Incubus
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Incubus is an American alternative metal band that started in the early 90's and debuted with their funk-based album Fungus Amongus. They became a household name in the United States and around the world because of the unique blend of their music some of their most notable singles are "Wish You Were Here" and "Drive". Another memorable release from the band was A Crow Left Of The Murder… which peaked #2 of the US Charts.
Just recently, they released another breakout album entitled Light Grenades.
Contents |
[edit] About
[edit] The Early Years
The band Incubus was formed in 1991 in Calabasas, CA when band members Brandon Boyd, Mike Einzinger, Alex Katunich and Jose Pasillas were still in tenth grade. They chose the name Incubus from a thesaurus and adopted the name of a mythological demon which seduces women while they were sleeping. The band jumped from one gig to another graduating from parties to small local clubs.
Two years after, the band met a local band producer Jim Wirt who offered them record demos and unbooked studio times. The band started to record their first studio album Fungus Amongus. In 1995, the band got acquainted with Gavin Koppel, a.k.a DJ Lyfe, a talented turntablist that became part of the band thereafter. Incubus' music was heavily influenced by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band experimented a little with their music and released their debut album Fungus Amongus; they became a strong front-act group and gained great local following therefore landing a contract with Epic subsidiary Immortal.
[edit] Major Label Release
The band's first major release was EP entitled Enjoy Incubus, which was followed later in 1997 with their first full-length album S.C.I.E.N.C.E, an album that did quite well in the sales for it reached Gold Certification in the United States. The band also opened for big bands including Korn, Primus and 311 in the early days of their career. Hardwork really pays off, as the band toured massively around the country behind Korn.
In 1999, they started to record their follow-up album Make Yourself and released the said album in the same year. They went back on the road and became part of the 2000 Ozzfest and attracted even more fans with the release of single "Pardon Me". Make Yourself did not make it on top of the charts but was a top-seller and reached double Platinum status. 2001 sensational single Drive was their first chart-topper that made the band more known to their audiences. The band toured as frontliners as their career starts to boom, and eventually delivered hits such as "Nice To Know You", "Warning" and "Wish You Were Here".
The band took a short break in 2001 before going back to the studios to record their third full-length album by the name Morning View. The band also toured during the middle of the year in Europe. They were also part of the Area Festival where they collaborated with artists such as Nelly Furtado and Outkast. The album was released in August of that year and came into the #2 of the Modern Rock Charts. The music video of Drive was nominated for best group video in the MTV Video Music Awards and received massive airtime in various music channels and the radio.
Early in 2003, the band entered a contract dispute with Sony stating that their lawsuit was based on the California labor laws and that they were poorly compensated after three massively successful album releases. In the middle of the contract dispute, bass player Dirk Lance departs the group and was replaced by Ben Kenney, the band’s present bassist. Later the band has settled the case against Sony which delivers three albums to Epic with an option on the fourth.
[edit] A Crow Left Of The Murder and Light Grenades
By 2004, the band released another brilliant album entitled A Crow Left Of The Murder…, and effort that the band started in the early part of 2003. Their bizarre funkadelic music turned into a more mainstream kind of rock which made "Megalomaniac" a huge success. The band toured the world and worked with a number of artists such as Ben Kweller and Hundred Reasons, their fame was more than what they thought they would be when they were still in tenth grade.
Their latest album promises yet another huge success for the band. Light Grenades, which the band started to work on in 2005 was released in January 2006 by the band via the internet. It’s worldwide release came late in November of the same year. The album debuted at Billboard #1 despite its relatively low sales as compared to their previous albums in the first week of release.
The band continues to tour in and around the world behind their latest album and is lavishing the success of their latest single Dig.
[edit] Band Lineup
Present Members
- Brandon Boyd Vocals, Percussion
- Mike Einziger Guitar
- Ben Kenney Bass
- José Pasillas Drums
- Chris Kilmore (aka DJ Kilmore) Turntables
Former Members
- Gavin Koppel (aka DJ Lyfe) Turntables- left the band in 1998
- Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance) Bass
[edit] Awards & Certifications
[edit] Certifications
| Year | Album | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | S.C.I.E.N.C.E. | Gold |
| 1999 | Make Yourself | 2x Platinum |
| 2001 | Morning View | 2x Platinum |
| 2004 | A Crow Left Of The Murder... | Platinum |
| 2006 | Light Grenades | Gold |
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK Singles | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Pardon Me" | - | - | 3 | 7 | Make Yourself |
| 2000 | "Stellar" | - | - | 2 | 17 | Make Yourself |
| 2001 | "Drive" | 40 | 9 | 1 | 8 | Make Yourself |
| 2001 | "Wish You Were Here" | 27 | 60 | 2 | 4 | Morning View |
| 2002 | "Warning" | - | - | 3 | 27 | Morning View |
| 2002 | "Nice To Know You" | - | - | 9 | 9 | Morning View |
| 2002 | "Are You In" | 34 | - | - | - | Morning View |
| 2004 | "Megalomaniac" | 23 | 55 | 1 | 2 | A Crow Left Of The Murder... |
| 2004 | "Talk Shows On Mute" | 43 | - | 3 | 18 | A Crow Left Of The Murder |
| 2006 | "Anna Molly" | 197 | 66 | 1 | 4 | Light Grenades |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
| Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1/17 | Gypsy Tea Room | Dallas, TX |
| 1/18 | La Zona Rosa | Austin, TX |
| 1/19 | Verizon Wireless Theatre | Houston, TX |
| 1/21 | HOB | New Orleans, LA |
| 1/22 | Hard Rock | Orlando, FL |
| 1/23 | Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA |
| 1/25 | House of Blues | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 1/26-27 | 9:30 Club | Washington, DC |
| 1/29 | Electric Factory | Philadelphia, PA |
| 1/30 | Avalon | Boston, MA |
| 1/31 | Hammerstein Ballroom | New York, NY |
[edit] Announcements
The most highly anticipated album featuring powerhouse Incubus entitled Light Grenades was just released in November of 2006!
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 Fungus Amongus |
 S.C.I.E.N.C.E. |
Make Yourself |
 Morning View |
 A Crow Left Of The Murder... |
 Light Grenades |
[edit] EP's
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
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[edit] Live Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2003 |  |
| 2004 |  |
| 2004 |  |
| 2004 |  |
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- During eleventh grade, Mike Einzinger saw a $100 dollar bill on the ground and used that money for their first Pay to Play appearance at the Roxy.
- The band says that they want their music to sound as weird as possible. That weirdness however translated to a world following!
- Gavin Koppel left the band due to personal and creative differences. At first, the band did not think of replacing him; luckily Chris Kilmore came their way and became part of this astonishing band.
