60 Minutes or less - Episode 63 - Jim Ward (Sparta / At the Drive-In)

Welcome to ’60 Minutes or less’ - a podcast from Birthday Cake For Breakfast - where for episode 63, it’s a thrill to feature an interview with Jim Ward of Sparta and At the Drive-In!

A native of El Paso, Texas, Ward co-founded cult American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In and during his tenure, released a trio of studio albums and several EPs to much acclaim, before the band knocked it on the head in 2001.

Moving on from the break up sharpish, Ward’s next move was to form Sparta with members of At the Drive-In. With numerous line-up changes over the lifetime of the band, the outfit have put out six studio albums across 20+ years, with their latest album - ‘Cut a Silhouette’ - arriving May 2026 via Equal Vision Records.

I caught up with Jim over Zoom the week of releasing ‘Cut a Silhouette’, where we spoke of the new record, as well as the built up mythology of At the Drive-In, drinking to cope with music industry pressures, a lifelong love of Billy Joel and the infamous At the Drive-In appearance on ‘Later... with Jools Holland’, featuring a bemused Robbie Williams.

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