MICK MARS Wanted To Do Something 'Way Different' With His Solo Album

In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars was asked if he intentionally tried to incorporate fresh elements into the sound of his upcoming solo album, "The Other Side Of Mars", that he didn't pursue during his four-decade career with the legendary Los Angeles rock act. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You're exactly right. You hit the nail on the head when you said it was way different from MÖTLEY, which is what I wanted to do. The part that was the scariest part about doing that stuff is because my guitar tone is associated with MÖTLEY's sound. I was kind of concerned about that, so I just played around a little more. I mean, it turned out well for me."

He continued: "I know that a lot of people were expecting probably more of a blues-oriented thing or kind of an extension of MÖTLEY or something like that. And I wanted to go a whole different route and leaning more towards the left instead of the beaten path, I guess. I wanted to go somewhere with it. I didn't know if it would work or not. I just did the stuff and got acquainted with different people, like [fellow musicians and collaborators] Paul Taylor and Jacob Bunton and Brion Gamboa and Ray Luzier, of course."

"The Other Side Of Mars" will be released on February 23, 2024. The effort will be made available via Mick's own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI.

Birmingham, Alabama rocker Jacob Bunton collaborated extensively with Mars on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Bunton had previously worked with former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler and CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer, and has songwriting credits with Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler and Smokey Robinson, among others.

Bunton sings lead on all but two of the 12 songs on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Other guests on the LP include the aforementioned WINGER/ALICE COOPER keyboardist Paul Taylor, KORN drummer Ray Luzier, and Brion Gamboa, who handled lead vocals on the songs "Undone" and "Killing Breed".

Bunton previously fronted the Alabama bands MARS ELECTRIC and LYNAM.

Last month, Mars shared "Loyal To The Lie", the lead single from "The Other Side Of Mars", along with a music video featuring imagery from classic horror films and pictures of infamous serial killers.

Discussing the title behind the upcoming album, the 72-year-old explained that it refers to the two different sides of his playing style: "the MÖTLEY side and the Mars side."

"I always have a very clear vision of what I want to do," he said, revealing that he plans to release more music beyond the debut album. "There's a lot of ideas that I have that. I don't want to call them 'left,' but they are, you know what I mean? My feeling has always been, I might gain some fans, I might lose some fans. But what they’re hearing, it's all me."

Regarding his motivation to pursue a solo project, Mick said: "I'm trying to keep growing. Because if you stop learning new things, if you stop playing new things, if you close your mind, you're done. You have to keep moving and creating. Next!"

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.