At The Drive-In Fans Should Give Sleepercar A Chance

The low-key solo project is common for many members of aggressive bands. Sparta frontman Jim Ward doesn't go the City And Colour route with his Sleepercar side-project, though, as the new venture represents yet another stylistic change for the singer.

While most solo outings tend to be little more than a singer armed with an acoustic guitar, Sleepercar are a five-piece band whose West Texas debut is surprisingly loud. It's not as loud as Sparta, but fans of Ward's larger-than-life melodies will feel right at home with the band. They'd also be surprised to hear that some of the songs date back to Ward's time with post-hardcore heroes At The Drive-In.

"It's like having a baby that was conceived seven or eight years ago," Ward jokes about the lengthy writing process for the album. "It's the longest gestation period for a record I've ever made.

"I started writing it a while ago, and it was this sort of exploration for me. The whole record is like my whole taste in music growing over the past few years."

The frontman maintains that, though Sleepercar's style is obviously a far cry from the band that made him famous, the spirit of the music still comes from the same place.

"I grew up in the punk scene, and the punk scene has always been about being yourself and not being scared to say your opinion and do what you want to do. You have a right to make a country-ish Americana record if that's what you want. If I gauged my success on selling lots of records, then maybe I would change how I do things, but that's not how I gauge it. I gauge it on being proud at the end of the day of what I've done.

"I was raised in that scene. I was raised by that music and those rebellions. Some of it you have to fight. There's a lot of punk rock guilt, and everyone knows about that. That's something you come to grips with. I'm enjoying being at this age. I've had a really good run. I've been lucky. If this is the end of my run, I'd die happy."

It's interesting to note that "getting soft" is often the natural progression for rockers who've passed the age of heavy distortion and volatile screaming.

"I think it has a lot to do with mortality," Ward reasons. "When you're 19, you're gonna live forever.

"You're trying to find what you're looking for, and that's part of being young. For me, there was a point where I was sitting in my house writing beautiful melodies and uplifting guitars, and I was moved by that. It's looking at life with older eyes, basically."

Of course, teenagers getting into At The Drive-In now will have very little to relate to in Sleepercar. Ward is OK with that, as long as his more adventurous fans give his new band a fair shake.

"At The Drive-In died at a young age," he states. "I meet a lot of kids who buy our records and ask when we're getting back together, and I'm like, 'We broke up when you were seven.'

"It's awesome that they're discovering it, and I'm very proud of being a part of something that they could use as a stepping stone to get into music. At the same time, I don't need to put on those clothes and try to be 22. I'm happy being 32. I can't expect everybody to be on the same page as I'm on, and I don't. The only thing I do ask is that if you're curious about it, give it a fair chance, because it's a solid fuckin' album."

Sleepercar is opening for City And Colour on their Canadian tour with Black Lungs. Here are the dates:

May 23 Vancouver, BC @ Media Club (Sleepercar only)
May 25 Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall
May 26 Lethbridge, AB @ University Of Lethbridge Theatre
May 27 Medicine Hat, AB @ Medicine Hat College Theatre
May 28 Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
May 29 Saskatoon, SK @ Lakeview Auditorium
May 30 Estevan, SK @ Estevan Civic Centre
May 31 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
June 3 Montreal, QC @ Theatre St. Denis
June 4-5 Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
June 6-7 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall