Sparta (band)

Sparta
Sparta live in 2007
Background information
Origin	El Paso, Texas
Genres	Post-hardcore[1] art punk[2] alternative rock[3]
Years active	2001–2008 2011–2013 2017–present
Labels	EMI Geffen Hollywood Dreamworks
Spinoffs	Sleepercar
Spinoff of	At the Drive-In
Members	Jim Ward Matt Miller
Past members	Paul Hinojos Tony Hajjar Adam Amparan Erick Sanger Keeley Davis Gabriel Gonzalez Cully Symington
Website	sparta.band

Sparta is an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Jim Ward (vocals, guitar) 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 went on hiatus in 2008 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.

Sparta's music has been described by Pitchfork as "anxious, epic guitar rock",^[4] and by SPIN Magazine as having "a reliably cathartic and emotionally charged presence".^[5]