Shannon Leto

Shannon Leto was born in Bossier City, Louisiana (March 9, 1970). He has been playing drums since 1975. Shannon currently plays in the band 30 Seconds to Mars, whose singer is his younger brother Jared Leto. Some of Shannon's favorite drummers include John Bonham, Roger Taylor, Stewart Copeland, Keith Moon, Nick Mason, and Lars Ulrich, all of whom he notes as influencing his own playing style. The world knows him for his extremely fast style of playing.

In an interview with Modern Drummer magazine in February 2006, he stated: "Rehearsing that much has helped to build up my stamina and make my playing more precise". He has also said that he doesn't like playing to tape or to a loop. Rather he prefers the more organic way of doing things, experimenting with electronics the band creates on their own. Bob Ezrin, who helped produce 30 Seconds to Mars's debut self-titled album, referred to Leto as "one of the most inventive drummers I've worked with. He isn't satisfied with simply adding a beat. His drum parts are an integral part of the orchestration of the record. He's also a great live drummer who is lots of fun to watch, with a presence and energy level that are mesmerizing".

Shannon describes his band's music as having the grandiosity of Pink Floyd and the energy of The Sex Pistols. His other musical influences include:

• The Cure
• the first two albums from Metallica 
• Led Zeppelin
• Queen
• The Who
• The Police
• Steely Dan

He appeared on a few episodes of My So-Called Life with his brother Jared before forming 30 Seconds to Mars in 1998 with the addition of bass player Matt Wachter and later joined by Tomo Miličević on guitar.

www.thirtysecondstomars.com