Sparta frontman Jim Ward has reflected on his 2016 firing from At the Drive-In in a new interview, revealing he doesn’t speak with principle members Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala anymore, yet harbors no resentment toward them.
Ward co-founded At the Drive-In in 1994, and remained with them until their breakup in 2001, at which time he formed Sparta. He rejoined At the Drive-In for touring when they reunited 2012, but was let go from the band during rehearsals for another reunion tour in 2016.
In a new interview with NME, Ward said he’s still unclear about the circumstances surrounding his firing, noting, “Even if all five of us talked about it, I’m not sure we’d understand what happened. What I do know is that I wasn’t in a good place mentally, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have done my job. But I think getting kicked out, as painful as it was, was probably a blessing in disguise.”
He added, “A lot of things have happened since that have been beneficial. It’s why I don’t hold any bad feelings. I still don’t speak to Omar and Cedric but if either of them called me and said they needed a kidney, I’d be on the first plane. I have a connection and a love for them that is beyond any drama.”
At the time of the firing, frontman Bixler-Zavala suggested that his success with Rodríguez-López in the Mars Volta while At the Drive-In were dormant may have affected Ward, telling the Dallas Observer:
“His head wasn’t there. His head wasn’t trustworthy. Because of the way Omar and I exploded, I completely understood that. You know, you either let it go and keep going forward, or the train goes on without you. We have to honor what is happening now, which is age and the want to do it. I love him. He’s a beautiful human being. A beautiful artist. I just wish he would remember that he’s an amazing guitar player. I don’t know if he does.”
Sparta are currently finishing a US tour (tickets) in support of their new album Cut a Silhouette. which dropped May 29th. They are soon to embark on a South American tour (tickets), and play two dates supporting Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American 25th anniversary tour (tickets).
