30 Seconds to Mars is a popular modern rock band founded in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. The band is comprised of Jared Leto on vocals and rhythm guitar, Tomo Milicevic on lead guitar and keyboard, and Shannon Leto on drums and percussion. Bassist Tim Kelleher performs live with the band, replacing original bassist Matt Wachter, although bass tracks are laid down for albums by Milicevic and Jared Leto. Other musicians to have played or toured with the band include keyboardist Braxton Olita and guitarist Solon Bixler.
The band has so far released three full length studio albums, beginning with 2002′s self-titled album. They soon followed this with 2005′s ‘A Beautiful Lie’. ‘Lie’ was a critically acclaimed album, based largely on the strength of the single ‘The Kill (Bury Me)’. 30 Seconds to Mars’ most recent studio effort, ‘This Is War’, was released in late 2009. They have also had a pair of extended play releases, 2007′s ‘AOL Sessions Undercover’ and 2008′s ‘To the Edge of the Earth’.
30 Seconds to Mars have been described as nu-metal, progressive rock, emo, and several other styles. Primary influences for the band cover a wide range artists and styles, and include Alice In Chains, My Bloody Valentine, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Cure, and U2.