Sparta Side Project Sleepercar To Release Debut Album

Sleepercar, the alt.country side project from former At The Drive-In and current Sparta guitarist Jim Ward, will release their West Texas debut album digitally on April 22. It will hit record stores on April 29 through Dine Alone Records.

The album was recorded at Ward's home studio and a loft in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. Justin Leeah mixed the album at El Paso's Sonic Ranch studios. Ward's father Jeff played bass on the disc, which also features contributions from Morcheeba's Ross Godfrey (guitar, organ) and Maura Davis of Denali and Ambulette (vocals). You can hear the entire album on Sleepercar's MySpace page.

Ward became interested in alt.country when At The Drive-In toured Japan in 2000. He had been listening to the Old 97s and wrote "Fences Down" during a sound-check. Some friends later got him interested in Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers. He met pedal steel player Chris Heinrich, who helped iron out "Fences Down" and later appeared on Sparta's album, Three. When At The Drive-In broke up in 2001, Ward originally intended to form an alt.country band, but was sidetracked when he and At The Drive-In bassist Paul Hinojos and drummer Tony Hajjar formed Sparta.

Ward cut a series of demos, which became the songs on West Texas, in a west Texas studio in 2002. Heinrich and Gabe Gonzalez also joined Ward in the studio to record the album. Live, Ward is joined by Heinrich, Gonzalez, drummer Matthew Schmitz and bassist Greg Sosa.

Sleepercar will open for City And Colour for these Canadian shows:

May 21 Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
May 22 Victoria, BC @ Royal Theatre
May 25 Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Hall
May 26 Lethbridge, AB @ University Of Lethbridge Theatre
May 27 Medicine Hat, AB @ Medicine Hat College
May 28 Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
May 29 Saskatoon, SK @ Lakeview Auditorium
May 31 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
June 3 Montreal, QC @ St. Denis Theatre
June 4-5 Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
June 6-7 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

Here are the songs on West Texas:

"A Broken Promise"
"Wasting My Time"
"Fences Down"
"Wednesday Nights"
"Kings & Compromises"
"Heavy Weights"
"Sound The Alarm"
"End Of A Year"
"You Should Run"
"All Will End Well"
"Stumble In"