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ECHELON Tour Review: RIGA

May 16th, 2012 by admin · ECHELON, This Is War, Tour Review

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Riga, Latvia – November 2, 2011
By Karin Künnapas

I attended firstly the show on the Lauluväljak in Tallinn, Estonia on the 21st of June 2011 and also the show at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on the 2nd of November 2011.

In total I’ve seen MARS live twice, but I sincerely wish that I will be able to increase that number. And considering how many times I have watched YouTube videos of their live shows, it actually feels that I’ve seen them live more.

I traveled to Riga, Latvia as I live in Tallinn which is about 300km away. I even took holiday from work especially for the concert as I knew if MARS is coming so close to me, I have to go there!

As the concert in Tallinn was my first MARS show and it can’t be overdone, I will write about this concert mainly.

It is so hard to choose a favorite song from the show. The concert is a whole and every song, every note, every beat is a part of the perfection. If I had to choose one it would be semi-acoustic version of “The Kill”. It seriously brought a tear to my eye and I was covered in goosebumps the whole song. Actually, I was covered in goosebumps the whole concert. Anyway, to me it was the most beautiful moment of the concert when the lines started “What if I wanted to break…”.

What I still remember from the concert in Tallinn how Jared could wrap the more than 12 000 crowd around his little finger with just a few words. I’ve been to quite a few shows of other international artists in Estonia and I’ve never seen all of the crowd so invested in the whole show from so early on in the show. It usually takes a while for the Estonian crowd to warm up, but I think this rule does not apply to MARS. It was so amazing. When first Escape started playing, then Shanimal and Tomo came on the stage and Jared started singing and the crowd started screaming for the first 5 seconds I just stood there with my mouth open trying to absorb all of that just looking around. Then I realized that wait, what am I doing? I should be jumping and screaming with them. So I did.

So, what do I remember the most about their performance? Is definitely that you could see that the band enjoyed being on the stage. The thrived from the energy from the crowd. Everyone wanted to be there, everyone loved being there and they showed it. The whole experience is so hard to describe, you just have to be there and feel it. Although it has been almost 6 months from the concert, when I close my eyes, I can still see it, feel it, when I listen to MARS I can hear the crowd singing along and see Jared, Shannon and Tomo in front of me giving us their all.

I have to most memorable moments from the concert that are not connected to the songs, but the interaction with the crowd. So first of all, I loved when at the concert in Tallinn Jared started the acoustic set and said that he wants to do something fun as a little movie clip from Tallinn. He asked all of us to be really quiet and told that he will turn around and talk to the camera and say something along the lines that they’re in Tallinn, but the weather is crap, so nobody showed up and then when he’ll turn around we have to scream our asses off. So, he talked something to the camera which faced away from the crowd, we couldn’t make it out specifically, then said to the camera “This is Estonia!” and turned. You could see from his face that even he was surprised by the reaction as he didn’t say a thing for a while until “Holy shit, Estonia!”. I’ve never heard anyone group of people screaming so loud and not wanting to stop. It was above epic!

And the seconds most memorable and the funniest moment was when Jared asked everyone to scream. After a very high pitched and mainly girls voices stopped (I think we can just scream louder then the guys), then he asked all the guys and the men “to make some noise” followed by a very manly roar from the crowd to which Jared said: “I just got a little excited”.

Echelon is a cult and I’m so proud to be a member for around 6 years already. MARS will be a part of my life forever. I have even tattooed “Provehito in Altum” on my foot to have it with me all of the time.

Never forget. Never regret!
Provehito in Altum!

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CONTRIBUTE TO THE MARS YEARBOOK: VOLUME III

May 12th, 2012 by admin · ECHELON, Featured, This Is War

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MARS wants YOUR help to make Yearbook III the best yet.
Send any and all of the following to MARSTIWPics@gmail.com in the highest quality possible:

Cool Avatars, Theme Night Pics, Magazines / Photo Shoots, Press Articles, Ticket Stubs / Venue Marquees, Live Posters, Awards, More Tattoos, Best Shannon Pics, Best Tomo Pics, Best Jared Pics, Live Pics

If the email account listed above is full, use TIWmerch@gmail.com.

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MTV Act: [INTERVIEW] 30 SECONDS TO MARS FANS GIVE BACK AT INTERNATIONAL ECHELON CONFERENCE

May 7th, 2012 by admin · ECHELON, Featured, News

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They build life-saving wells, put roofs over struggling heads and plant trees in devastated regions. So when The Echelon, 30 Seconds to Mars fierce phan army, decides to get together in a major way– you better believe they throw one helluva philanthropic party.

Their first-ever international conference – Echelon: The Gathering 2012  — was held in Lisbon, Portugal from March 31 to April 1 and we caught up with the organizers, Rita Guerra, 31, from Portugal (@SunshineEchelon) and Cathy Lesko, 20, from Hungary (@cathyleszko) to get the inside deets on this rad rendezvous of the band’s most passionate followers.

Some 150 Echelon from 22 countries including Qatar, Lebanon, Romania, U.S., Australia, and U.K. headed to Portugal in the biggest event ever for the band’s fans. The agendaincluded presentations like “The Echelon – What does it mean to belong?” and “Mars saved my life – an Echelon’s story” (more on that below!) plus an entire session completely focused on the mystery and magic behind the symbols like the “triad” used on 30STM album covers and swag. Yeah, these kids went DEEP into some Martian mythology, y’all.

But what’s really impressive is how deep they dug when it came to giving back. This Is A Call To Arms (a one-stop shop for all charity-related 30STM endeavors) and The Echelon House (building homes with Habitat for Humanity) were in attendance to share their positive impact plans plus the conference itself donated 622 euros to a local Portuguese animal rescue association as well as 500 euros to  other non-profit projects. And oh yeah, the Life on Mars crew also sponsored a baby tiger in Lisbon’s Zoo — how friggin adorbs is that?! Learn more about this inspiring gathering in our Q&A with Rita below– and then take Action with The Echelon below!

ACT: So why did you choose Portugal as the location for the conference?

RITA: We had an online poll with 12 European cities and Lisbon won. Because this had never been done before, we had the poll going for several months. First, from August 23rd to October 15th; then, we chose the 5 top cities and had the vote open till December 1.

ACT: How did you get Shannon Leto to DJ at the conference? That’s so cool!

RITA: We first approached Shannon directly in Amnéville [in France] on November 19, in the meet & greet after the show. I asked him if he and Antoine would do an after party for the Conference and he was interested and told me to contact his manager. Later on, when the city was decided, I contacted Positiva Agency, which had arranged for a previous after party with them in 2011. They were interested in having a party following the conference and we reached an agreement and worked together.

ACT:Y’all focused on animal welfare for your charity efforts at the conference with the local rescue group and baby tiger sponsorship at the Lisbon Zoo. Why was that?

RITA: We are particularly sensitive to animals in this time of crisis. The baby tiger was sponsored not by the Conference but by Life on Mars group (which I’m part of) because it is an endangered species and support for the Lisbon Zoo is more needed now, with the country in a deep recession. I told the band about it in the Paris Meet & Greet on November 12 and Tomo [lead guitarist for 30SM] said he himself had sponsored a number of animals, which made me very happy. I offered Jared the name card of the tiger’s sponsor that the Zoo gave us, which is registered as “EchelonPortugal”

ACT: This session sounded really intense: ”Mars saved my life – an Echelon’s story” – can you tell us more about Lovisa Wallin’s story?

RITA: Lovisa gave a very emotional speech, one that people truly admired. She was in a very dark place a couple of years ago, absolutely on the verge of doing something really bad to herself. No self-confidence whatsoever, no hope in the future, a truly unhappy person, not even capable of traveling. Mars and the Echelon changed everything for her. Gave her a sense of purpose, and a sense of not being alone, belonging to something. I have seen her transformation, from someone who was afraid to talk to someone to a person who traveled alone to New York to go to Mars 300 and someone who is even considering moving to the States and leave her homeland to pursue her dreams. She went from that dark place to being full of light, and I have never seen someone transform this way. Her love for the band is amazing. And this is not the first person I’ve seen transform their life 180 degrees because of 30 Seconds to Mars. Me included.

ACT: Why do you think The Echelon always puts so much emphasis on giving back and making a difference?

RITA: The band encourages us to do so. The second album A Beautiful Lie really made an impact in our conscientiousness; plus the emphasis is on follow your dreams, never give up, leave a mark in this world. In the last show of 2011, in the Church of St Peter’s in New York, Jared made us all kneel down and make a promise to ourselves: that we would follow our dreams no matter what, have deep real relationships, go that extra mile. In the meet and greet, me and Lovisa told him how we met and he said: “that’s what you need to do, keep having adventures together even when we are not around”. We are so grateful for everything the band and the Echelon gave us, we want to give back.

SOURCE: MTVAct.com

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THE DEVIL IS REAL! JARED LETO MISSING. SPREAD THE WORD!!!! SHARE THIS VIDEO!

May 6th, 2012 by admin · Blog, Exclusive, Video, VyRT

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We received this footage from an anonymous source early this morning. Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars was last seen hiking in the Hollywood Hills late last night. If anybody has any information or knows of Leto’s whereabouts, please contact @30SECONDSTOMARS @VyRTnet…

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The Brazil Times: Local Meets Favorite Band

May 4th, 2012 by admin · ECHELON, Exclusive, News, VyRT

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By JASON MOON, Managing Editor

Before Friday, the greatest day in Dustin Helwig’s life was the day his son was born.

But he can add another “greatest day” to his list after meeting members of his favorite band.

The 24-year-old Brazil resident spent part of Friday with the band 30 Seconds to Mars. He flew to California Friday morning to meet with the band after being chosen randomly through a contest called VyRT.

The contest offered fans of the band to purchase tickets for a live event, which was broadcast worldwide online.

Helwig purchased a ticket and entered a contest where fans were interviewed by others who work for the band, called “The Hive.”

During the concert, Helwig said the band talked to fans, played music and talked about the groups’ future.

“Once I bought the ticket, I was entered into the competition,” Helwig said.

He added e-mails were randomly picked and those who were selected were then interviewed.

From there, he and another fan were chosen to meet the band in person.

Helwig flew to California Friday morning after finding out he had been selected Wednesday.

While meeting with the band, he had the chance to listen to an impromptu acoustic show — with a string quartet — and watch the band members interact with fans online. Helwig said the band also entertained its guests with clips of new songs it is preparing for a new album.

Members of 30 Seconds to Mars include Jared Leto (guitar, vocals), Shannon Leto (drums, percussion) and Tomo Milicevic (guitar, keyboards). Jared Leto is also known for acting in several movies, including “Panic Room,” and “Prefontaine,” and for his stint on the MTV hit show, “My So-Called Life.”

“They were all just kind of hanging out,” Helwig said. “Jared was sitting there talking to the fans over the Internet. Right in the middle of doing that, he had me come over. I went to shake his hand and he was like, ‘Nope, nope … bring it in,’ (for a hug).

“It was really cool. They were all really down to earth. It was like I had known them for 10 years. Friday was probably the most memorable afternoon of my life, next to my son being born. I will never forget it.”

The band has released three studio albums, including its self-title debut in 2002, “A Beautiful Lie,” in 2005, and “This is War,” in 2009.

The band has had three singles, “From Yesterday,” “Kings and Queens,” and “This is War,” reach the No. 1 spot on the Alternative Chart.

Helwig has been a fan of the band since 2006.

“When ‘This is War’ came out, I was in Iraq,” Helwig said. “I had downloaded it and listened to it non-stop the whole time. That’s when I really got big into them.”

Members of “The Hive” have also asked Helwig to write about his experience for the group’s fan journal.

“They flew us out there,” Helwig said. “It was probably a first for them. It was really awe inspiring to see how much they really, really appreciate the fans. They talked about it. Every time they do an interview, they thank the fans. It kind of brought it home and made it that much more real.

“It was very humbling. When you think of rock stars, you have this idea they are larger than life. That was not the case at all. They are just like you and I.”

SOURCE: TheBrazilTimes.com

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MTV: 30 Seconds To Mars’ Next Album Will Be A ‘Dramatic Departure’

May 3rd, 2012 by admin · News, VyRT

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By James Montgomery (@positivnegativ)

For most of 2011 — when they weren’t setting Guinness World Recordsor winning MTV awards — 30 Seconds To Mars repeatedly ducked questions about their future, getting glib when asked about reports that they were calling it quits.

Of course, much to the relief of the Echelon, on Tuesday, the band put any and all speculation of a split to rest, announcing that they had begun work on the follow-up to their This Is War album … which sort of raises the question: Were 30STM just messing with us all along? Well, no. Turns out, they were about as unsure of their future as anyone else, as Jared Leto explained to MTV News.

“We weren’t playing coy; we were on the road for two years, four months or so, and people started to ask us about a new album, and we didn’t have any plans. We didn’t know what the future was,” he explained. “We had been working for a really long time. We went from A Beautiful Lieright into the studio, right onto the road, I hadn’t had a significant break inyears. So, at that point, I don’t think we knew what was going to happen for the future, so rather than make something up, we just told the truth: We didn’t know.”

That uncertainty began to change as soon as the band finally took time to decompress following their record-setting world tour. Leto — who admitted he’s “always writing songs … it’s basically become a habit at this point” — took a glance at his notebooks and realized that he was feeling recharged and excited about the possibilities a new album would present. Though, before the band started work on the new album, they had to make one thing clear: This time around, they’d try very hard to nottry very hard.

“We made a commitment not to tour for all of 2012 … and I think that helped provide a lot of clarity,” Leto laughed. “And we realized there’s no way this new record could be like [This Is War,] because the last record was so conceptual and wrapped around this idea of conflict, because we were battling a corporation and being sued for $30 million. That was our lives, being hunkered down in the studio for a couple years, fighting this conglomerate. Of course, now, different time, different state of mind, so this album is definitely a dramatic departure.”

That said, there are still some things 30 STM will keep the same on the new album … namely, incorporating the voices of their worldwide fanbase (they held a series of collaborative recording sessions — so-called “Summits” — during the making of This Is War) and crisscrossing the globe to find inspiration. In fact, Leto rang in 2012 by making a trek to India, where inspiration was definitely not in short supply.

“I was recording in India, and had an amazing experience over there, and came back with some really great material. And not so much that this is a World Beat record, it’s more about the experiences and how they’re influencing me in creative terms, emotional terms,” he explained. “I recorded a tabla player and an Indian folk singer, and I’m hoping I’m able to utilize that on a song. There was one afternoon that we climbed up above a city called Jodhpur, we were on a cliff with a 2,000-year-old fortress behind us. And they call it the blue city; all of the roofs and buildings are painted blue, and when you climb up this mountain you can get a great view of all of it.

“So it was about sunset, and I had a portable set up, so we started recording. I had an external speaker, and the kids started to hear this song I was working on,” he continued. “So they started climbing out onto the rooftops of the city, and soon they were scrambling up the side of this mountain, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by dozens of these amazing Indian kids, singing and dancing along to this recording process … it was really mind-blowing.”

And on Friday, fans will be able to get a first listen to some of 30 STM’s new material when the band hosts their second VyRT broadcast. It’s a way of welcoming their worldwide fanbase into their laboratory, and Leto is thrilled to pull back the curtain. Because though they may be making a “dramatic departure” on album #4, some things will remain the same.

“There are a lot of people around the world who just can’t jump on a plane and be part of a show, and that’s what we provide [with VyRT]. The event on Friday is different, it’s not based around an existing show, it’s a show we created and designed, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for us,” he said. “There will be some music, there will be some mistakes. We’re bringing the world inside our process, it will be intimate. I’m going to play some songs, some old songs, some new songs and then maybe some newer songs I’ve been working on. I’ll play a piece of a song here or there — I doubt I’m going to play an entire song, but you never know. It’s new territory.”

SOURCE: MTV.com

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A Message to China from Jared

May 2nd, 2012 by admin · Exclusive, Featured, Video

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Click to watch the video now:

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Rolling Stone: Thirty Seconds to Mars Pause Touring to Record New LP

May 2nd, 2012 by admin · Featured, News

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By STEVE BALTIN

Shortly after Thirty Seconds to Mars wrapped the tour for their third album, This Is War, last December, word began to circulate that the group might call it quits. But the band’s frontman Jared Leto tells Rolling Stone that there’s no truth to the breakup rumors. “We are excitedly working in the studio,” says Leto. “I have been working quietly and without much fanfare, but I’ve been writing and recording constantly, really crafting the future sound of Thirty Seconds to Mars.”

Leto says he’s already written 50 songs and that the band is eyeing collaborations with several producers and artists including M83′s Morgan Kibby, who joined them in the studio the other day. “She came by and was playing some synths and doing some programming,” says Leto. “She’s a real talent. We’re working with some interesting people.”

Leto credits the band’s “Hurricane” track with Kanye West, off This Is War, with opening the door for future collaborations. “Working with Kanye was the very first time that I ever invited an artist and worked with an artist on a Thirty Seconds to Mars song,” says Leto. “That was really exciting and a really creative experience.” Leto now has his sights set on another hip-hop giant. “I’d love to do something with Eminem. That would be pretty mind-blowing,” Leto says. Also on his wish list of collaborators: Björk, the Cure’s Robert Smith and Sigur Rós, among others. “There are a lot of artists that I really admire out there.”

Leto’s attention is focused squarely on the studio this year. So much so, the band turned down an offer to play the prestigious Hyde Park in London, where Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Soundgarden are all headlining this year. But after playing 311 shows in support of This Is War – a sum that earned the band a nod in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest consecutive rock tour – Thirty Seconds to Mars are taking a deserved respite from the road. The short-term break is what first led to speculation over a permanent split.

“We really didn’t know what the future was, and rather than make it up, we didn’t want to commit to anything,” Leto explains. “We knew we were gonna have a significant break. We’re not gonna do any touring the entire year of 2012.”

They won’t be completely hidden away, however. The band will broadcast a live performance from their recording studio on April 27th via VyRT.net, Leto’s new website. They’ll play some familiar songs acoustic and preview the new material as well as answer fan questions. “What we do is, we sell individual digital tickets to live events and broadcast them online in a social theater,” Leto explains. “I really started it because there was a very special show that we had towards the end of our two-and-a-half year tour. We wanted to broadcast the show in a really high-quality social way, but when we started to look around, there wasn’t really a company out there that we could use to share this event. So I started the company.

While VyRT is treading carefully in the early stages, Leto has had conversations with several other artists about using the technology, and he envisions a big expansion down the road. “We’re actually saying to artists, ‘You can be in control. You can plan and develop a show yourself, and it can be traditional or non-traditional,’” says Leto. “Essentially this is a platform for anything and everything live that people want to share in a social theater.”

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MARS CLIP MONDAY – BRIGHTON

April 30th, 2012 by admin · Exclusive, Featured, MARS Clip Monday, This Is War, Tour, Video

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To all those who joined us on VyRT yesterday…

April 28th, 2012 by admin · ECHELON, VyRT

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THANK YOU FOR ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS OF OUR LIVES.

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VyRT THE MARS LABORATORY TODAY!

April 27th, 2012 by admin · VyRT

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TODAY IS THE DAY! Follow MARS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for exclusives from today’s VyRT THE MARS LABORATORY Event!!!

Due to popular demand, ticket sales HAVE RESUMED, so get your digital tickets NOW at http://VyRT.net/MARS!

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VyRT the MARS Laboratory – Ticket Sales Closing!

April 25th, 2012 by admin · Exclusive, VyRT

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VyRT THE MARS LABORATORY SALES CLOSE TODAY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25TH!

This is also your LAST CHANCE to be entered to win a Fly-Away to come witness the Event live, and IN PERSON! Get your tickets before 11:59 PM PST at VyRT.net/mars/ to qualify!

The Event will take place THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 27 at 3PM PST. More information is available at VyRT.net, and registered users can log in now to access THE LAB Chatrooms and exclusive MARS Store Merch.

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MTV Buzzworthy: Thirty Seconds To Mars To Release Fourth Album + Jared Leto’s Lost In The Woods?

April 25th, 2012 by admin · News, Press

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Posted by

Praise, y’all! Thirty Seconds To Mars has just confirmed that they’re heading into the studio to start work on their fourth studio album (!!!!!). This next disc will be a follow-up to the band’s This Is War, which just so happened to help them set a little thing called a Guinness World Record for “Longest Concert Tour by a Rock Band.” NBD.

Jared Leto confirmed via a press release that Thirty Seconds To Mars’ next album will be a “dramatic departure from the past… very orchestral, narrative, interactive and even more electronic than previous projects.” Jared will be producing the album along with several other big name producers, including the famed Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Killers).

The Thirty Second To Mars boys are working out of a studio in the Hollywood Hills, but they’re also fulfilling their duties to be complete bad-asses: they’re traveling to India, Africa, Yosemite and the California desert to record some of their material. (And I will be applying for the role of baggage handler.) We have a hunch this is going to be the most eclectic Thirty Seconds To Mars album to date, and we’ll probably fall hard for it (and Jared Leto) over and over again.

But, wait, there’s more! We received this totally spooky video of a bearded, French-speaking Jared Leto lost in the Hollywood Hills, “Blair Witch” style. Jared is in the middle of inviting fans to visit VyRT.net to buy a virtual ticket to watch MARS perform a live show this Friday, April 27, but then mayhem ensues, and the video abruptly cuts off, leaving us terrified.

The band is also flying two lucky fans out to L.A. to see their live set! So basically what you need to do is this: Watch the video, visit VyRT.net to buy virtual tickets to the upcoming Thirty Seconds To Mars show (sale ends today!), and get a chance to win two tickets to see the band IN PERSON when they perform this Friday. Also, HELP FIND JARED!

+ Watch Jared Leto’s chilling message from the woods

SOURCE

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MARS CLIP MONDAY – SWEDEN

April 23rd, 2012 by admin · Exclusive, MARS Clip Monday, This Is War, Tour, Video

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