Not so much.
L.A. rockers Thirty Seconds To Mars found themselves embroiled in a $30-million lawsuit, when the group was sued by their label, EMI, after leaving the record company just two albums into a five-album contract.
No surprise, then, that the three man band -- featuring singer-guitarist and famous actor Jared Leto -- named their recently released third CD,This Is War.
In addition to Leto (who had big roles inMy So-Called Life, Requiem For A DreamandPanic Room),Thirty Seconds To Mars includes Leto's brother and drummer Shannon Leto, plus guitarist Tomo Milicevic.
"We had a giant corporate battle," said Jared Leto, 38, in an interview in Toronto shortly after the album's release in December.
"We had sold millions of records around the world, and had tons of success, and we were celebrating -- and then it's that age-old story. You find out that not only are we not going to get paid a single penny, but that we were millions of dollars in debt. So we decided to fight. We made this record on our own, financed it ourselves, and we went to war. It's amazing what you're capable of when you're backed into a corner."
Under California law, Thirty Seconds To Mars was allowed to leave EMI after seven years with the label, and they had signed with EMI nine years previously. In the end, the two sides settled out of court and the band remained with EMI.
"EMI addressed our concerns before we actually went to trial," Leto said. "It took a while. It was quite a battle. But eventually they did the right thing. And that was to take steps to treat us fairly."
This Is War,which follows Thirty Seconds To Mars' 2002 self-titled debut and 2005's multi-platinumA Beautiful Lie,was co-produced by U2 collaborators Flood and Steve Lillywhite.
"It's not a record of U2 influence," Leto pointed out. "It's a distinctly Thirty Seconds To Mars record. And I think the exciting thing, really, is becoming more of who we really are. And that's been a lot of fun. It certainly was an interesting time in the history of the world. We made this record and the entire planet fell apart while we were making it. There was all kinds of economic turmoil, the housing market, financial crisis, so it was a transformational period for us creatively as well."
Perhaps, more significantly,This Is Warfeatures fan involvement on all fronts.
The group had members of their fan community, called The Echelon, show up at clubs throughout the world -- including Toronto's Tattoo Rock Parlour -- to be part of the recording process.
"I don't think it's been done in quite this way before," Leto said. "It started in Los Angeles. There were a thousand people that came out to a place called The Avalon, and joined us in this interactive recording experiment, and it went so well we did it in eight different countries around the world, including Canada."
They also set up an Internet site on which fans could contribute vocals and sounds to the album digitally, through their computers, at home using new technology.
"It's actually tens of thousands of people all over the world that sang on that song (the first singleKings and Queens),and many other songs," Leto said. "So it was a timely kind of thing to do. It was a way to bring a bit of the live show to the album."
Additionally, the album features 2,000 different covers submitted by fans -- some famous, some not -- from around the world.
For example, the album art QMI Agency got was a self-portrait from up-and-coming director Spencer Susser in a fake moustache.
"It's been exciting for me because I started as a visual artist," said Leto, who was studying photography and filmmaking before he dropped out to act as a way of getting into directing.
"To do these things likeFaces Of Mars,I mean really this is just an art project. When you see them all together, the disparate nature, it's really striking, the different faces from all over the world, it's really compelling."
As Thirty Seconds To Mars tour -- they're currently headlining arenas in Europe and begin a North American leg April 9 in Las Vegas (all dates thereafter to be determined) -- fan involvement is a natural.
"The audience is in the band now," Leto said. "So it's just phenomenally exciting. It's really, really something to be a part of, for us, and I think and hope for the audience. The call-and-response. Everyone knows their part."
SOURCE: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2458372
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