li> <li>Furnace Fest - for tickets &amp; more info, visit <a href="http