Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
After their first two albums, Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Incubus earned mainstream recognition with the release of their 1999 album Make Yourself which spawned several hits, including the US Top 10 hit "Drive", and was certified double platinum in the US. Success continued with the albums Morning View and A Crow Left of the Murder..., which both debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. Their sixth studio album, Light Grenades, was their first to debut at number 1 in the US. In 2009, Incubus released their first greatest hits album Monuments and Melodies. Two years later, they released their seventh studio album If Not Now, When?., which debuted at number 2 in the US. The band also released an EP, Trust Fall , in early 2015, and two years later, the band released their eighth studio album, titled 8, on April 21, 2017. A second EP, Trust Fall , was released on April 17, 2020.
As of October 2022, Incubus has generated 12.4 million U.S. album consumption units and over 23 million records worldwide. The band has received numerous award nominations, including nominations from the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Grammy Awards.
History
Formation, ''Fungus Amongus'' and ''Enjoy Incubus'' (1991–1996)
Incubus was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, guitarist Mike Einziger, bassist Alex Katunich and drummer José Pasillas, while the members were in high school. They existed as a band for some time before they gave themselves a name, having only chosen the band's name "Incubus" when required to supply a band name for an upcoming show. The band's early shows were frequently at nightclubs on Los Angeles's Sunset Strip, including such well-known venues as the Whisky a Go Go, the Roxy and the Troubadour. Early on the members of Incubus bonded over Phish and Primus and used their grassroots approach as a model for their career.Incubus produced many of their early recordings with Jim Wirt and Chillum Records in the Santa Monica studio 4th Street Recording, only able to work on their music during hours in which they were not in school. In 1994, they recorded their first two-song EP, Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout Root Beer. This was later followed by the debut album Fungus Amongus, also recorded with Wirt and released on Incubus's own label Stopuglynailfungus Music. Incubus then added Gavin Koppel to the band. In the following year, Incubus signed a seven-record deal with Sony's Immortal Records, later to become Epic Records. The group was spotted by Epic/Immortal A&R Paul Pontius, who was also responsible for signing Korn to the label. The 1997 six-track EP Enjoy Incubus was the band's first major-label release and was created so the band could present a recording while touring with Korn in Europe.
''S.C.I.E.N.C.E.'' (1997–1998)
S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Incubus's second studio album, was released on September 9, 1997. After their album release, they started opening for bands such as Korn and 311. This album marked a stylistic departure from the band's early material, featuring heavy guitar riffs, slap bass and turntables to create their most nu metal album. In February 1998, Incubus dismissed Koppel. A friend recommended Chris Kilmore to fill the position. The band enjoyed Kilmore's style and attitude towards life and asked him to join the band. Incubus participated in the Ozzfest and Family Values metal festivals and toured with System of a Down and Ultraspank during the fall.''Make Yourself'' (1999–2000)
After constant touring throughout 1998, and after selling over 100,000 copies of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. without the support of radio or television exposure, Incubus took a break for two years and then began working on their third album Make Yourself. After just two weeks in the studio with producer Jim Wirt, the band was unhappy with the recordings and opted to continue recording without a producer. After another three weeks of recording, R.E.M./Nirvana producer Scott Litt took an interest in their songs and started taking part in the recording sessions, mainly focusing on songs like "Drive" and "Stellar". According to the band, Litt's involvement in the record came mostly during the mixing process.Make Yourself was released on October 26, 1999. The album marked the beginning of a more commercially acceptable pop rock and alternative rock sound for the band, although several songs from the album still included elements of nu/alternative metal, such as downtuned riffs and layers of electronics. Right after their album's release, the band went on tour with Primus and Buckethead, a tour which lasted for the remainder of the year. The first song that kicked off the album, "Privilege", was featured on MTV Sports: Pure Ride for the PlayStation. The band also released the single, "Pardon Me", but it was initially not well received by radio stations. Brandon and Mike decided to perform a live acoustic version of the song at the few radio stations who were showing interest, and this in turn spread the word of the song. Many radio stations began to play the acoustic version, including the influential Los Angeles radio giant KROQ-FM.
With sparked interest in the song, radio stations began playing the studio version of "Pardon Me". In response, Incubus made a video for the song and released a six-song EP titled When Incubus Attacks on August 22, 2000. The EP contained the acoustic version of "Pardon Me". In its first week, the EP sold nearly 40,000 copies, and peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200. To start off 2000, the band headed out on Tour with System of a Down, and Mr. Bungle until March, at which point they embarked on a headline tour in clubs until April.
Due to the success of "Pardon Me", Make Yourself reached Gold certification in April 2000. Incubus continued to tour overseas, and returned home at the end of May to go on a tour of the United States with longtime friends 311. "Stellar", the next single from the album was soon released, and its video received afternoon airplay on MTV and TRL, becoming a success on the Alternative chart. In July, Incubus were once again on the Ozzfest bill, until the late summer.
The band then took a short break after finishing the Ozzfest 2000 Tour, playing two acoustic shows at Artist Direct Studios. On October 5, 2000, Make Yourself went Platinum, and shortly after, the band went on tour with Deftones. Sony re-released their independent debut album Fungus Amongus on November 7, 2000.
On November 14, 2000, the band released "Drive", the third single from Make Yourself. It moved quickly up to the top of the Alternative Charts, eventually hitting the No. 1 spot. The single was a success and helped the band break into the mainstream. The single eventually reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
After a ten-year break from the music business in 2000, thrash metal band Opprobrium were forced to change their name in order to avoid confusion and a lawsuit.
''Morning View'' (2001–2002)
The band took a break during the first part of 2001 before heading to a beachside mansion in Malibu, California, to record their follow-up album, which would later become known as Morning View.They began touring once more with Hundred Reasons in Europe from June until the first week of July. At this time, the band was invited to play with the Area 1 Festival, which featured Moby, Outkast, the Roots, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, and Nelly Furtado. Also, in July, Make Yourself was certified double-platinum, selling 2 million copies. In August, the band got to play their first shows in Australia and Japan, before returning to the United States to begin their headlining tour with their long-time friends from California, Hoobastank. Meanwhile, the band's video for "Drive" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the category of Best Group Video.
Continuing to tour, Incubus released their first single, "Wish You Were Here", from their upcoming record, Morning View, on August 21, 2001. The single instantly began to climb up the Alternative charts, reaching No. 2 by early September. The music video was released at the end of that month, after being re-cut to make it more viewable in the wake of the 9/11 disaster. The video earned viewings on MTV's TRL, VH1, and MuchMusic. Their follow-up single was "Nice to Know You".
On October 23, 2001, the band released their fourth full-length major label album. The name was taken from the street on which the band's recording studio was situated. Incubus continued to headline dates after its release, and "Wish You Were Here" continued to sit among the top 10 on Billboards Alternative charts. Morning View debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at the No. 2 spot. This was the highest ever placement for Incubus. At the same time, "Wish You Were Here" was at No. 2 on the Alternative Charts, and "Drive" sat at No. 48 on the Hot 100 chart. The band won an award for Billboard's Alternative Single of the Year for "Drive". By December, Morning View was certified platinum, "Wish You Were Here" was No. 4 on Alternative charts, and Morning View was No. 38 on top 200.
On December 11, Incubus released When Incubus Attacks , a DVD-Video that featured music videos for "Take Me to Your Leader", "A Certain Shade of Green", "Pardon Me", "Stellar", "Drive", "I Miss You", and "Summer Romance ", live footage, backstage video, and more. Director Bill Draheim documented the making of "Drive". Save Me from my Half-Life Drive is the result of that edited EPK footage.
To begin 2002, Incubus was No. 9 with "Drive", No. 12 with "Stellar", No. 20 with "Wish You Were Here", No. 75 with "Nice to Know You" and No. 31 with the album Morning View. On January 24, 2002, MTV's TRL premiered the "Nice to Know You" video, and Boyd called in from Europe where the band was on tour with 311 and Hoobastank. The band was then featured on MTV's Becoming, TRL, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and played the Late Show with David Letterman on February 14, 2002, all before heading off to play dates in Japan and Australia for the remainder of February and March. While in Sydney, the band shot the video for their next single, "Warning", from March 7 until March 11.
The band then released the DVD The Morning View Sessions on May 28, shortly before playing the Weenie Roast on June 8 for KROQ.
Incubus issued a limited-edition version of Morning View on October 1 to coincide with their fall headlining tour. The new version of the album contained a DVD dubbed the "Morning After View Session". It featured the UK video for the group's track "Are You In?", tour footage, new artwork, behind-the-scenes material, and more. Incubus's last performance in 2002 brought several eras for the band to a close. Their last show of the tour would be their last show touring behind 2001's Morning View, as the band looked on to playing new music. The show would also prove to be their last with bass player Dirk Lance, who left the band due to personal differences.
Lance was quietly replaced by former the Roots guitarist Ben Kenney, who began working with Einziger on new songs for a psychedelic jazz-funk project called Time-Lapse Consortium. Incubus ended the year on the charts, having "Wish You Were Here", "Warning", and "Nice to Know You" on the alternative rock format chart, joining "Wish You Were Here" and "Nice to Know You". Morning View was the 40th-best-selling album of 2002.