Tembloroso Creative Lab

With The Heaviest Heart...

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:21:21 -0700

It is with the heaviest heart that I write this. One of the absolute most fantastic people I have had the privilege of knowing, Ms. Esmeralda Barrera, was senselessly, tragically murdered in the early hours of New Years Day in Austin, Texas.

We called her Esme and miss her with every ounce of soul we got.

I was in Australia when I got the news and I got home to our gang as quick as I could because our gang is the best and she was our captain of good times. Some of us are sitting around my kitchen as I write this and telling stories about Esme.

Sweet, Sweet Esme

I chose this photo because it made me laugh. She always made me laugh.

She had a ton of catch phrases we are all laughing about. here is a couple-

“This is the best song…EVER!!!”
She loved music as much as anyone I have ever known. Nobody else could justify every song being the best ever, but she could. She is one of the reasons bands have careers. She bought albums, made other people buy albums, went to a zillion shows, made epic mix tapes that we all love more now than we did before.

“Do you see how he was falling in love with me!”
On a trip to NYC she met a bunch of friends of Jose and Cynthia and after every boy walked away she would say that- she loved the idea of love and friendship and good times and had the upmost confidence being herself. It was absolutely contagious! We were just saying that it was unheard of to not be in a good mood when she was around.

A whole ton of people are coming in to El Paso from all over the world to lay her to rest. That was her power. She was unforgettable and we would go to the end of the world for her.

It is hard. I can’t imagine how hard this is for her family. I hope they find some comfort in how much we all love her. The level of grief and joy combined is unprecedented.

Here is a link that will allow you to donate money to Esme’s family for these difficult times and unexpected expenses. We are in the process of figuring out some scholarships that will remind us continuously of how great she was and will make sure that money gets to the right place.

I ask you all to send a couple dollars.

I miss you Esme- we had a lot of fun and it is hard to imagine ever playing Austin again without you directing the fun and the playlist. Always the playlist. Love you.

To donate go to this page please-

http://forouresmeb.blogspot.com/

Good Times For Good Reasons

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:39:30 -0700

Hi Everyone-
Hope and Anchor has a deep connection with the El Paso music scene. From the owners to the staffers, we have tried to help foster a better and stronger music scene in El Paso- that being said, some of our own need a hand.

The Lusitania are an incredibly talented and hard working band from El Paso. The have been carving out a fan base over the last few years both in town and on the road. The road is a tough place for young bands. There is no lack of challenges and these young guys just met with one of the toughest.

In the first few days of their fall tour, the boys hit a bad stretch of road and totalled their tour vehicle. All of them are safe and home now, but are left with some sizable bills and frustrations.

We offered to help, and never wanting a hand out, the boys figured they would play some acoustic songs, bbq some food, and we will pass the hat. We want to cover as much of their bills as we can because we love local bands and want them to get back out and represent our town as soon as they can.

So, I am personally asking that anyone who loves El Paso, loves music, loves Hope and Anchor, loves The Lusitania come by Sunday, December 11, 2011, from 7 pm til whenever and bring a couple bucks- buy their CD, donate $5 or more and show these guys that coming home to El Paso will always take care of them.

If you can’t make the show, you can also donate online by clicking on the Donate button below.

Thanks a million- see you Sunday
Jim

Howdy!

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:29:44 -0600

Hi-
I feel like it has been ages since I have sat down and written anything on here and for that I apologize. I seemed to have over estimated how much time I would have and how much initiative I would have to do things like my blog.

We have been working hard to get the new bar/theater up and running and it has gone pretty good so far. Please check out the facebook pages if you haven’t yet.

www.facebook.com/bowiefeathers
www.facebook.com/trickyfalls

There has been some confusion on the names and spaces and I can break it down quickly right here-

Bowie Feathers is the bar on the second floor of the theater- 209 S El Paso St. – it is open Tuesday through Friday 4 pm-2 am and Saturday 8 pm – 2 am

Tricky Falls is the big part of the theater and it is open only for shows or special events- although if Bowie is open you will see the beautiful Tricky Falls neon sign on and glowing.

So please come see us on facebook and for a cocktail or a show!

Speaking of Tricky Falls- my band Sparta will be playing Tricky Falls on November 17th- we have been off for a while and are super excited to play our home town- tickets are almost gone- make sure and pick them up at trickyfalls.com or at Maria’s Closet (314 S El Paso St).

Keeley’s killer poster for the show

Before I step on stage at TF though, my other project (simply billed as Jim Ward) that has been touring around North America and Australia is playing the final US show at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on November 4th at 1:40 pm. The night before our other band Sleepercar will play at ND in Austin (501 Brushy St, Austin, TX 78702 www.ndvenue.com) about 12:30 am-

line up for the fff fest

Yesterday I was sat down and watched one of the funniest/best films I have seen in a long time- it is called Submarine. I got it on netflix so I know you can as well- it is awesome and I highly recommend it-

submarine movie poster

I took some photos on tour but I think it is time to retire my silly little digital camera and move on- none of the photos even look good enough to share anymore. Hopefully, I will get something soon as we have some fun stuff coming up around here.

Last but not least, thanks to everyone who came out to the Chalk the Block show we played last week and signed up on the Tembloroso email list, bought art from us, supported us, came to the after party at Bowie Feathers, and generally helped us have a great night!!!

See you soon-

day one of the rest of my life

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:13:30 -0600

so i am going to get back in the habit of writing as much as i used to back in the day.

so today is day one. i am done with capitalizing letters, that is step one of day one. i reserve the right to change my mind on that at any moment.

i still will do the twitter/facebook stuff, but this is my home, this is my digital home and this is where i feel comfortable. my very smart better half says to keep this blog short because no one wants to read a super long ramble daily. so i will take that advice and keep it short and to the point.

we have been hard at work on Tricky Falls which is the new venue we are doing in downtown el paso and Bowie Feathers which is the 2nd floor bar at Tricky Falls. it was all a big secret until a few days ago, so now everything is out and i am happy. and yes, both places are named after my super cool cats.

the view from the balcony of our new spot downtown elps

this is what i was working on during my month off in july, remodeling a bar

super long day yesterday and i want to say how much i enjoyed the crew at the 12th fairway bar/grill who kept me entertained while southwest tried to get their planes in order after a civilian plane broke down on the el paso airport runway. the southwest staff was awesome as always and everyone was relatively civil. which almost never happens in airports.

i ran into tony rancich at the airport, we were both on the delayed la flight. tony owns sonic ranch studios where world class records are made. he has been a good friend to me and my bands for years and i really had a nice time catching up with him.

me and tony rancich wasting time in the elps airport

i came to la to play a little show in a backyard and do press stuff before i fly to australia. so far so good. it’s good to work.

hello echo park, it’s been awhile

i am sure i will have something good to eat and i am sure i will show you a picture of it.

have a nice day.

-jim

SPARTA

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:37:31 -0600

Hi everyone-
here is the official word from the sparta headquarters-

“Sparta, awake!

After a three-year “nap,” Sparta will play their first show since 2008 this November in their hometown of El Paso, TX. They’re confirmed to perform on November 17th at Tricky Falls, the newly renovated venue co-owned by frontman Jim Ward. The band – Ward, drummer Tony Hajjar, bassist Matt Miller, and guitarist Keeley Davis – will also head into the studio this fall to begin work on their fourth LP, the follow-up to 2006’s Threes. More information coming soon; in the meantime, tickets for the 11/17 El Paso show are available beginning today (8/4) at 10 am MST here: http://holdmyticket.com/event/27335

We will continue to update as we go…

Thanks everyone
-jim

a month in isolation... and some thanks.

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:16:42 -0600

Howdy-
It feels like I have been in isolation this month. I feel like I have been working in a secret bunker in the desert. I have been working on some stuff and it will all be public on Wednesday August 3rd in What’s Up Magazine in El Paso. I think that the article goes up online at the same time, on Wednesday- if not, the full details of everything will be posted here at 12 am August 4th. I know there is some speculation and maybe some false rumors going around as to what is going to be announced, but let me tell you this… it is not just one thing, it is a multitude of things and it’s going to be awesome.

I tend to only get a few shots a year at the press in my hometown, so I decided this time to give everything I had in the cooker to Ryan Martinez from What’s Up. It was a fun interview and my first time on the cover as a solo artist and Tim V. took a very nice photo for the cover (as always). I am excited. I am excited for the next few months. I am a little nervous about the record coming out on Tuesday and going back out on the road, but I am ready.

I haven’t been able to write as much as I would like to, but you know once I am back out on the old highway, I will be posting photos of good food and landmarks as usual.

I spent awhile yesterday signing all the posters for preorders and I was overwhelmed by the response and genuine things people had to say in their emails. I want to thank Brandon and Armando for being so awesome and supportive. They have joined me on this adventure, not just with Tembloroso.com, but now with Tembloroso Recordings.

As most of you know Gabriel Gonzalez is the back bone of a lot of this stuff. He has been along for so much of the ride, from ATDI through Sparta to Sleepercar and now the solo record which he produced some of, played on a lot of, and mixed entirely- he is usually with me and if you see him at a show and you like the record, please make sure to tell him so… he never gets the attention he really deserves. He is also part of Tembloroso Records and I am indebted to him for the guidance and support…

I guess I just wanted to write a little note and say thanks to those around me for all the help and love and support… I am a lucky guy and this is not lost on me. See you guys soon.

-jim

tour pt 1

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:03:58 -0600

here is some photos… i will get back up to speed soon i hope and post a lot more. i am looking forward to all this being out and in your hands. even though i know some people have one, or two, or even all three ep’s- no one has the electric six! yet- all the pieces have come together to more than i could have expected, i am over joyed honestly-

the video is done, we are coordinating its premiere as we speak, finding the right spots for it to show on- we are figuring out where we will stream the full record release week, we are figuring out the release show… it will be in el paso, and it will be small… we will have a party. it is all exciting to me, but a ton of work and i am learning as i go, so be patient with me, please… thanks for support gang- it was a blast playing these first shows, we will make some adjustments and see you all soon- tour announcements for US will be late next week- they are all confirmed and ready to go- until then friends here are a few pics-

-j

Jim Ward on Spinner.com

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:15:04 -0600

The fine folks at spinner.com featured Jim on their homepage today and have a great write-up about his new album (available August 2nd.) Jim’s first single off the new album, “Broken Songs”, features Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. Click here to read the article and listen to the single.

From spinner.com – “Jim Ward, the understated singer and guitarist of At the Drive-In, Sparta and Sleepercar, completed his trilogy of solo EPs, ending with the contemplative, acoustic album ‘The End Begins’ in February. Now, Ward’s three EPs are being packaged as one in ‘Quiet in the Valley, On the Shores the End Begins’ with bonus EP ‘The Electric Six’ to be self-released physically and digitally Aug. 2.”

New Stuff in the Store

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:03:13 -0600

Hey gang-
We have added some good stuff to the store-

Hope and Anchor shirts…

A fantastic 7" by Grand Tarantula from San Diego with proceeds going to Keep a Breast Foundation and art work by the fantastic Kelsey Brookes… you get a download code the minute you buy it as well so you can jam it now and collect some gorgeous picture vinyl in a few days…

Also an awesome EP from El Paso’s The DA that will blow your socks off, they are an up and coming dance/rock outfit from our hometown that is really raising some eyebrows- check it out folks- buy it, support the artists, and find some new music to make your day better.

We got some stuff in the pipeline as well so keep checking in- have a good weekend everyone!

-jim

On The Road Again

Tembloroso Creative Lab — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:08:44 -0600

howdy- we are adding June tour dates as well as introducing www.facebook.com/itsnotjimward as the official solo record facebook thingy… also you can follow the fun @itsnotjimward on twitter- here’s the tour dates

w/ The Lusitania
June 19- Denver, CO- Larimer Lounge Day Show 3 pm
June 20- Fort Collins, CO- Surf 7 8 pm
June 22- Bozeman, MT- Filling Station 8 pm
June 25- Sled ISland Festival in Calgary, AB
Ship and Anchor (Day Show)
Marquee Room (Night Show) without The Lusitania