From Monument to Masses was a politically charged

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

band which was founded in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in late 2000. They have released four albums to date, the latest full-length of which was released through Dim Mak on March 10, 2009. They played their final show on August 28, 2010, at the Great American Music Hall in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Overview

From Monument to Masses is an instrumental

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

composed of Francis Choung (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

keys Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

, programming), Sergio Robledo-Maderazo (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, keys, samples), and Matthew Solberg (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, loops). From Monument To Masses is officially a "bi-coastal" band with two members living in the California Bay Area (Robledo-Maderazo, Solberg) and one residing in New York City (Choung). The band formed in 2000 in the San Francisco area, and eventually signed to Dim Mak Records in 2002. The band's first album, ''From Monument To Masses'', was initially intended to be a demo recording to find a label; however, when Dim Mak's label owner

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

, who was also a long-time friend of Robledo-Maderazo from the Southern California Hardcore scene and his UCSB classmate, heard the recording, he signed the band and decided to release it as an eponymous debut LP. The band name is a challenge to the " Great man theory" and a call for a paradigm shift. Rather than subscribe to the notion that "highly influential individuals" to whom ''monuments'' are built shape historical developments, the band name posits that it is actually the ''masses'' struggling for change who make history. In several interviews, that band has cited the American Civil Rights Movement as an example and note the hard work of hundreds of organizers that often gets overshadowed in history books by admittedly important individuals. The band members have often explained in interviews that their music is only one expression of their respective politics. Each member has been involved with various organizations throughout the life of the band, including the League of Filipino Students-SFSU, Challenging White Supremacy, Kalayaan School for Equity,

BAYAN Bayan may refer to: Eduational Institutions * Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL Places *Bayan-Aul, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan *Bayan Mountain, an ancient mountain name for part of Tarbagatai Mountains at Kazakhstan in Qing Dynasty period *B ...

USA, and others.

Members

*Francis Choung -

, programming *Sergio Robledo-Maderazo -

, keys, samples *Matthew Solberg -

, loops

Discography

Albums

* ''From Monument To Masses (album), From Monument To Masses'' (2002) * '' The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps'' (2003) * ''Schools of Thought Contend'' (December 31, 2005) * '' On Little Known Frequencies'' (March 10, 2009)

Singles

* "Beyond God & Elvis" (2008)

Influences

According to the band's MySpace websit

the band culls their "sound" from several influences, some of which include: * Refused *

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located i ...

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sha ...

* At the Drive-In * Dead Prez *

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

Don Caballero Don Caballero (often shortened by members as 'Don Cab') was an American instrumental rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although the band has had numerous lineup changes with co-founder Damon Che (drums and percussion) being the only cons ...

* Rage Against the Machine *

Digable Planets Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenre ...

References

*http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/20945/ *http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/367/ItemID/2234/Default.aspx

External links

Official website

Dim Mak Records

RCRD LBL page

FMTM on YouTube

Live videos at intimepop.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:From Monument To Masses Musical groups from San Francisco American post-rock groups