Epicenter Twenty Ten Artist Spotlight: 30 Seconds To Mars

I bet when Shannon and Jared Leto first formed their small “family” band, they had no idea how huge their success would be. Twelve years later, with three albums and several awards under their belt, 30 Seconds To Mars continues to rock audiences and sell out shows all over the world.

Their current single, “This Is War,” has been getting great reviews and tons of requests here on KROQ. In fact, it’s been Stryker’s #1 Most Requested Song the past 2 weeks!

Click more for the full story on 30STM.

Shannon Leto formed the band with his brother, actor Jared Leto (Fight Club, Requiem For A Dream, Lord Of War) in 1998. The brothers experimented with guitarists Kevin Drake and Solon Bixler in their early years, then found their next full-time member, guitarist Tomo Miličević. In 2001 they found a bassist/keyboard player, Matt Wachter, who remained with the band until 2008, but was then replaced by touring members Tim Kelleher (bass) and Braxton Olita (keys).

The band’s first album, 30 Seconds to Mars, was released in 2002 and had the singles “Capricorn (A Brand New Name)” and “Edge of the Earth.” “Capricorn,” the band’s first single, reached the #31 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks.

In the summer of 2005, the band released their second studio album, A Beautiful Lie, which has since gone platinum. Shortly after the release, 30 Seconds to Mars toured with bands like Head Automatica, The Receiving End Of Sirens and Cobra Starship, and continued their touring with the “Taste Of Chaos Tour,” opening for The Used. They also opened for Linkin Park in a slew of European dates. Their song “The Kill” off the album was voted as the Top Alternative Song of the Decade of the 2000′s, according to AOL Radio.

In 2008, a $30 million lawsuit was filed by Virgin Records, stating the band breached their contract by not delivering a third album. However, the band fought back and settled their case, with their defense that contracts were null and void after 7 years. The band resolved their differences with the label and resigned with EMI (who owns Virgin) because of the willingness of the label to address the issues and concerns of the band.

With their legal issues resolved, the band finished up their third and most recent album, This Is War. “We spent two years of our lives working on that record, and it was us against the world,” says Jared Leto during an MTV interview. “There were times that it was overwhelming. Everything that was going on was brutal… It was a case of survival, to tell the truth.” This Is War sold over 67,000 units in the US  in the first week and entered the Billboard 200 at #18, and eventually reached #2 on the Alternative Albums chart and #4 on the Rock Albums chart.

Don’t miss your chance to see 30 Seconds To Mars at KROQ’s Epicenter Twenty Ten! Get your presale tickets starting tomorrow at 10am, but you must be a member of the KROQ Street Team to receive the password! Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday at 10am.

Click here for all the details on the show!