01) How long have you been following 30 Seconds to Mars?
Since 2004. A friend I had at the time introduced me to Capricorn and the music video. I was instantly taken by it, and wanted more. Self-Titled will always be special for that reason – every song really made me think a little more, opened my perspective of interpretation and things like that. They weren’t touring at the time, so I didn’t get to see them live in concert until nearly a year later. I drove 6 hours, two states over to see them in Arizona, and then went to as many shows as possible. It was a different time then, like it is now, and it’s been a really special thing to see MARS grow the way they have.
2) How is it touring with MARS?
It’s exhausting! Haha. Not in a bad way – I’m a person who likes to constantly be busy, doing something, anything, and you definitely keep busy while on the road. I’d never done tour work before, so being dropped in the middle of South Africa and working the same day I arrived was a challenge for me, but one I welcomed with open arms. It’s not as glamorous as people may think – you work long hours, you have to find time to sleep, and things don’t always go smoothly… but it’s part of the entire package. Being able to see different countries, meet different people, see so many passionate souls in one place makes up for it, and then some. You really get a taste of life while traveling. There’s always something going on. With the exception of Emma, I was also the only girl in the crew… Traveling with 12+ guys at a time is a lot to keep up with, but I think I handled it well.
3) What is your working relation with MARS and other members of the crew?
While I worked on the Hurricane 2010 tour, I was part of the VIP Experience known as Golden Ticket To Mars. I helped fellow Echelon, as well as regular fans, experience the show from a different viewpoint (different locations in the venues), as well as helped with their Meet & Greets. I also took photos to be used in Transmission, as well as for my personal collection. Otherwise, my work with MARS has been helping The Hive (promotion, brainstorming, photos, working with fellow Echelon), and other online facets of the MARS universe, and anything they may need when they’re actually in town doing shows or appearances.
4) In your opinion, has anything changed (if it has) in the relation among the members of the Echelon and between the Echelon and MARS over the years?
This is tricky. I think it really depends on the Echelon themselves, not necessarily the ENTIRE fanbase / machine that is the Echelon. I think things between the Band and the fans have opened up a little more, in that it may be harder to see the Band after shows, just talk to them on a personal level like many did before 2006, but when it happens, it’s very much like “the old days”. Like many, I knew that if the Band got big enough, simple pleasures and allowances like that would inevitably fade away, but I can honestly say it’s not a dead concept. Sure, there is VIP treatment now, sure, people can get their ways of meeting them directly with benefits, but I’d like to believe that things have just expanded from the way they were before it all went completely global. I know a lot of older fans think the traditions of Echelon have changed, but I don’t necessarily believe that – I think they’ve grown with the Band, and people can either accept and adapt, or abandon the concept. As someone who has stood by them since the first day I discovered them, it hasn’t “changed” for me, it’s grown. That’s where divide happens within the Echelon: people who choose to accept and adapt differ a bit from those who feel things are completely different. “Growth” is the keyword, to me. MARS will never be exactly like they were, because things and people change. Surely we don’t expect to be the same people we are as individuals after a period of time, after you’ve had time to grow and shape with your environment, with the things you learn, and the life you begin to lead – you will never be the same person you were at 18 when you’re 28, but there will always be some things that never change, like the true concept and meaning of Echelon – promoting, helping the Band, enjoying the music. You can still appreciate the past, though, and remember it fondly no matter what. You should never let what was ruin what is.
5) Which is your favorite song from This is War, ABL and S/T?
This Is War: Closer To The Edge
A Beautiful Lie: R-Evolve
S/T: Edge Of The Earth
6) What European city did you like most while touring?
I really enjoyed the UK, although it may have been the one place I could really just go out onto the street and explore. Travel days usually take a lot of time, and I’m not much of a bar/club hopper, so when the crew would go out, I’d usually stay in or do some sight-seeing around our hotels, exploring on foot. I did enjoy every city we traveled to, though. I wish we had more time in places like Poland and Italy (and not stranded at the Bologna airport)! http://goo.gl/fb/yQ20F
7) As for the next record, would you like MARS to continue This is War sound or go back to the original one like in the S/T?
See, this is the thing: I feel like This Is War embodied everything MARS has been between S/T, unreleased tracks, and ABL. It’s got layers and depth to it, synth and just natural guitar, and I feel it’s a great balance of the two main records despite the lyrical content not being as vague as S/T, or as personally emotional as ABL. It’s like they said – first they conquered the mind with S/T, then the heart with ABL, and TIW is about the soul/spirit. Whatever they choose to do next, I have faith in.
What memory has been stuck in your mind recently?
MARS-related? I think everything, in little bundles of memories. Different memories are triggered by songs, photos, things that come together when I least expect them to. 7 years is a long time, and although not as long as other people have been into MARS, I’d like to think I have a unique perspective of them – of all of it that is, seeing everything from not only a fan-perspective, but a working, professional one, too. The best part is that I can honestly say I still enjoy it all – the music, the fandom, everything even in its low-points. It’s been an incredible journey in all ways.
9) Pros and cons of the great success achieved by Mars in the last two years, from the perspective of a fan who has been following them since the beginning.
I’d love to say I’d been there since the beginning, but being there since “a” beginning, consistently over the years, is just as good, right?
Pros: Exposure for the music that allows more people to enjoy it, to find their own sense of footing and interpretation of it all. It encourages more creation all around, in art, thought, etc. It brings a lot of people together in ways that might not have been conventional for them before. It inspires a lot within people, and I think that’s special.
Cons: The judgments people will undoubtedly make, comparing their fresh work with the old, from people who don’t quite understand what symbolism and depth MARS’ entire universe really has and all the people who take part in it.
10) How is it working with people you admire artistically and personally, combining your two great passions, music and photography?
I can honestly say there are times where I’ll sit back, see the Band on TV or hear them on the radio, or when they come up on my iTunes, or I see a photo from a show, and I think to myself, “WOW.” There was no intent to get anywhere closer to them than from the front of the pit or brief meetings before or after shows, so you can imagine what it was like the moment I realized I could really help in some way, pool my interests and skills to help something and someone that I felt really sparked inspiration to broaden parts of myself in ways that needed growth. I’d always been open to sharing my designs and concepts with the guys, and in that, we gained familiarity with one another, so to later be approached to help with bigger, more serious things (like the 2nd Yearbook) was incredible to me. That was the first time my photos had been used for anything Official. From then on, it just all progressed, and I can honestly say that it has been so incredible in so many ways — for me as a person, an artist, a fan, everything inbetween. I’ve only taken one photography class in my life time and to be completely honest, my final grade wasn’t even that good.. haha! Whatever “skill” I have is mostly something I’ve just toyed with, using my “Eye” for shots and learning as I’ve gone alone. Music really helps fuel the inspiration, and thankfully MARS is a great muse when it comes to that particular part of me.
EDIT:
Can I add one more part to the bottom of the last question?
It’s funny — while in Brighton, Jared looked up between photos I was taking for the Golden Ticket Meet & Greets, and asked, “Where did you get that camera?” The random question took me by surprise and I answered, “It was an early Christmas gift from a good friend.” He half-smiled at me and said, “That’s serendipity.”
Credits: Battle of 30 Seconds to Mars Italian Fans Forum
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