Come Into The Pantheon
August 31st, 2006 - Written by Angel
Amidst the chaos and frenzy of decision making, phone calls, more decisions, picking colors, taglines, sleepless nights and hair pulling disagreements, one thing was unequivocally certain; we wanted 30 Seconds to Mars to be CONFRONT Magazine’s first cover. As reckless as it was, we never considered other possibilities. It was 30 Seconds to Mars or no one. This amazing band’s talent, originality and unconventional modus operandi, completely sets them apart from the current trend of factory produced look-a-likes. Also, their approach to the New Media, their interactive outreach and their obvious interest in an informed and self-determined public-at-large, is unlike anything we’d ever seen. And let’s not forget that their music kicks some serious ass.
We already knew the basics. Namely that 30 Seconds to Mars was created in 1998 by Jared Leto (vocals, guitar) and his brother Shannon (drums). Later, Tomo Milicevic (guitar) and Matt Wachter (bass) joined the band and what began as a small family art project, now merges the worlds of audio and visual arts into something that transcends pre-conceived notions and breaks tradition.
Two critically acclaimed albums later, a sold out North American tour under their belts and a single off their sophomore release “A Beautiful Lie” now nominated for an MTV (and MTV2) video music awards, 30 Seconds to Mars has firmly established itself as an ascending force on the rock music playing field.
Given the bands incredibly busy schedule, it was impossible to sit with all four band members at one time. The interviews had to be spread out over the course of a few days. “You mean I have to go on a road trip AND see 30 Seconds to Mars more than once?” I must have dislocated a shoulder, I twisted my own arm so enthusiastically.
Our first “sit down” took place at a hotel in downtown Toronto. Myself and Christine, CONFRONT’s arts and visuals director who was subbing as photographer, were escorted into an adjacent bistro-bar and asked to wait a few minutes for Matt and Tomo, who were on their way down. As we were getting organized - figuring out who should sit where, making sure that the voice recorder and the camera were both on, taking a moment to fix our hair (what? We are “girls” after all) - Shannon walked in through a side door and made a b-line straight for us. “Don’t I know you?” he asked me. For some reason, that caught me off guard. The obvious answer should have been “yes! We saw each other at Edgefest two days ago” but I think my reply went more something like: “No, yes, sure, unhuh!” For some reason, that made him laugh - was it the stammering like an idiot or the fact that my face was so red I could feel heat emanating from it?
By the time Matt and a still half asleep Tomo joined us, Shannon was headed to the venue and I had thankfully managed to regain my composure. Following quick introductions, the ordering of a late lunch and some casual banter, during which Matt and Tomo exchanged playful polemics to determine who got to tell who what to do and at what time - Tomo concluding that it was “an almost natural predicament” - we got down to business.
Related Articles:
Find arcitcles with similar tags: 30 seconds to mars, 30stm, confront, confront magazine, echelon, jared leto, leto, matt wachter, music, shannon, shannon leto, tomo, tomo milicevic