By Cathy A. Campagna

Absolutely transcendent! With their sophomore record A Beautiful Lie, frontman Jared Leto, brother and drummer Shannon Leto, guitarist Tomo Milicevic and bassist Matt Wachter break away from the fold of expendable novice acts to make a firm bid for rock supremacy. Not that their first album, 2002's self-titled gem was a shabby or poorly constructed effort, afterall, it did house the hit "Capricorn," it's just that 30STM have now unearthed a rawer and more cunning beast. Gone are the somewhat over-cooked synths and in their stead live an organic, undaunted communication of the human condition. The likes of which reinstate faith in the art form known as rock today.

With A Beautiful Lie, 30STM accomplish the impossible as seamlessly as Tool and Pink Floyd, dazzling dynamics with the melodic drama of our dreaming state's soundtrack.

For example, "Modern Myth" instantly draws listeners in like quicksand with it's Nirvana un-plugged mystique, while "Savior" burns with a sinful defiance and Jared's impressive forte for going from a solemn whisper to the sound of the devil's nails grating a chalkboard in hell. You are bound to read a lot of glowing press on this band, but for once...it won't be a beautiful lie.

Even better, the live representation of the aforementioned showcases Jared Leto as a natural-born frontman. When 30STM opened for The Used, the singer devoured every single inch of the stage with the tenacity of Iggy Pop while surfing the crowd like a Hawaiian pro at high tide. The quartet conquered New York as they came through the city supporting The Used with two nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom as well performing at the Letterman studio and doing a lush acoustic set within the 14th Street Virgin Megastore.

Now they are returning to the city that is just begging for more with Audioslave and Seether for 92.3 K-Rock's Hairy Halloween Ball. Shoutweb caught up to 30STM and they shared how A Beautiful Lie came into being as well as a down-to-earth, nearly playful vibe on a bright Monday afternoon in the lobby of Chelsea's Maritime Hotel.

Jared Leto • vocals | guitar
Shannon Leto • drums
Tomo Milicevic • bass
Matt Wachter • guitar

Shoutweb: I understand that the record was written in several countries?

Tomo: It was written in several different countries and every city in-between.

Shoutweb: What brought that on? Was it because of your schedule or did you have that plan from the get go?

Matt: It was kind of a mixture of both.

Shannon: Yeah, we had the opportunity to go and rather than think about it, we just did it.

Matt: I think that we decided to do the whole record in one place, like in L.A., the record might have been out yet.

Shoutweb: Why is that? Distractions?

Matt: Distractions, and you kind of fall into a routine.

Shannon: By doing what we did, and going to different countries, we got the opportunity to experience different cultures. That kind of helped us make a broader album...forced us to grow, which is what we wanted to do.

Tomo: It forced us to do things differently than we normally do.

Shoutweb: When did you begin working on A Beautiful Lie?

Shannon: Actually, when we were on tour, in February of 2003, we started writing the songs. So, over the course of the last three years.

Shoutweb: Then the whole album gets leaked online, but you added two more songs. Can you talk about those a bit?

Shannon: Well we wound up playing one of the songs at Lollapalooza and there was something about the song that we really like a lot. Then the other song is this Bjork cover.

Matt: It was kind of a nice departure too, because the ten songs on the record were written over three years, and the other two songs, we went to a studio in Chicago and it took us two days. It was definitely a departure form our whole process which is another good example of change.

Shoutweb: Was it difficult to get rights to cover the song?

Matt: Actually, I don't know.

Shannon: We just went in and did the song and other people dealt with it.

Shoutweb: This album was more of a band effort, how did that feel? Was it scary at first?

Tomo: It was definitely scary. It was a little scary at first, then we realized that everyone was on the same page. We all work really well together, everyone does.

Shannon: I mean, everyone has their own ideas and their own vision of things so whenever that happens there is going to be some differences of opinion and conflict, but like Tomo said, we all share the same vision and the same goal. So it all came together.

Ed. Note: Jared comes in late to the interview since he was putting the finishing touches on the video.

Fade in:

Jared: SHOUTWEB! I was just going through the video frame by frame.

Shannon: Wasn't it supposed to debut today?

Jared: Yeah, it's supposed to, but it's not. It's a performance piece that's wrapped around an animation technique of scratching the negative. So it takes a lot of time to do it. You have to hand scratch, and it takes about an hour to do every shot.

Shoutweb: Are you really that involved in it, even in the editing part of it?

Jared: Yeah. I think we are going to play part of it, like 30 seconds of it just for a teaser. We waited this long, we want to make sure it's right. There are some great moments in it, but it's not great yet. We could let it go, and it would be an okay video, but I think if we wait, it could be great. You want to have it ready for the release, but there was a misstep on my part and Virgin Records, but there's a reason for everything I think. Whatever success that we have right now in our first week is all do to touring and some support. It's not about MTV or any of that because we haven't had a video. It's about these pretty boys over here.

Matt: These smelly guys...This shirt can tell a thousand stories.

Shoutweb: Jared, did you feel emotionally naked letting the others into the writing process for the first time on this record?

Jared: No, the thing is that everyone wanted the same thing. We all wanted great songs. I am definitely passionate about what I do, and if I write a song, and say I really believe in it and I see it this way. It's really hard for someone if they don't feel as passionate to fight against that. If they do, then we would take a pause and look at some thing, but it was very rare that things ever came down to that. It was a couple of times when maybe Matt thought differently about something, and I was like, "Look, just follow me here for a moment," then eventually maybe I would talk him out of his idea. I don't know [laughing]. They definitely showed me things at times that I didn't expect. So it worked both ways. I definitely had the advantage because I was living with the song most of the time longer than these guys would, so I would have a different perspective. But there were certain circumstances like Shannon inspired the song "Yesterday, " Matt inspired the song "Battle Of One," so it was a great sense of collaboration that went on. There was also a guideline that was setup by the first record, something that was melodic, something that was atmospheric and dark, and something that wasn't just super straight ahead. Of course Shannon plays how he plays, I sing how I sing and these guys all do the same as well, so they all add their personality into it regardless if I am writing the song or not. I think everyone's personality is felt in all different ways. It made my job easier. I didn't have to wear so many hats this time. It was a lot less lonely of an experience, and it was more fun, that's for sure.

Shoutweb: Did you all know when you were making your first record that it was going to be a career band? Or was there a period where you were just testing the waters to see if it would float?

Jared: There was never a sense of dabbling.

Shannon: I definitely wanted to have a career in this art form, right from the gate. Well, right from the first album, before that it was just Jared and I in an apartment, a bedroom playing. Then when we started having that connection with the fans...when we played out under different names.

Shoutweb: What were some of those names?

Shannon: I can't tell you the names, but when that connection started happening I wanted to have more of that connection with people. I never even thought about money or anything. I mean, music is such an expression! It's really free, it's gratifying.

30STM signed autographs for fans right up until their set time. Copyright (c) Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

Shoutweb: How is the live connection coming across now? Shannon: Well, we played this place in Jacksonville, we played it once before like three years ago, and there was like 50 people there. We played it again, it was just us, and there was 850. So that was amazing. Shoutweb: How would you describe 30STM live? Matt: The grandiosity of Pink Floyd and the energy of the Sex Pistols. Shoutweb: Do you have a lot of symbolism, do you see music as searching for an eternal truth? Jared: Let me just let people know that the phoenix is alive and well, there is no moving on or throwing out of any of the symbolism of 30STM. So all the tattoos and artists that have committed to the phoenix, who have committed to the emotional attachment like we have. The phoenix name is Mythra by the way, but the phoenix, the trinity seal, which is the three skulls.

Shoutweb: In the song "Savior" who are you referring to?

Jared: I think that you can try to teach someone something, but most of the time we have to learn it on our own. In some ways the song is like a giant fuck you. I like for people to take their own experiences from songs. I don't necessary need to know what "Dark Side Of The Moon" meant to Pink Floyd. I have my own attachment.

Shannon: I have always been that way too, always. I like to interpret things in my own way.

Matt: I think that is the medium too, I don't think it is meant to be spelled out. The beauty is that you take something from it and interpret it as your own and that makes it more personal. Not just, "Here it is, it's all spelt out for you." There is no thought in that, it's not art.

Shoutweb: Is there anything you wish you could change on the record?

Matt: No regrets.

Shannon: But you know if you let us, we would still be making the record.

Shoutweb: What's the biggest life lesson that making this record has taught you?

Matt: Less is more. And that applies to not only music, but I guess life in general.

Tomo: Accepting people's processes, because everybody has different processes.

Shoutweb: Is the process just important as the product, or even more so?

Shannon: I think even more so, because the process determines what end result will be.

Tomo: Respect for the process.

Jared: It always needs to serve the product and, if it doesn't, it's just indulgence. People can be in love with the idea of making a record. They can throw a hell of a party and spend a lot of money on a studio, and I am sure it's an amazing time, but if it didn't serve the end result...

Shoutweb: Is that where the producer comes in?

Jared: He helped a little bit, yeah. You definitely want to work with someone who is going to help your process and setup a good environment and Josh Abraham did that. He has a good team around him, and allowed us to make a great sounding record, that's for sure.

Shoutweb: You have a busy fall schedule on the road. Are you looking forward to headlining?

Jared: We have never done an official 30STM headlining tour yet. We are doing some radio festivals some, one off shows, playing some shows with Audioslave.

Shannon: We have just had one-offs.

Shoutweb: What about stage wise, what is the difference between being part of a film versus being a rock star?

Jared: Acting, I am saying someone else's words. You are really just a small part of a huge collaboration. Music is much more yourself. I am me when I go on stage. Those are my words and my actions. When you are doing film you are inhabiting the world of a character for a short time. Shoutweb: Is one more rewarding to you than the other? Jared: Well, I think music is immediate, and films you are on a set and you can be making the greatest scene of your life and they just say cut. It's silent, and sometimes when you are making people laugh you will hear people trying to stop their laughter, but with music, it's immediate. Shoutweb: Did you ever have to sacrifice acting roles to be in a band? [Entire band starts laughing] Tomo: I have never seen anyone sacrifice so much. Shannon: He has turned down a hell of a lot of shit. Jared: Clint Eastwood asked me to be in his new movie about a month ago, but I couldn't do it because I knew we were doing The Used tour, so I had to say no to Clint Eastwood.

Frontman Jared Leto taunted the crowd from atop his balcony perch at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom where he took a dive into the crowd. Copyright (c) Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

Shoutweb: That makes you dirtier than Harry.

Jared: Yeah, I mean the guy won Best Picture last year, and I worked very hard to gain success as an actor. No one handed me anything. I showed up to L.A. with four hundred dollars in my pocket and a backpack. I stayed at youth hostiles, stayed at friends' places and I earned it, so I am very proud of it. I don't shy away from that.

Shoutweb: You guys have also earned your keep as a band as well.

Tomo: We have.

Shannon: We definitely haven't got any special treatment of any kind.

Jared: I mean there are always going to be challenges, the singer is too fat, he is a drunk, he losses his voice, a thousand things happen, their songs aren't good enough. We have our set of challenges, I will take ours over someone else's day of the week.