GUITAR HEROES: From Blues To Rock And Beyond

2010
Moseley Road Inc/Metro Books

"I think sometimes [a record label's] approach can damage an artist: I think sometimes it's best to allow them to develop without too much pressure, especially in the early years. Some bands get so much put on their shoulders straight away, that it can sometimes turn them off or completely distract them away from what they're supposed to be doing, which is just making good music and being a good live act" 
- Matthew Bellamy (2009)

Matthew Bellamy (born June 9, 1978, in Cambridge, England) is the front man and lead guitarist for British rock outfit Muse. The band is largely his vision; Bellamy contributes to most songwriting and serves as the often-photographed public face for the group. 
 Bellamy's father was a rhythm guitarist of note as a member of the Tornadoes, one of the first British bands to find a large American audience. Initially drawn to the piano, Bellamy gravitated towards guitar when his parents split up. 
 Popular with audiences in England and around the world as well, Bellamy is regularly ranked as one of the favorite guitarists of the contemporary generation is a regular fixture in publications like NME, Q, Cosmopolitan, Total Guitar, and Kerrang! He has already staked out a place alongside the greats with his energetic riffs. 
 Bellamy is known for his onstage antics - especially the destruction of his axes. He actually holds a record for doing so, with the current count verified by the Guinness Book Of World Records. In conjunction with luthier Hugh Manson, Bellamy has designed a sizeable number of custom guitars, many of which he uses as his primary instruments. 
 Bellamy is a commanding singer, too. His elastic voice is capable of spanning the gulf between a low, gravely rumble and higher registers, including into falsetto. 

MUSE
Bellamy formed the band Muse in Devon, England, with a coterie of friends in 1994. Muse released a string of EPs in quick succession, leading to a record deal and the band's first trip to the United States. Showbiz. Muse's debut album, came to light in 1999, and the band followed that release with The Origin of Symmetry. 
 Muse finally win victory on the U.S. charts with Absolution, opening the way for an American tour, including an appearance at California's prestigious Coachella festival. 
 Coming off a successful tour and enjoying increased levels of exposure, the band offered up Black Holes and Revelations in 2006. Another winner, the album won Muse several major European music awards. 
 In 2007, the band was performing with bands like Daft Punk, Rage Against The Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, and Linkin Park. The Resistance came out in 2009; a self-produced affair. It reached the No.3 position on U.S. charts. At the beginning of 2010 the band found itself in the midst of a massive tour with dates scheduled well into that year. 
 The band has distinguished itself thanks to elaborate, technologically flavored live performances and a sound that combines electronica with hardier, more classic rock styles. 

essential albums
1999 Showbiz
2001 Origin of Symmetry 
2003 Absolution 
2006 Black Holes and Revelations 
2009 The Resistance 

LIVE 
2008 HAARP 

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