started as a collaboration between brothers

Thirty Seconds to Mars started in 1998 in Los Angeles , California, as a collaboration between brothers Jared Leto and Shannon Leto , who had been playing music together since their childhood. The duo later expanded to a four-piece when they added guitarist Solon Bixler and bassist Matt Wachter to the line-up. Additional guitarist Kevin Drake , who first auditioned for the position of bassist, also joined the band as a touring musician. The band played its first concerts under different names, before finally settling on the name “Thirty Seconds to Mars”, which Jared Leto stated was inspired by a rare manuscript titled Argus Apocraphex . Leto described the name as “a reference, a rough translation from the book. I think the idea is interesting, it’s a metaphor for the future,” he explained. “Thirty seconds to Mars—the fact that we’re so close to something that’s not a tangible idea. Also Mars being the God of War makes it really interesting, as well. You could substitute that in there, but what’s important for my brother and I, is that it be imaginative and really represent the sound of our music in as unique a way as possible.” He further characterized the name as working “on several different levels, a phrase that is lyrical, suggestive, cinematic, and filled with immediacy.” Although Leto cited Argus Apocraphex as the source of the name, inquiries to the Harvard Library have not identified any such manuscript. This has led to speculation that the title may not correspond to any existing work but could instead have been created as a conceptual or imaginative reference by the band.