MARS on MTV Act ♥

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

Posted 5/3/12

Echelon Gather at the International Echelon Conference

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.

Cathy and Rita speak at the conference.

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.

Shannon on left and Antoine DJ at Echelon after party.

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.

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Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary to Amy Lee & Josh!!! ♥

My Daily MARS Photos!!!

It's MARS Monday!! :D

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NOTES FROM THE OUTERNET: Me and some friends at Facebook!

May 6th, 2012

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Jared on PerezHilton.com ♥

Completely Gratuitous

May 5th, 2012

Liiiiick!

It doesn't matter if he's rocking a pink mohawk or one of those over-sized tank tops, Jared Leto is always delightfully delicious!!!

Hmm… we wonder how many people dropped dead from the sight of his gorgeous face as he made his way to the Coldplay concert at the Hollywood Bowl last night (above). LOLz!

He's just constantly oozing SEX! Even when he's all wrapped up!

Did you know… in one of his 30 Seconds to Mars songs, he sings "I'll f*** you like the devil!"

OoOoh Jared! Naughty, naughty!!!

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My Daily MARS Photos!!!

HAPPY MARS SUNDAY!!!

“Sometimes you fall in love with a song ‘cause it’s new, it’s exciting and you just birthed it. Then you fall out of love sometimes. But the strongest songs always survive and you come back and you fall in love all over again.”

~Jared

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JARED attends the Coldplay concert held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles 4th May 2012

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♫ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 'THE KILL' ♥

30 SECONDS TO MARS tweet:

"THE KILL celebrates its 6th Anniversary this week, released in May 2006! Re-live + share
@BartCubbins' short film"

This the MARS song that changed my life forever!!!

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MARS on Brazil Times ♥

The Brazil Times: Local Meets Favorite Band

May 4th, 2012

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.”

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JARED on Twitter:

"Remember this? " Real Men Wear Skirts goo.gl/fb/i4uTO"

Real Men Wear Skirts

October 21st, 2010

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