‘Madness? This is Sparta!’
Texas-based rockers take a cue from 300 and do things their own way on new disc
Shawn Houde

You’re guaranteed to see a few At the Drive-In T-shirts at a Sparta show — but don’t expect to hear any ATDI songs.

“It’s not going to happen,” says Matt Miller, frustrated by the topic. “It’s stupid. We’re not a cover band.”

Still, fans often yell requests for ATDI music, even if the famed post-hardcore rock outfit unexpectedly called it quits six years ago after nearly nine years together. The split spawned both Sparta and The Mars Volta.

Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez left to lead the Latin-fused, freaky hard rock band TMV, while Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos and Tony Hajjar — the second half of ATDI — were left stranded without a band. The trio recruited Miller to form Sparta, a band truer to the post-hardcore sounds that made ATDI famous.

However, Hinojos left Sparta in May 2005 and, only days later, joined TMV as the band’s sound manipulator — a position that was left vacant by Ward’s cousin, Jeremy Ward, who had died only days earlier from an apparent heroin overdose.

Even though Miller was never part of ATDI, the decision to join a band coming from such a publicized breakup still weighs heavily on him.

“I was excited for the future, but at the same time I was nervous,” Miller says, recalling the day he was asked to join Sparta in October 2001. “When the guys are coming from a band people really freaked out on and you’re starting another band out of that, it’s going to be a lot of hard work because everyone thinks you’re never going to eclipse any kind of shadow.”

With a core lineup of Miller (bass), Ward (vocals, guitar) and Hajjar (drums), Sparta emerged from the shadows of ATDI on the strength of 2002’s Wiretap Scars and 2004’s Porcelain. In 2006 they added ex-Engine Down singer Keeley Davis on lead guitar and released the disc Threes.

In support of the new record, the Texas four-piece is heading north to join Brampton, Ont., indie rockers Moneen for an eight-date Canadian tour that includes a stop in the ’Peg — one of Miller’s favourite destinations.

“I’ve been to Winnipeg twice. It’s actually a pretty cool, normal Canadian town,” the El Paso native says. “But then you have Vancouver on the other side, which is really a wacky town.”

While Sparta’s established MO has earned it gigs alongside Pearl Jam and a spot on Lollapalooza, Threes saw the group formulate a new sound. According to Miller, the change was due to two factors.

“One, we didn’t want to repeat ourselves, and two, (we decided) to play any style of genre that happened,” Miller says. “If it sounded more punk or if it sounded more metal, we just went with that.”

After recording Porcelain for Geffen Records, Sparta made the switch to Hollywood Records for its new disc. Free of major-label demands, Sparta cranked out a total of 31 tracks for Threes. Twelve were chosen for the record and some of the remaining tracks are slated for release on an upcoming EP.

True to Miller’s promise, the new record cranks out a variety of new sounds. Translations could easily fit on a Pink Floyd tribute record, Taking Back Control and Erase It Again are power-chord-driven pop-punk tracks, and Red.Right.Return. (Straight in Our Hands) features a quiet acoustic melody that kicks into aggressive rock.

Miller admits that while Threes represents Sparta’s most diverse album to date, the band is well aware of the risk involved in releasing such a different-sounding record.

Fans “get disappointed if a band doesn’t make a record that they want to hear,” Miller says of Sparta’s switch to a more mainstream style.

“If you’re not going to like our band because of that, go find another band that feeds your appetite for the same old sound that you want.

“You’re not really that supportive of a band if you have certain expectations on them.”

Whether Sparta’s support comes from hungover ATDI groupies or fans of its new sound, Miller remains adamant that the essence of his band’s live show has never changed.

“There’s no fusion of crazy light shows, crazy-ass flips or going nuts and playing guitar solos,” Miller says, perhaps taking a jab at The Mars Volta. “It’s just a band going up there and being honest.”