By: Darryn Simmons
August 10, 2005
Usually, people who find themselves in the spotlight are hesitant to lay their emotions and feelings out for the public to see and hear.
For Jared Leto, it was a must.
Leto is an accomplished actor with roles in such films as "Fight Club," "Panic Room," "Requiem for a Dream" and "Alexander." And he has two upcoming acting projects -- "Lord of War" with Nicolas Cage, set for release Sept. 16, and "Lonely Hearts" with John Travolta, which is still filming and not due for release until 2006.
But as his publicist made clear before a recent interview, Leto isn't talking about acting, movies or anything else besides his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, of which he is the frontman. The band is beginning to make a name for itself thanks to a well-received self-titled debut in 2002, and the band's follow-up album, "A Beautiful Lie," is set to drop on Aug. 30. Their tour to promote the album brings them to Off the Wagon, 62 Dexter Ave., on Wednesday night.
The band originally was just Leto and his brother Shannon on the drums, but they expanded to include guitarist Tomo Milicevic and bassist Matt Wachter shortly after the debut album was released. For this new album and new look to the band, Leto wanted an album that was less cerebral and more emotional.
"I wanted something completely different -- an album that was wrapped around the heart rather than the head," Jared Leto said. "It's emotionally transparent."
Despite being a celebrity, which means people are always interested in his personal life, Leto didn't mind getting emotional for this release.
"It was an important place I had to go as a singer/songwriter," he said. "Every song (on this album) is a chapter in a book."
Leto said the work on the album reflects a very emotional time for him as well as the other members of the band. They put that to use in the music.
Leto started writing the material for "A Beautiful Lie" while touring for the debut album and ended up writing the album in five different countries on four different continents. One of the best experiences for the band was in South Africa, where Leto started writing and the band joined him. They completed the title track and three other songs.
"I titled the album 'A Beautiful Lie' because of the contradiction in nature there (in South Africa) -- you had the beauty of nature and the destruction of man," Leto said. "You see rich and poor, happy and sad there."
It had a similar effect on Wachter.
"South Africa was unreal -- like no other place I've been to," he said. "You see things there you don't see on this side of the world -- the richest of the rich are a stone's throw from the poorest of the poor."
When talking about the band, Leto said they pack the "grandiosity of Pink Floyd with the energy of the Sex Pistols." With a blend of alternative and progressive rock, the band has developed respect and a following, performing on the 2003 Lollapalooza tour and opening for bands like Incubus and Chevelle.
Anyone who thinks the band is another half-hearted music side project for an actor should probably think twice. 30 Seconds to Mars has blown that theory to shreds.
"I credit it to hard work, perseverance and commitment," Leto said.
His brother Shannon agreed, saying the tour schedule for the first album displayed that commitment for all to see.
"When we toured for the last album, we were going to war every night," he said. "We played over 3,000 shows and eventually, we won that battle."
With the battle won, the group now focuses on making great music with no negative stereotype attached to them.
"I hope people get out of it (the new album) what we put into it," Wachter said. "We're telling our story and the changes we've gone through and this album will take you through a journey of our lives."
Jared Leto hopes the album will also have a special appeal to the fairer sex.
"I think it appeals to women," he said "I think when they listen to it they'll appreciate the sound and how it shows what it's like to be human and struggle with change."
The first single off of the album is "Attack," which made the album thanks to the band's newest collaborator, producer Josh Abraham.
"He's a peer of ours and it's an easy-going relationship with him," Wachter said.
"Attack" was a song Jared Leto originally tossed, but played to Abraham as a joke. When he played the song, Abraham told him it was the best song Leto had.
The result is that "Attack" made the album and was the No. 1 most added track on alternative radio in its first week.
Jared Leto's willingness to bring more people into the music and take advice is just another example of the commitment to change that 30 Seconds to Mars has.
"We're striving to do something different, to look forward rather than back, to be free from the shadows of our inspiration and to continue with our voice to make our mark," Jared Leto said.
In other words, you're just hearing the beginning of 30 Seconds to Mars.
Source: Montgomery Advertiser