From Monument to Masses

Infobox musical artist
Name = From Monument to Masses

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Origin = San Francisco, California
Genre = Post-Rock, Instrumental rock
Years_active = December 2000–present
Label = Dim Mak
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Current_members = Francis Choung Sergio Robledo-Maderazo Matthew Solberg
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From Monument to Masses is a politically-charged Post Rock band which was founded in San Francisco in late 2000. They have released three albums to date and await the release of their fourth full-length with Dim Mak in January 2009.

Members

*Francis Choung - drums, keys, programming
*Sergio Robledo-Maderazo - bass, keys, samples
*Matthew Solberg - guitar, loops

Influences

According to the band's MySpace website [http://www.myspace.com/frommonumenttomasses] , the band culls their "sound" from several influences, some of which include:
*Refused
*Fugazi
*Godspeed You! Black Emperor
*DJ Shadow
*At the Drive-In
*Dead Prez
*Tortoise
*Radiohead
*Led Zeppelin
*Mogwai
*Don Caballero
*Rage Against the Machine
*Digable Planets

Discography (incomplete)

Albums

* "From Monument To Masses." (2002)
* "The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps" (2003)
* "Schools of Thought Contend" (December 31, 2005)

Trivia

* 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's first album, "From Monument To Masses." was initially intended to be a demo recording to find a label. The band was surprised when Dim Mak's label owner, Steve Aoki, signed the band after a conversation with Robledo-Maderazo, a long-time friend from the Southern California Hardcore scene and UCSB classmate, about music, politics, and the new band. Upon hearing the recording, Aoki decided to release it as an 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 USA, and others.

Links

*http://www.monument-masses.com/ The band's main website.
*http://www.myspace.com/frommonumenttomasses The band's Myspace.com website.
*http://www.facebook.com/pages/From-Monument-To-Masses/34799377368 The band's Facebook.com website.
*http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/20945/ Article on the band (AlterNet).
*http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/04/from-monument-to-masses.html Article on the band (Nascent)
*http://www.thebaybridged.com/?p=183 Article on the band's first Bay Area show in 2007 since Summer 2006 & Japanese Tour opening for Don Caballero
*http://www.last.fm/music/From+Monuments+to+Masses Band's page on Last.fm