All Quiet On The 'Awesome' Front

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 8, 2008 8:12PM

Sometimes you just want a little peace and quiet, even if you're hardcore heroes At The Drive In and Sparta founder Jim Ward. It was after a Sparta tour last year that Ward returned home and unplugged the amps, seeking a new way to approach the art of songwriting. He went into his home studio and carefully crafted and recorded 5 delicious, folk-tinged but firmly indie-leaning tunes that he's released on the appropriately-titled Quiet EP, with help from friends in Ambulette and The Secret Life of Sparrows. Now Ward is taking the stripped-down show on the road, playing a series of dates in the Midwest and his native Texas before heading down under to Australia and New South Wales. Chicago is lucky enough to be one of those stops, and fans of Ward's more well-known projects won't be disappointed by this intimate look at the man's songwriting process and considerable melodic chops.

MP3: Jim Ward - On My Way Back Home

Jim Ward plays Schubas tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m., $12