Motley Crue Guitarist Mick Mars Spreads Guitar Wings

Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is expanding his repertoire playing on albums by some of the band's protgs. He played on Papa Roach's "Into The Light" off their latest release, Metamorphosis, and the title track off Hinder's new album Take It To The Limit. Mars played with Papa Roach during last year's CrueFest.

Video clip :

Mars talked to us after the press conference announcing CrueFest 2, and he shared his thoughts on making his guitar talents available beyond Motley Crue.

 Mick Mars On Playing With Other People

"I'm trying to expand beyond just Motley Crue. Motley Crue is my home, it's my life, it's what I love, but I also like to play and write for other bands and jam around and just have fun and show a whole different side of what I'm capable of. I'm not just a one dimensional guitar player. There's many styles I can play. By doing different things with different bands I'm starting to show my fans as well as fans of other bands like Hinder for one, Papa Roach, like their fanbase, (saying) 'Wow, I didn't know Mick did that.' It's kind of a cool thing for me. I just have a lot of fun playing with other people, and just breaking the mold for myself. I'm going, 'Ughhh, I'm free to just do what I please."

CrueFest 2 begins July 19 in Camden, New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia. Bands on the bill include Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory Of A Deadman and Charm City Devils.

Comments

[reservedforchoi]

Haha cool he is pursuing what he wants to do. But man, is it just me or does he look like a zombie? And I know he has some kind of bone disease or whatever, but man, guy looks like he's seen better days.

[Bighair]

MICK MARS IS GOD.

[Vedicardi]

I wish he would have picked better bands to play with jesus christ

[TANKER69]

holy **** he's gotten old, looks kind of like alice cooper

[tymanic]

*cough* overrated *cough*

[stephen_rettie]

way to spread you wings and fly to another branch on the same tree

[shreducator]

Even though I F*ckin hate Hinder, I'm a huge Crüe fan and I'm glad Mick is getting his guitar genius out for more people to hear.

[sixxroaches]

i LOVE Mick Mars hes like one of my favorites of all time actually he's my second! He used to be first! I still love ya though Mick!!!!

[theotherguy7145]

tymanic wrote:

*cough* overrated *cough*

As if. Hes one of the most underrated guitarists around. Noone round here respects him as much as they should!

Anyway, great that hes "spreading his wings". Jamming around and having fun is what its all about! Good for Mick!

[Superperfex]

SvnStringMaster wrote:

die already

Haha, how about you get a life?

Anyway, I just love hearing him expand as a musician. He really shouldn't feel confined by the band.

[b_flo]

Looking forward to meet him when they come through.

[Bristlehead]

hmmmmm
well Hinder... and Papa Roach... and Motely Crue

what do they all have in common?

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD

[helvete_og_død]

tymanic wrote:

*cough* overrated *cough*

mick mars is the most overlooked member of motely crue, all everyone cares about is nikki sixx and tommy lee.

[j-walk]

i Don't believe for one second he's over rated. I always believe any lone guitar player in a band is a damn good guitar player because they have to fill in and keep the bottom from fallin out.

[j-walk]

Dude you think motley crue is bad, wow, it is now apparent some of the biggest dumbasses in the planet post here. Just look at the guy who wrote die already, hahaha, oh man thats sad.

[zuckuss00]

As soon as i started reading this my heart dropped! I thought it was going to read... "Motley Crue Guitarist Mick Mars found dead"... Thanks god hes not! Cool news, Mick is a excellent musician and deserves more credit than he gets with the crue!

[pantera456]

Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is expanding his repertoire playing on albums by some of the band's protgs.

Is that supposed to say prodogies or something?

[NGMF-Sam]

mick should start shredding like Vai and Satch
now that would be bad ass

[waveningkan]

mick mars is actually a blues guy.blues is his 1st love.he should make a blues album i gez.juz 4 d heck of it.hehe.

[Simsimius]

Protgs?

lol

[kill it]

mick mars is great, when i was at the last crue fest he was easily the best sounding crue member onstage. vince sounded like crap i even started to laugh when he began to sing and tommy lee isn't half the musician he once was, all he cares about now is press and money.

[shreducator]

Protgs = Protégés

[Blitz93]

I'm glad Mick is putting himself out there and showing other people that he can do much more than just what he does with the Crüe. I have to agree that hes a pretty underrated guitarist. I have to disagree with kill it as far as Vince though. I went to the show Crüe played at with Hinder and Theory of a Deadman at Madison Square Garden and he still sings amazing.

[WesBizarre]

everyone looks at Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee as the greastest guys in this band,
Motley Crue is one of my favorite bands, but no one ever seems to notice Mick Mars,
since I'm a guitar player, I think thats why I notice him more then the normal person

[de-fexxx666]

tymanic wrote:

*cough* overrated *cough*

If you seriously think Mick Mars is overrated, you've never seriously listened to him. The guy is a ****ing genius, even if he isn't the most skilled guitarist, and Motley would have been just another lame hair metal band if it wasn't for Mick.

[Lethal Dosage]

pantera456 wrote:

Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is expanding his repertoire playing on albums by some of the band's protgs.

I think its meant to read proteges?

Is that supposed to say prodogies or something?

[Lethal Dosage]

de-fexxx666 wrote:

tymanic wrote:

*cough* overrated *cough*
If you seriously think Mick Mars is overrated, you've never seriously listened to him. The guy is a ****ing genius, even if he isn't the most skilled guitarist, and Motley would have been just another lame hair metal band if it wasn't for Mick.

yeah mick is good but nikki was the songwriter and ideas guy for motley, he had a whole plan for the band before it even started

[smoothie/92]

hes not lookin so good

[rhyme2zone]

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

[trashbeast]

TANKER69 wrote:

holy **** he's gotten old, looks kind of like alice cooper

he has a disease dude.

[guitargodgary13]

stephen_rettie wrote:

way to spread you wings and fly to another branch on the same tree

Lol true.

[Mr. Chang]

rhyme2zone wrote:

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

That was Eddie Van Halen who did that. Mick sounds a lot like him and Angus Young just like all the others

[darkangel5920]

mick mars is the most overlooked member of motely crue, all everyone cares about is nikki sixx and tommy lee

I love Motley Crue, one of my favorite bands, I think that Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars are equally up there in the band as far as influence, I like Nikki mainly for the contributions he made to it he is a good bassist(Im a bassist thats why I say that), But Crue also need Mick Mars, he is a phenominal guitarist and deserves the credit for such,

i Don't believe for one second he's over rated. I always believe any lone guitar player in a band is a damn good guitar player because they have to fill in and keep the bottom from fallin out.

To this I say that if a band has one guitar player, yes, they are a phenominal guitar player, but its not just guitar, both guitar and bass have to work together to keep stuff going and together, they are both ends of the music spectrum while a band is playing and they must understand eachother. Neither is more important in holding the band together, and neither should get more publicity and fame.

[GuitarNooblet]

lol @ stephen_rettie...
seriously, mick mars isnt over rated.
he may be ghoulishy-looking from the disease-ordeal, but that doesnt take away his ability to play the guitar at expert level.
You cant really compare him to anyone like Eddie Van Halen or Angus Young, cause they had different styles man.
Mick Mars is great at what he does and lets leave it at that.

[ShakeMe90]

zuckuss00 wrote:

As soon as i started reading this my heart dropped! I thought it was going to read... "Motley Crue Guitarist Mick Mars found dead"... Thanks god hes not! Cool news, Mick is a excellent musician and deserves more credit than he gets with the crue!

Dude I thought the same thing too, i thought they were saying he spread his wings as in died lol. Good thing he's still alive and kicking asses!

[rockpwns92]

how old is this guy?

Checked

[zink10192]

Bristlehead wrote:

hmmmmm
well Hinder... and Papa Roach... and Motely Crue

what do they all have in common?

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD

lol +1 i feel ya

[Matt Chavie]

looks 1 million years old.

[Flying Afros]

Funny how the author of the article is too lazy to spell out "proteges."

rhyme2zone wrote:

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

Please...learn to form a real sentence. And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks. That's not opinion it's fact. The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

[Chapz]

Doesn't gets as much respect as he deserves. I love you Mick, you're the ****ing best dude and keep it up!

[Andy2k64]

Bighair wrote:

MICK MARS IS GOD.

+1

[toyboxmonster]

Flying Afros wrote:

And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks... The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

I'm glad someone said it.

[Sylvanus]

That's good for him, he's easily the most talented member of Motley Crue.

[Somnambulance]

toyboxmonster wrote:

Flying Afros wrote:

And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks... The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

I'm glad someone said it.

Thankfully grunge came and washed the scene away... at least until grunge got safe and started incorporating elements of the genre and defeated and became bands like Hinder and Papa Roach.

Mick Mars is a pretty good guitarist though. I won't take anything away from that, but it's hardly trying new things when you're just playing with bands that are trying to be a grunge inspired version of Motley Crue. Now if he was playing on a jazz record or hip-hop album, he'd be doing something new, but this is not.

[bobbyk1978]

If you're going to say that people are uneducated, you should at least try to spell REALLY correctly dude.

[Gibson_SG_uzr55]

Mick is amazing, in a genre where guitar players were too interested in flash and wrote solos that didnt mesh well with the songs, Mick was able to write solos that fit the songs but had enough "flash" to keep it interesting. And he is outstanding live.

This year's CrueFest has a better lineup imo. last year they had Papa Roach, Buck Cherry, Trapt, and Sixx AM, and Sixx AM is the only one their I relly like, the rest are meh, Trapt I dont like at all. This year, I dont like Teory of a Deadman, and I never heard of that one band, but Godsmack and Drowning Pool are good.

[ShakeMe90]

toyboxmonster wrote:

Flying Afros wrote:

And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks... The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

I'm glad someone said it.

Dudes it's better than singing about depression or killing themselves or some shit like that. They write music to have a good time to, who doesn't like that?

[Filip413]

respect to Mick Mars

[punk&metal]

exactly, besides, hair metal is way better to have as a popular genre than this ****ing rap shit

[Flying Afros]

punk&metal wrote:

exactly, besides, hair metal is way better to have as a popular genre than this ****ing rap shit

hair "metal" gives a bad name to rock music.

[wolfy808]

Hair metal is just another trend of music, it was either love or hate. I couldn't care less if he played in the biggest glam band on earth, he's a great guitarist and a really nice guy.

[GIBSONroks6167]

Lethal Dosage wrote:

de-fexxx666 wrote:

tymanic wrote:

*cough* overrated *cough*
If you seriously think Mick Mars is overrated, you've never seriously listened to him. The guy is a ****ing genius, even if he isn't the most skilled guitarist, and Motley would have been just another lame hair metal band if it wasn't for Mick.

yeah mick is good but nikki was the songwriter and ideas guy for motley, he had a whole plan for the band before it even started

+1

[lurch_276]

oh shit that scared me, I thought it was gonna say he was dead. Thank god u still rock man

[Jondy]

wtf is a protg?

[Tzuqris]

lurch_276 wrote:

oh shit that scared me, I thought it was gonna say he was dead. Thank god u still rock man

He is, he's been on strings for a long time now rofl

[Marek99]

Motley Crue rules.
Papa Roach sucks.
Hinder sucks.

Mick Mars is still a hell of a player! He also worked with a sweden glam band Crashdiet, and it's a good colaboration!

[littleleo88]

****, he looks like an animated corpse... or puppet or something. poor chap - he used to be so cool.

[Restlesscow]

Flying Afros wrote:

Funny how the author of the article is too lazy to spell out "proteges." rhyme2zone wrote:

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

Please...learn to form a real sentence. And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks. That's not opinion it's fact. The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

What you say is not fact, it is just an opinion no one really cares about.

[Silas S Thompso]

reservedforchoi :
Haha cool he is pursuing what he wants to do. But man, is it just me or does he look like a zombie? And I know he has some kind of bone disease or whatever, but man, guy looks like he's seen better days.

He looks nothing like he did in the 80's. It would be scary as hell to see him walking down the street at night. But I'm sure that like you said there is a problem. I thought it was his hips or something.

[Silas S Thompso]

Restlesscow :
Flying Afros wrote:

Funny how the author of the article is too lazy to spell out "proteges." rhyme2zone wrote:

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

Please...learn to form a real sentence. And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks. That's not opinion it's fact. The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

What about Kickstart my heart, Too young to fall in love, shout at the devil, smokin in the boys room, home sweet home.

[David_Bowie=GOD]

is it really necessary for all motley crue fans to say, im a guitarist thats why i think this/im a bassist thats why i think this

your on a site called ultimate-guitar.com that has lots of guitar and bass tabs. common sense says everyone/most people here play already, you dont have to announce it like we wouldn't have guessed any other way

[grifff]

j-walk wrote:

i Don't believe for one second he's over rated. I always believe any lone guitar player in a band is a damn good guitar player because they have to fill in and keep the bottom from fallin out.

No, the bottom end is filled by the bass.

Dont listen to any Crue and probably never will but its nice to hear people branching out, although they all seem to fall under the same category.

[Tzuqris]

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:

is it really necessary for all motley crue fans to say, im a guitarist thats why i think this/im a bassist thats why i think this

your on a site called ultimate-guitar.com that has lots of guitar and bass tabs. common sense says everyone/most people here play already, you dont have to announce it like we wouldn't have guessed any other way

Not sure if anyone really announced that... but I know almost nobody in here did.

[pantericadeth]

j-walk wrote:

Dude you think motley crue is bad, wow, it is now apparent some of the biggest dumbasses in the planet post here. Just look at the guy who wrote die already, hahaha, oh man thats sad.

Yeah because only dumbasses disagree with you. People definitely don't have different opinions. Dumbass.

[acidhammerdrums]

Leave the man alone; he has bonitis and still rocks out.

[Timmy.S]

Oh, where to begin. Umm, I thing both Mick and Nikki make up the sound of the crue, which is so very important to make a good band. In micks case its more important, with him playing guitar. He has a sound and style that hasn't been ripped off over and over again like van halen case. Iv never listened to someone else and said that that sounds like mick mars guitar style. That, and he's evolved over the last 20+ years of music, changing with the way music is not only played, but writen. Yes, he could have found better bands to branch out with, but, he can do pretty much what ever the hell he wants. He's earned it. He's not over rated. Hater just love to hate well drinking there haterade. You're welcome, haters.

[l)ragonForce]

stephen_rettie wrote:

way to spread you wings and fly to another branch on the same tree

exactly what i was thinking

rechecked.

[Thewolf_and_man]

I worship Mick!

[Primus2112]

What is a protgs?

And

[quote=acidhammerdrums]Leave the man alone; he has bonitis and still rocks out.[/quote]

This.

[iksero]

is it just me or does he look like the freakin crypt keeper?

[LnyBrd]

rhyme2zone wrote: ...rated is rele uneducated...

too funny

[Bighair]

Flying Afros wrote:

Funny how the author of the article is too lazy to spell out "proteges." rhyme2zone wrote:

dude. who ever says mick mars is over rated is rele uneducated because he's the one that basically laid the path for most glam/hair metal bands of the 80s. He's probably one of the most influential guitarists of the era. Not to mention he has some of the most attractive riffs ever.

Please...learn to form a real sentence. And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks. That's not opinion it's fact. The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

Well thousands if not millions of people enjoy glam music. Get off your high horse, it's each to their own.

[Goin' Mobile]

He's not overrated. No one outside of Motley Crue fans really even care who he is. He keeps quiet and doesn't bother other people.

[concert_addict]

kill it wrote:

mick mars is great, when i was at the last crue fest he was easily the best sounding crue member onstage. vince sounded like crap i even started to laugh when he began to sing and tommy lee isn't half the musician he once was, all he cares about now is press and money.

i agree 100% with you. i saw them in toronto last summer for crue fest, and the other guys were nothing compared to mick. vince made so many mistakes and tommy couldnt even do a real drum solo. however, mick played even better than on the albums, in my opinion

[bush_slayer_07]

i totally thought the headline ment he'd died lol i mean the guy seriously looks like he's half passed dead already so... yeah....

[deathbyawesome]

stephen_rettie wrote:

way to spread you wings and fly to another branch on the same tree

+infinity
playing in other mainstream rock bands does not count as moving to other styles of music.

Checked

[Blower_Crue]

Marek99 wrote:

Motley Crue rules.
Papa Roach sucks.
Hinder sucks.

woah you are retarted dude..

Mick Mars is still a hell of a player! He also worked with a sweden glam band Crashdiet, and it's a good colaboration!

[ledzepprules09]

I saw spreads his wings and thought he died.

[soulflyV]

Timmy.S wrote:

Oh, where to begin. Umm, I thing both Mick and Nikki make up the sound of the crue, which is so very important to make a good band. In micks case its more important, with him playing guitar. He has a sound and style that hasn't been ripped off over and over again like van halen case. Iv never listened to someone else and said that that sounds like mick mars guitar style. That, and he's evolved over the last 20+ years of music, changing with the way music is not only played, but writen. Yes, he could have found better bands to branch out with, but, he can do pretty much what ever the hell he wants. He's earned it. He's not over rated. Hater just love to hate well drinking there haterade. You're welcome, haters.

What you say doesn't make sense. Mars is a better player because no one tried to copy his style, like everyone tried to copy Van Halen's? Fail. It should be the other way round.

[Somnambulance]

punk&metal wrote:

exactly, besides, hair metal is way better to have as a popular genre than this ****ing rap shit

Hip-hop is a great genre. On a mainstream level, it's gotten much more forward thinking than rock in the past decade.

[cooljew]

MICK IS MARS IS ROCK N ROLL!

[super_richie]

ShakeMe90 wrote:

toyboxmonster wrote:

Flying Afros wrote:

And saying a person influenced the glam metal movement isn't saying much....Because it all sucks... The only thing those guys sing about is getting laid and wasted.

I'm glad someone said it.

Dudes it's better than singing about depression or killing themselves or some shit like that. They write music to have a good time to, who doesn't like that?

AGREED.
Crue have never been about writing the best songs or being the best musicians. they ARE all about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. thats all they know and tbh, there damm good at it!!!
At least they are not hippocrits like some bands and try to write about politics and war and shit like rthat when they know absolutely **** all about it.

[slumking]

soulflyV wrote:

Timmy.S wrote:

Oh, where to begin. Umm, I thing both Mick and Nikki make up the sound of the crue, which is so very important to make a good band. In micks case its more important, with him playing guitar. He has a sound and style that hasn't been ripped off over and over again like van halen case. Iv never listened to someone else and said that that sounds like mick mars guitar style. That, and he's evolved over the last 20+ years of music, changing with the way music is not only played, but writen. Yes, he could have found better bands to branch out with, but, he can do pretty much what ever the hell he wants. He's earned it. He's not over rated. Hater just love to hate well drinking there haterade. You're welcome, haters.

What you say doesn't make sense. Mars is a better player because no one tried to copy his style, like everyone tried to copy Van Halen's? Fail. It should be the other way round.

perhaps the simply couldn't copy his style.