◇ image via WikipediaSparta
Sparta is an act on the Starverb influence map. Their sound grew out of The Get Up Kids, MewithoutYou, Lovedrug, Straylight Run and Deftones. Those roots explain a lot about how Sparta arrange songs and choose their tones. They run in the same orbit as At the Drive-In, Minus the Bear, Cursive, Hundred Reasons and The Receiving End of Sirens, sharing audiences, venues and reference points rather than a straight line of influence. Their influence carried into The Mars Volta, Gyroscope, Amputechture and Local H, where the same ideas turn up rearranged for a later generation. Altogether the chart holds 36 connections around Sparta, reaching back through The Get Up Kids and forward to The Mars Volta. Follow any of those threads to keep travelling the influence between bands and genres on Starverb.
Background
Sparta is an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Jim Ward, Matt Miller (bass), and drummer Neil Hennessy. Founding members Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar were members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, forming Sparta in 2001 after the break-up of their former band. The band went on hiatus in 2008 for Ward to focus on his solo career and side projects, reuniting from 2011 to 2013 for a series of shows and permanently reuniting in 2017. The band has released six studio albums to date; their fourth, Trust the River, was released in 2020 after a 14-year break between releases. Their most recent album, Cut a Silhouette, was released in May 2026.
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Sparta connections
Sparta grew out of The Get Up Kids, MewithoutYou, Lovedrug and Straylight Run, shares an orbit with At the Drive-In, Minus the Bear, Cursive and Hundred Reasons, went on to shape The Mars Volta, Gyroscope, Amputechture and Local H. 36 connections mapped across roots, kindred and legacy.
Who influenced Sparta
Sounds and acts that shaped Sparta.
Artists similar to Sparta
Artists and scenes sharing an orbit with Sparta.
Bands Sparta shaped
Where the influence of Sparta travelled next.
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