Incubus
Incubus is a five-piece American alternative rock band based out of
Calabasas, California. Among the band's most successful singles are "Drive",
"Wish You Were Here", "Megalomaniac", "Dig", "Anna Molly" and "Pardon Me". The
band has reached multi-platinum sales with albums such as Make Yourself, Morning
View, and A Crow Left of the Murder. Incubus released their latest studio album,
Light Grenades, in November 2006.
Beginnings and Fungus Amongus
Vocalist Brandon Boyd, drummer Jose Pasillas, and guitarist Mike Einziger met in
high school. At the age of fifteen, they formed the band with bassist Alex
Katunich also known by the stage name "Dirk Lance". Before they were known as
Incubus, they were The Kansas City Shuffle. Incubus immediately began making
music and started to play more and more frequently, graduating from parties to
small clubs. The group recorded a three song demo tape titled "Closet
Cultivation," which including the songs "Pillow your Eyes," "Bathe in my Snot,"
and an early version of the song "Speak Free." In 1993, Incubus was introduced
to Jim Wirt, a local record producer. Wirt offered to record demos for the band
during unbooked studio time and the band recorded their first album, (a
compilation of the demos they had recorded between 1992-1994) entitled Fungus
Amongus. However, due to lack of label interest, Incubus released their first
full length album on their own label, with Einziger paying for the first
pressing of 1,000 disks out of his own pocket.
In 1995, Gavin Koppell saw the band play and asked if they would be interested
in using some of his tracks, which incorporated the use of turntables. Gavin
joined full-time after his first rehearsal. Shortly thereafter, Incubus' unusual
amalgamation of styles and high-energy shows, combined with its growing fan
base, attracted labels and put the band in the enviable position of a bidding
war. Incubus finally landed a record deal with Immortal/Epic Records. Touring
throughout 1996, Incubus established themselves as a top draw live act, gaining
a dedicated following all over the United States. To start off the new year,
Immortal Records released Incubus' EP entitled Enjoy Incubus on January 7, 1997.
The EP featured re-recordings of four tracks from Fungus Amongus, plus two
recently written tracks. These were the first recordings to include the newly
acquired Gavin Koppell a.k.a. 'DJ Lyfe'. After the release of Enjoy Incubus, the
band completed several mini-tours in its support. Their first major tour was
with Korn in Europe.
