Matt Wachter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Matthew Walter Wachter | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Matt, Dr. Wachter, Matticus Prime, Mattastrophe |
| Born | January 5, 1976 |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock, Space rock, New prog |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, Keyboards, Synth |
| Years active | 2001–Present |
| Associated acts | 30 Seconds to Mars Angels & Airwaves |
| Website | 30 Seconds to Mars Official website |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| G&L Bass L-2000 Series, Fender Precision Bass (various) | |
Matthew Walter Wachter (born January 5, 1976) is the bassist, keyboardist, and the backing vocals in the rock band Angels & Airwaves. He was the former bassist for alternative rock group 30 Seconds to Mars, He was with the band from 2001 to 2007. He joined Angels & Airwaves in April 2007, replacing the band's former bassist, Ryan Sinn.
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[edit] Biography
Wachter was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. As a child, he spent most of his time with his family in New Jersey and Boston. An active child, Matt participated in baseball and soccer, taking up swimming as well, he also went to Space Camp, along with Space Academy. His interest in music bloomed when he was around five years old, and between the ages of five and eight, Matt experimented with various instruments, focusing primarily on the piano and drums.
Matt reached the peak of his musical interest around high school and spent most of his time playing in bands. He picked up the bass, he stated, because he "wanted to play in a band, and the band needed a bass player." Matt had no previous experience with the bass, the closest being experimenting with the guitar. He credited former Metallica bassist, the late Cliff Burton, as his inspiration for wanting to play the bass guitar.
Wachter was rumored to have worked in a slaughter house, but confessed in an interview that he and his bandmates made up the story to stir up an otherwise dull interview.[1]
[edit] Career
[edit] 30 Seconds to Mars
Matt joined Jared Leto, Shannon Leto, and Solon Bixler, rounding out the 30 Seconds to Mars line-up, in 2001. Solon Bixler was replaced with Tomo Milicevic in 2003.
Wachter often stands in a "pigeon-toed" stance (both feet turned in toward each other) when he plays his bass, and stares down at his feet. He says doing this allows him to focus on what he's playing and keeps him from being distracted by fans.
In the early days of 30 Seconds to Mars, Wachter complained of consistent headaches after performing, but no pain while he was on stage. After a visit to the hospital and a CT scan, it was discovered that he developed a concussion from frequent head-banging on stage. This prompted his mother to suggest he "wiggle his hips like Elvis", as mentioned in the fan yearbook. The head-banging has since stopped.
The first two dates of the 2006 "Forever Night, Never Day" headlining tour had to be postponed after Matt hurt himself. The injury resulted from changing one of his car's headlights (or as Shannon says "He was left alone with a pair of scissors." to which Matt replied "A pair of scissors and a light bulb. I'll leave the rest to your imagination."), pushing the tour back an additional two weeks. The band issued press release to fans on March 2.
While on tour in El Paso, Texas, on March 1, 2007, Jared Leto announced to the arena that Matthew would be playing his last show with the band. He dedicated the final song of the show, "R-Evolve", to Matthew. The group, with the exception of Matthew then signed autographs for the El Paso fans.
[edit] Angels & Airwaves
Following the departure of Ryan Sinn from the band Angels & Airwaves, on 23 April 2007, Wachter has joined the band in Sinn's place on their current tour. He was later confirmed as a bandmember, and worked with Angels & Airwaves on their second album, I-Empire.
[edit] Other works
Wachter serves as an occasional guest host on Get the Fuck Up (GTFU) Radio. The radio show is hosted by two of his friends, Aaron Farley and Jeremy Weiss and is featured on Little Radio, out of Los Angeles.
[edit] Personal life
The Used bassist and friend, Jeph Howard, filled in for Matt when the band performed on the August 4 airing of The Tonight Show. Matt returned two weeks later to resume play with the band and finish out the summer festivals. Wachter is an avid Boston Red Sox fan.
Wachter is a big fan of body art and claims to have over 20 tattoos. Some of these include "Rock-n-Roll" in script on his stomach, two swallows on both pectorals, a winged bomb on his right arm, and a switch blade with Latin quotation on his right side. These particular tattoos were done by artist Josh Hoffman at Olde City Tattoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [2] He also has Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead skulls tattooed on each foot, as well as numerous other inkings in various locations. On his right inner arm he has yellow jackets to remind him that he is allergic.
[edit] References
- ^ KAOS2000 Magazine interview with Tomo Milicevic and Matt Wachter of 30 Seconds Of Mars. Online Magazine. Retrieved on 20 April 2006. Matt and Tomo talk about FNND, the music they listened to growing up and Matt confesses he did not work in a slaughterhouse.
- ^ Prick Magazine - Tatts and Tunes: 30 Seconds to Mars. Online Magazine. Retrieved on August, 2005. Images and descriptions of band members' tattoos
[edit] External links
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