30 Seconds To Mars

US alt rock band formed in 1998 by brothers Jared (b. 26 December 1971, Bossier City, Louisiana, USA; vocals/guitar), and Shannon Leto (b. 9 March 1970, Bossier City, Louisiana, USA; drums), with Matt Wachter (b. Matthew Walter Wachter, 5 January 1976, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, USA; bass/keyboards) and Kevin Drake (guitar) added later on to flesh out the line-up. Solon Bixler replaced Drake as the band began to build up a following on the US rock circuit. The fact that Jared Leto was beginning to make a name for himself in Hollywood as a leading man was downplayed by the band, which refused to cash in on the actor's burgeoning fame to promote their music. The band's self-titled debut album was produced by veteran Bob Ezrin and released in 2002, but their rather hackneyed take on post-grunge rock found little favour.

The band remained together over the next three years, although touring and recording commitments were problematic because of Jared Leto's film career, and new guitarist Tomo Milicevic eventually replaced Bixler. They eventually completed their follow-up, A Beautiful Lie, in late 2005. The album enjoyed a much better critical and commercial reception and spawned the major rock hits "The Kill", "Attack" and "From Yesterday".