 Tomislav "Tomo" Milicevic was born September 3, 1979 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Tomo, as he is known to his fans and bandmates. His older sister is actress Ivana Milicevic. He plays guitar, piano, violin, and went to culinary school. He started playing the violin when he was 3 years old, and played until about 18. Started playing guitar somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12, his father and him even made a guitar. Before joining 30 Seconds to Mars, he was in a 5-member band in Detroit called Morphic, which came together in the winter of 2000. In at the end of 2002, Tomo had left Morphic to pursue an offer in the band 30 Seconds to Mars. Bands he listens to include Pantera, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, and The Cure. His favorite albums are: Pink Floyd- The Wall, Muse- Absolution, the first Led Zeppelin record, and Pantera- Vulgar Display of Power. The Music Edge caught up with 30STM guitarist, Tomo Milicevic, while the band was lounging at the Omni Hotel while on tour in the Lone-Star State of Texas. TME: How’s your guys’ tour going? TM: It is going f***ing great! TME: You guys are on tour with The Used? TM: Yeah, The Used, H2O, and The Street Drum Corps— an awesome little setup, and a killer tour! TME: So then what number in the lineup are you guys? TM: We’re the second band. There is a band before us, I don’t know who it is tonight, because it’s been different for the last three shows. We just go out there and get everyone ready. TME: Get everyone pumped up… TM: Yeah exactly. We’re a hard band to follow though. TME: I can imagine. So, how did you get involved in music? TM: I was bred to be a musician. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been playing music. I started playing the violin when I was 3 years old, and I played until I was about 18. I started playing the guitar somewhere between the ages of 10-12. I don’t exactly remember when. But, my Dad and I made a guitar. TM: Yeah. I said I wanted to learn how to play, and he was like, “Alright, let’s make one.” TME: That’s awesome! TM: He likes to work with wood and stuff, so it’s like a hobby for him. I play piano as well. TME: What kind of music were you into when you were growing up? TM: Metal. Speed Metal. I just liked anything that was fast and loud. I was really into guitar players that could just shred. TME: Who were some of your greatest musical influences? TM: Well, it goes in stages I suppose. When I was really little, my Dad listened to all the classics—Jimi (Hendrix), Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin— so I was exposed to that stuff. But, he also listened to some obscure stuff like this group from England called The Shadows. It was actually like the first band that was set up in the format that we recognize as a band today, with two guitars, a bass, and drums, but there was no singing, they were like a dance band. Yeah, that was one of the big influences for me. But I listen to Pantera, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure—all that stuff. Anything that was good, I listened to it. TME: So that brings the question of what is good? TM: (Loud laughter) Ah, good question. What is good? You’re right. Good melodies are good. TME: How did you get hooked up with 30 Seconds to Mars? Didn’t you join after it was set up? TM: Yeah. I came into 30STM like this: I’m from Detroit, and I was a fan of the band before their first record came out. I was playing in other bands in Detroit, and I had become friends with Shannon at some point along the way. On some random trip, I was visiting my sister in L.A. and met up with him there, and was able to just sort of very loosely maintain that connection. Then whenever they were in town, I would call them up and say, “Hey can I come to the show?” And we just kept in contact that way. A few years went by, and about six months after I had quit my band in Detroit, I got a phone call from their manager who told me, “Someone left the band. Are you interested in auditioning?” And I was like, “Yeah, of course. When is it?” And they were like, “It’s tomorrow.” And I was like, “Ok, I’ll be in L.A. tomorrow afternoon then.” And so, I hopped on a plane, went to L.A., and I got it. Ten days later I was on tour. TME: Awesome. TM: Yeah, it was pretty interesting actually, kind of a crazy life change. TME: Yeah, I was just going to ask how was the transition from, being a friend and a fan to being in the band? TM: It was very, very, weird and surreal, because just a few days prior to being in the band I was listening to the CD. TME: How did the name 30 Seconds to Mars come to be about? TM: I’m probably not the right person to ask that question because I had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the band name. But— I know it has nothing to do with space or time travel, that’s for sure. It’s more about describing the sound of music, and the metaphor of it, and being able to freely think through it. But really, I don’t know how they came up with that name. TME: So now that you are in the band, what is the song writing process as a band? TM: Well, it’s like this, Jared writes the songs. He comes up with the vocals, the lyrics, the melodies and the basic progressions of the chords. Then he’ll come to us when he has a raw idea, and we all sit down together and work it out. We like to write songs in ProTools because it gives us instant results; you can see if you are going the right direction, rather than playing live. But, it’s really half and half. Sometimes we’re working in front of the Computer, sometimes we’re playing live. But Jared comes to us with like 75% of an idea, and then we fill in the rest, and put our own touches on it. Like on the record, A Beautiful Lie, we play the parts that we came up with. On the song “Savior,” Matt and I came up with the verses and on “A Song for Yesterday,” Shannon came up with the idea for the song. But when it comes down to it, it all starts with Jared. TME: How did you guys narrow the album down from the 40 songs you started with, to the 10 that ended up on the final album? TM: It was a grueling and painful process to pick 10 from 40. Basically, we just really meticulously looked at all the songs. What happens is you write a few songs and two or three of them end up sounding the same because you wrote them at the same time. What we did is we had to choose which ones were the best of all of them. It was really hard to reject something that you had a part in creating, because if you make something it’s only natural to want to love it. Only the strong can survive. TME: What was being in South Africa for the recording process like? TM: It was probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. South Africa was life-changing. We got to be there for a month. We worked a lot. It was probably the most productive writing and recording time we had throughout the entire three-year process. Four of the ten songs on the record happened in South Africa. Songs like “Attack,” our single, would not be as powerful as they are if it weren’t for South Africa. The verses were completely re-written there— it gave it a whole new life. The title track, “A Beautiful Lie,” was written there. “Was It A Dream,” was discovered when we first got there. On Matt’s and my first day there, we had wondered if Jared had had any time to do anything, and we soon found out he basically had the entire song penned and done already. We went upstairs and listened to it, and we were just like, “Whoa!” It set the pace for the rest of the time we were there. It was amazing to be there making music. TME: Is there a single greatest lesson you’ve learned thus far as a musician? TM: Less is more. Simplicity always wins. I’m like a geek guitar player, I’m always trying to show myself off technically, but I’ve learned from Jared, that the simple idea always wins, because the fact is that most people might not understand what is happening— they just know what sounds good. Simple melodies support the vocals. An example is Pink Floyd. They are one of the greatest bands ever, and they pretty much play elementary style music. But it’s because they choose their notes and melodies so carefully, that’s what makes it so powerful. TME: Out of all the songs that you have created together, is there one that is most significant for you? TM: They’re all pretty significant. But, if there is one that I like the best – if that’s kind-of where you’re going – I love playing “The Fantasy” live more than any other song. It just hits a nerve and for some reason I just freak out during the song, I love it. TM: Yeah, the beginning was very memorable for me because it was all so new. Those first few months of being on tour with this band were all so drastically different from what I was used to in just playing in local bands. Being on a tour bus, and playing huge venues, and really having people there to see you— incredible. Our fan base is rabid. They love our band so much, and really have a place that they can belong with us. You don’t have that when you’re just trying to start out. For me it all just happened so fast, it was crazy. The ability and opportunity to do this for a living is incredible. It’s a dream. TME: If you could create a dream tour, who would you want to play with, and where would you want to tour? TM: A dream tour. OK: It would be a traveling, festival-styled tour, and it would be The Deftones, it would be us, it would be Muse. Actually this is funny because I was hanging out with the guys from The Used last night, and we were listening to the new album from The Bled (Found in the Flood), and oh my God, it was incredible! They would have to be added just because it was so good. And I’ve never liked that band at all but that new record, it’s unbelievable! I’ve never heard anything like it. It’s like the most sinister sh** you’ve ever heard. They would open, and Pink Floyd would headline. Maybe 311 would play a song too, just because I love them. TME: Sounds like a good show. TM: (Hysterical banter between Tomo and background participants) Matt just cringed at me when I said 311. TME: That’s funny. TM: Yeah. TME: So do feel that Jared’s acting career affects at all how you guys are perceived as a band? TM: Uh, well, not really to be honest. People say stuff to him all the time, but I mean, the fact is, he’s made movies. I don’t think that is anything to be ashamed of. He’s pretty good at it too. It doesn’t bother me. We always say bands have their certain set of challenges and to be honest I’ll take ours any day. Him being an actor, that’s great. He’s talented and he’s good at what he does. If I were able to do both, I would probably do it too. You know, why not? He should and he does. He’s pure art. Everything he does is geared towards art. People talk sh**, and it doesn’t really matter. Every band has to deal with some sort of bullsh**, ours I think is easy compared to others. TME: What are some of your favorite records of all time? TM: Pink Floyd, The Wall. Actually, a recent one is Muse, Absolution, I love that. The first Led Zeppelin record and Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power, both were very influential for me as a guitar player because I had never heard anything like that. Just the way that “Dimebag” Darrell played the guitar was unmatched by anyone out there. I listen to so many kinds of music you have to understand I listen to classical music, jazz, hip-hop, everything. That’s a long conversation. That could actually be a whole separate interview. (Indeed!) Big thanks to Tomo and 30 Seconds To Mars!! Please check out their new site:
www.30secondstomars.com By Amanda Andreen- themusicedge.com
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"Music is a language," says 30 Seconds To Mars drummer Shannon Leto, "and I grew up with that language. I haven’t had any schooling whatsoever, but because I grew up with music all around me, I just got it. Our music may sound technical, but it’s all done through feeling and emotion."
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