Jim Ward’s latest solo EP The End Begins is now available through his new Tembloroso Creative Lab website, www.Tembloroso.com, which is dedicated to providing a worldwide voice for his hometown of El Paso, TX’s artists and musicians.
The final installment in his trilogy of solo EPs, The End Begins follows in the contemplative, intimate feel of its predecessors, 2007’s Quiet and 2009’s In The Valley, On The Shores. The easy shuffle of the building instrumental opener “Lake Travis” segues into the rolling and cinematic narrative of “Waves In Spanish,” which showcases Ward’s matured warm, plaintive vocals. Love song “Decades” – written for his wife of 10 years – is a pedal steel-laced, antique barroom waltz, while closer “The Beginning Of The End” salutes his longtime fans, who have supported Ward through his varied career as: founding member and guitarist for the seminal At The Drive-In; frontman for the lauded Sparta and alt-country rockers Sleepercar; and solo artist. A longtime champion of El Paso’s music scene, he enlisted all local musicians to back him on the songs, including Joel Quintana (Sleepercar, Metatron), Nicole Smith (The Royalty), Chad Morris, and Gabe González (Sparta, Sleepercar), who also plays on all three EPs and produced The End Begins.
Ward first began writing quieter, more autobiographical acoustic songs during the last Sparta tour around their third album, 2006’s Threes, looking for a respite from loud rock shows and interested in pushing his creative envelope as both a singer and songwriter. Encouraged by the positive response the self-produced, recorded, and released Quiet EP received, he conceived the idea of issuing two others to create the trilogy. Ward wrote and released sophomore effort In The Valley, On The Shores after a yearlong tour with Sleepercar, while home in El Paso building his bar Hope and Anchor. The End Begins, though delayed longer than anticipated by his busy new schedule as bar-owner, came together quickly over the past few months at his studio Clap Of Thunder, which he co-owns with González. The EPs explore themes of home, family, and establishing roots, influenced by Ward’s time spent largely in El Paso the past few years, after dedicating most of his life since age 17 making records and touring throughout the world.
The End Begins track listing:
1. Lake Travis
2. Waves In Spanish
3. Decades
4. The Beginning Of The End