incubus
Incubus was formed in Calabasas, CA when the four founding members,
Brandon Boyd, Jose Pasillas, Mike Einziger, and Alex Katunich,
formed a band in the 10th grade. They met up with DJ Lyfe (Gavin
Koppel) in 95'. He had heard their sound and asked them about
incorporating some of his tracks into their music. The band had
a trial jam session and Dj Lyfe was instantly incorporated into
their free-form funk sound. The band caught the attention of several
labels, but was eventually signed by Immortal Records. Their first
EP, Enjoy Incubus, was released in January of 97', and followed
up shortly with S.C.I.E.N.C.E. later that year. The group's two
latest efforts have been the successful Make Yourself in 99' and
Fungus Amongus in 2000.
I have always idolized eccentric people; old storytellers
with scraggly beards, Sadhus covered in the ashes of their brothers,
street performers, contortionists, mediums, magicians, painters
and poets for example. They seemed to demonstrate to me the ideals
that I could never find in amongst the throws of everyday life.
And part of what intrigued me about this world of others was the
fact that they didn't exist on the surface. You had to go 'below',
so to speak, to find them. In books, rumors and shadowed corners
was and is where they continue to thrive. It was in pursuit of
these ideals which led me towards MUSIC and to the people I make
music with. And by holding onto those things sacred to me and
us we have been able to circumvent the conventionalism which frightened
me into action in the first place. Which brings us to now...
Two years and two million records after the release
of 'Make Yourself', we (incubus) were hell-bent on the idea of
making our next record in an environment that would transcend
the confinement and potential banality of the conventional recording
process. We needed to continue moving forward with the ideas and
adventurousness, which sparked this project into flame so many
years ago. Escape that creepy, dentist's office vibe which seems
to permeate every recording studio, and most importantly reinvent
the concept of the 'Studio Tan'.
So, in keeping with those philosophies, we all
moved into a magnificent, Malibu mansion, set up our gear in the
living room with a view of the ocean, and began creating what
would be our most free-flowing work to date; 'MORNING VIEW'. Reassembling
our mathemagical team of recording partners; Scott Litt (producing),
Rick Will (engineering), and Dave Holdridge (Computer Nerding),
we brought to life a formula that was merely whispered upon during
the 'Make Yourself' sessions. Scott brought with him not only
his knowledge and objectivity as a seasoned producer, but as well
an infinite background in culture! With his grace and poise in
fishing techniques, and a library of opinions concerning fine
cheeses and wine! All time tested to be invaluable while making
a record.
The easiest thing in the world would be to repeat
the same equations that worked for us in the past, but with repetition
would come demise. We needed to start fresh and rewire our transmitters.
And in doing so, we wrote what is in my opinion our best record
yet. I hope that some who listen to it agree. I am aware that
many will not, for stratospheric string orchestrations, Disney-esque,
trip-hop escapades, lyrics about contentment under a full moon,
and not a shred of rap in our metal usually spells trouble for
a rock band with aspirations of success. But if two of you out
there enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it, I will feel
like we accomplished worlds. And for those who don't like it,
you can bite me. Our record cover will look great even in the
used CD bin.
For an overview of the record, check out 'Wish
You Were Here'. A simple and straightforward ditty about the beauty
of a moment in paradise. And the desire to share that moment with
someone of like mind. 'Warning' tells a small story about a person
who has the world at the tips of her fingers but through the art
of distraction and compromise she wakes up one day to find that
it has slipped by her. And the information she gains from her
mistake she shares in song with the rest of the world. Kind of
a 'don't do what i did' lamentation. 'Just a Phase' documents
how fickle the world can be and how the only certainty that exists
is that everything eventually runs it's course. Keeping this in
mind and trying not to get too cynical, it points out the blessing
in disguise that is 'Temporaryism' and how it can be a door that
swings both ways.
'Aqueous Transmission', perhaps our most ambitious
work to date, was first conceived with an instrument quite alien
to Incubus and all of rock music to be precise. A 'Ko-kyu' is
what was used here and it was donated by a very generous and talented
man by the name of Steve Vai. One late evening we began conjuring
and experimenting with this track and it quickly brought to mind
the image and analogy of floating freely down a river; hence the
content of the song. Our friend Suzi Katayama, who has in the
past worked string arrangements with the likes of Bjork, Madonna
and even Yours Truly for an acoustic performance in L.A., lent
her classical finesse to this story. And in doing so helped it
become exactly what we envisioned; a song so atmospheric and vibratory,
it would make those who listened to it doze off into a land of
rivers, kung fu and unicorns, eventually making the listener pee
in her/his pants. (Attainable goals I think, but please don't
operate any heavy machinery while listening to this one.)
These are but a few of the songs on a very diverse
record. And though they will give a pretty good indication of
the climate of this work, I would encourage listening to the entire
album! Preferably while driving down your friendly, neighborhood
Highway! (minus the last song) I am sure that we are all aware
of how ridiculous the idea of a band biography really is. Especially
one about a band who has accomplished very little in retrospect.
The word in itself (biography) invokes the thought of self importance,
large unnecessary adjectives and an 8x10 picture showing you all
how vain we really are. But it is a necessary evil, for now. And
if it in any way, large or small allows us more time and resource
to continue pursuing OUR idea of eccentricity and trancenDANCE
than I am willing to bend a little. So if you have any questions
regarding therapy, Pirate-Core, tour bus full contact grappling,
plastic surgery, who slept with whose girlfriend and or any other
inquiries... please don't hesitate to refer to our website message
board, where every rumor you hear, read and or come up with all
by yourself is 100% true.
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