When you think of bands that approach music as an art form rather than a marketing scheme, which band comes to mind? Incubus of course! At a time when grunge was morphing into nu metal and pop was mutating into garbage- Incubus busted onto the scene with some tunes that incorporated all of the classic styles of yore and some new styles that added a bit of bounce of the facelift of mainstream music.
ncubus began in the early 90's as a high school jam group scoring gigs at all-age shows in clubs riddled around Calabasas, CA; with a little help from industry contact and Math teach Joanne Stanulonis, incubus recorded their first album Fungus Amongus on Immortal records in 1995. While on their Incubus tour that year, singer Brandon Boyd and the rest of the band would find inspiration for their first studio album release "Enjoy Incubus" in 1997. Published by Sony, the album contained 2 new songs along with recordings of four songs off of the Fungus Amongus LP. That same year, Incubus' second studio album, the funk-filled S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was released to an open-minded audience who welcomed the new sound with open arms. Combining funk, jazz, spoken word and rock- S.C.I.E.N.C.E. gave these dredded dudes street cred for breaking barriers on a major recording label. Life would become quite busy for singer Brandon Boyd, guitarist Mike Einziger, bassist Dirk Lance, drummer Jose Pasillas and keyboardist Chris Kilmore, who replaced guitarist Gavin Coppel that year. Incubus tickets were selling for tours including 311, Korn, System of a Down, and Black Sabbath along with tours like the Family Values tour, Warped Tour and Ozzfest.
When Incubus concerts came to a close in 1998, the band hit the recording studio again for their third album "Make Yourself." For original Incubus fans, the album exhibits a definite divergence in the band's sound- with a more finished sound, mellower pace and detailed lyrics, while still staying true to their funk roots. Their first single "Privilege" was featured on the MTV show MTV: Sports, but it was "Make Yourself" that would give Incubus the necessary attention they needed to gain a large fan base. Initially, interest was low in the single, but when an acoustic version hit radio waves- large radio stations like KROQ in LA were giving the band hefty radio play and incubus ticket sales soured when they went on tour with Primus and Buckethead. After reaching gold status, the band took the CD on the road at Incubus concerts with the likes of System of a Down, Mr. Bungle and Deftones.
Finding themselves in some of the most unlikely of places, Incubus headed to a beachside mansion in Malibu to record their fourth album "Morning View" before going on an Incubus tour with Hoobastank. the album was released in 2001 and remained in the #2 spot on Billboard Top 200. "Wish You Were Here," their first single off of the album stayed in the number 2 spot on the Modern Rock Charts. "Drive," another single off of the album, earned incubus an away for Billboard's Modern Rock Single of the Year. Before Incubus concert tickets went on sale for their Japan and Australian tours, the band was featured on shows like The Tonight Show, TRL and Becoming. Incubus would wrap up their remaining Incubus tour dates that fall at a loss- Dirk Lance left the group and was seamlessly replaced with The Roots guitarist Ben Kenney.
After a lofty lawsuit situation with Sony in 2003 due to insufficient compensation the band was rewarded in a settlement that sprung forth "A Crow Left of the Murder..." an album that according to guitarist Einzinger was "...very energetic and fast, and a lot of it's more technical." Their first single off the album "Megalomaniac" stirred up some controversy as a potential commentary toward the state of politics at the time, therefore the single's airplay was banned to nighttime viewing. A Crow Left of the Murder was released in 2004 and garnered comparisons to the temper tantrum style of Seattle grunge, delivering more an edgier sound.
The World Incubus tour that year included Ben Kweller, Hundred Reasons, the Music, Brand New, Sparta and the Walkman. Light Grenades was released in 2006 and debuted at #1 on Billboard Charts- their first ever position in the top slot. "Anna Molly," the first single off the album, was well received by fans; the music video, which was a critically acclaimed success, followed a woman who was presumed dead, only to revive before her autopsy.
Incubus tour dates in 2007 were postponed due to Mike Einziger's carpal tunnel surgery before playing a few Incubus concerts in Australia, Costa Rica and Venezuela. In 2008, Brandon Boyd announced that the band may go on Hiatus for school- Boyd would attend Art school while Einziger would go to Harvard Music School for composition. However, to the surprise of avid Incubus fans around the world, Incubus announced a reunion in 2009 along with a Greatest Hits album slated to be released in June 2009. What better way to spend the summer than at an Incubus concert? Incubus tickets are on sale now for their Summer Amphitheater Tour of the US in 2009 and kids who have been fans since S.C.I.E.N.C.E. will grab up Incubus tickets no matter the cost. But there's good news- cheap Incubus tickets are right here, right now. So scroll through the Incubus tour dates above and experience the monuments and melodies right along with them!
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