Shannon said, "I remember when it was just me and my brother making music in our bedroom. It's dreamy, in a way."

Wichita Eagle

30 Seconds to Mars beyond rock

The earnest rock group fronted by Jared Leto hits the Cotillion tonight.

BY JILLIAN COHAN

The Wichita Eagle

In the entertainment world, conventional wisdom says actors are supposed to act, rockers are supposed to rock. When the two meet, ridicule ensues.

Unless, of course, you're Jared Leto, the scruffy-hot actor best known for his roles in films such as "Requiem for a Dream" and "Panic Room."

Leto will star as John Lennon killer Mark David Chapman in the upcoming "Chapter 27," but he's on the road these days as frontman for the rock group 30 Seconds to Mars, which he formed with his brother in the 1990s.

The band headlines tonight at the Cotillion. Their 2005 album, "A Beautiful Lie," was at first greeted with skepticism on the assumption that an actor couldn't rock the house.

"It's an old story now," said Leto's brother and drummer, Shannon. "Now the story is, Jared is the first one doing it tastefully and professionally."

Jamie Foxx might beg to differ, but no matter. 30 Seconds' fans have lifted the band's current single, "The Kill," to a peak position of No. 6 on Billboard's modern rock chart and the video to No. 1 on MTV2.

It's been an emotional experience for the brothers, who use words like "transcendent" and "romantic" when they talk about their work.

"We just did the Warped Tour," Shannon Leto said. "I'm not sure how many people we were in front of, but they were all singing our current single. I usually have ear monitors in, but I took them out. I could hear them all singing. It was so amazing, I can't put it into words."

Like his brother, Shannon scoffs at the idea that he would focus solely on one form of creative expression. He loves photography, and he dabbles in writing, he said.

"Life offers you an abundance of activities to participate in, and I refuse not to chase what life has to offer....That's what 30 Seconds to Mars is about too, taking chances, growing and exploring."

Their latest disc shows the fruits of that exploration. The brothers recorded all the parts on their self-titled 2002 debut, with Shannon on drums and Jared doing the guitar, bass and keyboard parts. This time around they have a full-fledged band with guitarist Tomo Milicevic and bassist Matt Wachter.

When they play live, Shannon said the group has "the energy of the Sex Pistols and the grandiosity of Pink Floyd." And the modesty of Kanye West, perhaps?

You can't fault their ambition, though. The Letos were signed to Virgin records in 1998. This is their first headlining tour.

"We've been at it for a long time," Leto said. "I remember when it was just me and my brother making music in our bedroom. It's dreamy, in a way."

To be clear, he's referring to their musical journey, not his brother's movie-star looks. For that, you'll have to buy a ticket.

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Jillian Cohan fell in love with Jared Leto when he was on "My So-Called Life." Reach her at 316-268-6524 or jcohan@wichitaeagle.com.