Shannon Christopher Leto (born March 9, 1970) is an American drummer and an occasional actor. He is the brother of musician and actor Jared Leto, both are part of the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.Career
Shannon Leto was born in Bossier City, Louisiana. He has been playing drums since 1977, and 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, Stewart Copeland, Keith Moon, Nick Mason, and Lars Ulrich, all of whom he notes as influencing his own playing style.
With the band, he practices six to seven hours a day. 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, and 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" .
Leto 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, The Who, early The Police, and 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 friend Tomo Miličević on guitar.He also expresses interest in writing, Abstract art, progressive rock, self-interpretation, and practices photography.
For his drums he uses Sabian Cymbals, Vic-Firth 5an drum sticks, Remo Pinstripe heads, Sonor Drums, And DW Hardware.
He is also occasionally an actor; initially he appeared in some episodes of the series My So-Called Life with his brother Jared, and he played a small role in Prefontaine and Highway, in which his brother starred.
Instrumentation
Drum kit: Sonor Designer - Red
7.5" x 14" Snare drum
8" Rototom
8" x 8" Tom
9" x 10" Tom
12" x 14" Tom
16" x 18" Floor Tom
18" x 20" Bass drum
Skins:
All Remo Pinnstripes on Toms, Coated Ambassadors on Snare Batter, and Clear Powerstroke 3's on Bass Drum
Cymbal (Sabian):
14" AA Hit-Hat
7" AA Splash
19" AAXtreme Crash
19" AA Medium Crash
20" AA Crash
21" AA Ride
Percussion mallet: Vic Firth 5AN (length 16", diameter 0.565")
Hardware: Tama Iron Cobra II
Pedals: Drum Workshop 9000
Discography
30 Seconds to Mars
2002 - 30 Seconds to Mars
2005 - A Beautiful Lie
2009 - This Is War
[edit] The Wondergirls
1999 - Drop That Baby
1999 - Let's Go All The Way