Matt Miller is a native of

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and the bassist for the

Post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band,

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

. He currently resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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 ...

Sparta

Matt Miller joined vocalist Jim Ward, drummer

Tony Hajjar Tony Hajjar (born August 17, 1974) is a Lebanese American drummer, best known for playing in At the Drive-In and Sparta. As of 2016, he is playing in the reformed At The Drive-In, as well as the new group, Gone Is Gone. Tony also produced and dru ...

, and guitarist

Paul Hinojos Pablo J. Hinojos-Gonzalez (born July 17, 1975), also known as Paul Hinojos, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for At the Drive-In, and former touring member of The Mars Volta. He is also a former guitarist of Sparta. Biogr ...

a few months after its conception when original bassist Erick Sanger was let go from the group, and Miller's previous band Belknap broke up. The fact that

was starting so soon after the break-up of his bandmates previous effort, ''

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...

'', did not faze Miller, though he knew the band would have a rough start. For the band's first record, ''

Wiretap Scars ''Wiretap Scars'' is an album by Sparta, released on August 13, 2002 on DreamWorks Records and peaked at number 71 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Only months separated this release from their debut EP '' Austere''. The album is greatly influenced by t ...

'', all members contributed lyrics, and Miller was no exception. Though

's frontman

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

now takes on lyrical duties by himself; Miller has expanded his role in the group, now providing back-up vocals along with guitarist

Keeley Davis Keeley Davis (born January 4, 1976) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and graphic designer. He is best known as a member of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, with whom he has recorded one studio album, '' In•ter a•li•a' ...

(

Hinojos Hinojos is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. Thi ...

has since left the group). Also, some songs on their latest album, ''

Threes ''Threes'' (stylized as ''Threes!'') is a puzzle video game by Sirvo, an independent development team consisting of game designer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend, and composer Jimmy Hinson. The game was released on February 6, 2014, for ...

'', are noticeably more bass orientated. The first single of the album, "Taking Back Control", opens with a bass heavy groove, and is

's most successful single to date, reaching 24 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts. Miller refers to ''

'' as more positive than the previous records, and describes the addition of

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...

as a breath of fresh air.RIFTrock.com - Rock music news and views

Discography

With Belknap

* '' Music is Our Blood, Blood is Our Bond'' (Compilation - 2002) : Contributed the song "Sounds Like Paris"

With Sparta

* '' Austere'' (2002) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

Live at La Zona Rosa 3.19.04 Live at La Zona Rosa 3.19.04 is a live album released by Sparta. The album has since been out of print. Only 1000 copies were made. There is also a live EP released by the band Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressi ...

'' (2004) * ''

Porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006)

Equipment with Sparta

Miller uses several different bass guitars and amplifiers while performing with

. While the equipment Miller uses changes over time, this is a list of some of the equipment he has used thus far.

Bass guitars

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsch ...

Broadkaster * '69

Fender P-Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instru ...

: Miller has two different P-Basses, one black and one off-white

Amplifiers

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

AD200 Bass Head * Orange 4X10 Cabinet * Orange 1X15 Cabinet * '74

Ampeg Ampeg is a manufacturer best known for its bass amplifiers. Originally established in 1946 in Linden, New Jersey by Everett Hull and Stanley Michaels as "Michael-Hull Electronic Labs," today Ampeg is part of the Yamaha Guitar Group. Although ...

B-15 *

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

Head * SWR Cabinet

References

External links

Sparta's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Matt Musicians from El Paso, Texas Sparta (band) members American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)