Monday, May 26, 2008

About Muse - Gothic Rockers Of Great Britain

Thanks, Wikipedia.

Muse is a British rock band formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994. The band comprises Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar and piano), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass guitar and vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums and percussion).

Muse blends alternative, hard rock, progressive rock, classical music and electronic music. It is best known for its energetic and visually dazzling live performances and on June 16 and 17, 2007 became the first band to sell out Wembley Stadium in London.

Muse has released four studio albums - Showbiz in 1999, Origin Of Symmetry in 2001, Absolution in 2003 and Black Holes & Revelations in 2006, and two live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002) and HAARP (2008). It has won 5 MTV Europe Music Awards and 2 BRIT Awards.

The members of Muse played in separate bands during their stay at Teignmouth College in the early 1990s.

In 1994, under the name Rocket Baby Dolls and with a Gothic / Glam image, the group won a local battle of the bands contest. From then onwards it was no turning back for Matthew, Christopher and Dominic.

The band experiments with unorthodox instrumentation, such as church organs. It is influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Rage Against The Machine among others. Fans also compare it to Queen.

The band’s most successful hit songs include Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, Blackout and Butterflies And Hurricanes.

Popular devices in its songs include singing with vibrato and in falsetto, the use of arpeggiations and large jumps in melody lines.