Thirty Seconds to Mars is a band formed in 1998 in Los Angeles, California by actor Jareth Leto and his older brother Shannon. As the guys say, initially it all started as a big family project.
Matt Wachter later joined the band as bassist and keyboardist. After working with several guitarists, the three listened to Tomo Milishevich, took him, thus completing their official list of members.
After Wachter's departure from the group in 2006, brothers Leto and Milicevic continued to work as a trio with additional touring members.
Creation of the group 30 Seconds to Mars
Jared was originally known for his work as an actor, most notably in the 1990s television drama My So-Called Life. Also known for his roles in the films Requiem for a Dream and Dallas Buyers Club.
Jared decided to flex his "musical muscles" as he approached his 30th birthday. He made a promise and support to his brother and co-founded Thirty Seconds to Mars in 1998.
The band debuted four years later with a self-titled album whose post-grunge sound paired with bands such as Chevelle and Incubus. Although he achieved only modest success, the eponymous Thirty Seconds to Mars still laid the foundation for a healthy career.
It also convinced the band members to move forward despite Jared Leto's hectic acting schedule, which was filled with roles in Panic Room, Highway, American Pyscho, and Requiem for a Dream.
For most of Jared's career, Jared was the band's vocalist, Shannon played drums, and multi-instrumentalist Tomo Milicevic completed their trio.
In May 2013, the band released their fourth album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams. Later that year, the band received an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video for Up in the Air.
Leto directed the music videos of Thirty Seconds to Mars under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins, the Dr. Seuss character. In 2012, the band released the documentary Artifact about their feud and $30 million lawsuit with the EMI label.
The group has a dedicated following, especially in Europe. The group singled out the “fans” and calls them “echelons”. By 2013, the band had sold over 10 million copies of their four albums.
In addition, they set the Guinness World Record for the longest concert tour by a rock band - 300 (in 2011).
WITH A SONG TO SPACE
Thirty Seconds to Mars achieved success in the 2000s with their second platinum selling platform, A Beautiful Lie, which really opened the floodgates to expand their audience. She let them go to MTV, after which they continued on with a series of successful tours.
Their success continued as the song This Is War was a big leap for them, which cemented the trio as an arena-crushing world-class rock band.
“Two years have passed, we went to hell and back. At one point I thought it would be death for us, but it was a transformative experience. It's not so much an evolution as it's a revolution - coming of age," Jared said.
Four years later, their fourth album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, was released in their fourth year. A CD copy of the first Up in the Air single was sent to NASA and Space X for launch on the SpaceX CRS-2 Dragon spacecraft. The mission was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on March 1, 2013, sending the first commercial copy of the music into space.
AMERICA
It's been five years since Thirty Seconds to Mars released their last album. In the interim, Jared Leto won an Oscar, and at the same time he received the well-known role of the Joker.
Returning to music, the band toured Europe in support of their fifth album, America, before embarking on a significant number of shows in North America.
Starting very firmly as an alternative rock act, the evolution of 30STM's aesthetic can be simplified to a more radio friendly sound, leading them to even more popularity.
It's not like they became a pop group, far from it, but they found a hook that allowed them to join the likes of Linkin Park and Muse. Now they delight their fans with "fanatical" guitar riffs and a cool combination with different artists.
The album America had the biggest lead in their sound since their second album, although this is not immediately audible on the song Walk On Water. The lead track features the branded (and overused) whoa/oh singing hooks, as seen in much of the band's material on the last two records Dangerous Night and Rescue Me.
This is considered real evidence of the almost complete rejection of traditional instrumental sounds for a more synthetic approach - beats, samples and electronics. It's an approach hinted at in 2009's Hurricane's This Is War, but now it's been fully embraced by the trio.
Especially successful is the duet with Halsey Love Is Madness, where there was a real vocal battle of gentle tempo, with rough as well as loud sound background.
A surprisingly light touch on Live Like A Dream also gave its success a new wave. Only the collaboration with A$AP Rocky, One Track Mind completely missed the mark with a silent four minutes that didn't penetrate the soul at all.
There is no doubt that the band was in danger of alienating those who love their guitar approach as they began to completely change their way of playing. But it also attracts new listeners.
LEAVING THE GUITARIST
Almost 10 years of 30STM's successful career has passed, but unexpectedly for everyone, in June 2018, Tomo left the group in search of something new. As the participants themselves say, there are no quarrels. Here is a letter he wrote to the "fans" on Twitter:
“I don’t know how to properly explain how I could come to this decision, but please trust me, it will be better for my life and also for the band. Even though it hurts incredibly because of my affection and love for everything... I know it's the right thing to do."
He also urged the "fans" to believe in themselves and follow their dreams no matter what, and asked them not to be angry or sad about this new change of circumstances. He also thanked brothers Jared and Shannon Leto (founders of the band), expressing his love and respect for them.
“I want to say thank you to Jared and Shannon for giving me the opportunity to be a small part of their team and to be able to share the same stage with them for so long,” he continued. "I will cherish the moments we had together and I will also remember you with all my love until I take my last breath."
