Incubus
Incubus performing live in 2007. Left-right: Ben Kenney, Jose Pasillas, Brandon Boyd, Chris Kilmore, Mike Einziger
Background information
Origin	Calabasas, California, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, alternative metal
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Epic, Immortal, Red Eye, Sony Music Entertainment
Associated acts	The Roots, Audiovent
Website	www.enjoyincubus.com
Members
Brandon Boyd Mike Einziger Chris Kilmore Ben Kenney Jose Pasillas
Past members
Gavin Koppell Alex Katunich

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 Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell; both of whom were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore respectively.

Incubus has received both critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching multi-platinum sales, as well as releasing several highly successful singles. The band earned mainstream recognition with the release of their 1999 album Make Yourself. In 2001, Incubus became even more successful with the single "Drive" and their follow-up album Morning View. Their sixth studio album, Light Grenades, debuted at No. 1 in 2006 and has received Gold certification in the U.S. Incubus released their first greatest hits album Monuments and Melodies in June 2009, accompanied by a tour of the United States, Japan and Canada. The band recently completed a seventh album, If Not Now, When?, which was released on July 12, 2011.

History[link]

Beginnings and debut album (1991–1997)[link]

Vocalist Brandon Boyd, drummer Jose Pasillas, bassist Alex Katunich and guitarist Mike Einziger began playing together when they were in tenth grade. Somewhere around the year 1994, Incubus released a demo tape called Closet Cultivation. In addition, they released other demos that did not appear on Closet Cultivation, such as Miss Bliss, Purple Kool-Aid, and Damnation? Einziger contacted Joanne Stanulonis, a well known music and math teacher who was always working with school age musical acts, usually on the set or in the studio or on tour. Joanne had just finished touring with Steve Vai's teenage musical prodigies, "Bad4Good." With her connections to the music industry and the savoir faire to book minor aged acts on Sunset Strip, Joanne booked Incubus at The Roxy, The Troubadour, and The Whiskey before they graduated high school. Through Joanne's friendship with Producer Jim Wirt and his wife Kathleen, Joanne arranged free recording and studio time at 4th Street Recording. It was where Fungus Amongus was produced and recorded. In 1995, turntablist, Gavin Koppell (known by stage name DJ Lyfe) joined them. The band's first major-label release was 1997's six-track EP titled Enjoy Incubus, and was necessarily created so the band could represent a recording while touring with Korn in Europe.^[1]

[edit] S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997–1998)

S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Incubus' second studio album, was released on September 9, 1997. After their album release, they started opening for bands such as Korn and 311.^[1] In February, 1998, Incubus dismissed Koppel. They decided that with him in the band they could no longer be a productive family. A friend recommended Chris Kilmore to fill the position. The band enjoyed Kilmore's style and attitude to life and asked him to join the band. Incubus participated in Ozzfest and Family Values Tour concerts and toured with System of a Down and Ultraspank during the fall.^[2] DJ Kilmore (first name Chris) replaced DJ Lyfe.^[1]

[edit] Make Yourself (1999–2001)

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 released their critically acclaimed third album Make Yourself.

After just 2 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 3 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. 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 highly 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 (Vol. 1) 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 scored No.41 on the Billboard Album Charts. 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 (500,000 copies sold) 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 huge success on Modern Rock 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 (1,000,000 copies sold), and shortly after, the band went on tour with Deftones. The band re-released their debut full-length album Fungus Amongus on November 7, 2000.

On January 15, 2001, the band released "Drive," the fourth single from Make Yourself after "Privilege" was released (which then went to the top 20 where it stayed at No.3 for 6 weeks.) It moved quickly up to the top of the Modern Rock Charts, eventually hitting the No.1 spot. The single was a huge success and helped the band break into the mainstream. The single eventually reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

[edit] 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 long-awaited 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 Modern Rock 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 Billboard's Modern Rock charts. Morning View debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at the No.2 spot (266,000 copies were sold in its first week). This was the highest ever placement for Incubus. At the same time, "Wish You Were Here" was at No.2 on the Modern Rock Charts, and "Drive" sat at No.48 on the Hot 100 chart. The band won an award for Billboard's Modern Rock Single of the Year for "Drive". By December, Morning View was certified platinum, "Wish You Were Here" was No.4 on modern rock charts, and Morning View was No.38 on top 200.

On December 11, Incubus released When Incubus Attacks (Vol. 2), a DVD 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 (Anti-Gravity Love Song)", live footage, backstage video, and more.

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, and played the Letterman show 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 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' last performance in 2002 (on November 1) 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" (#10), "Warning" (#16), and "Nice To Know You" (#26) on the alternative rock format chart, joining "Wish You Were Here" (#25) and "Nice To Know You" (#36). Morning View was the 40th best selling album of 2002.

[edit] A Crow Left of the Murder... (2003–2004)

Boyd in San Sebastián, Spain in 2004.

On January 6, 2003, the band began writing for their next record. The next month, on February 7, the band began to renegotiate their record contract. The band, which had been signed to Epic/Immortal for seven years, cited the fact that state law limits the amount of time that an artist can be bound to a company. The band had been signed to the label for 7 years, and used California's "Seven Years Law" as a negotiating tool with Epic/Immortal. After releasing 3 highly successful albums, the band had been compensated poorly compared to the revenue that they had generated for Sony. The band entered a lawsuit against their label in order to break from their contract, to which Sony responded with a lawsuit of their own. On March 1, Einziger, along with Scott Litt, Dave Holdredge, and Rick Will, was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Engineered Album (Non Classical)" category, for their work on Morning View. On April 3, after weeks of circulating rumors about Dirk Lance's departure from the band, an official announcement was made by the band. A decision had been reached amongst members of Incubus in a face-to-face meeting at the end of the Morning View tour to discuss his involvement in the band. The band said that the split had become necessary due to "irreconcilable creative differences". Almost immediately after the announcement of a new bass player, the 2003 Incubus vs. Sony case had been settled. The two sides settled on a new contract that delivers three albums to Epic/Immortal with an option on a fourth. The first album would be worth $8 million in advances to the band, with another $2.5 million for each one thereafter.

The Incubus logo from the A Crow Left of the Murder... era.

By December the new album, which was recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studios in Atlanta, GA was recorded live, opposed to recording each instrument at separate times, and was produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots) was completed and scheduled for release. Titled A Crow Left of the Murder..., the album was to be an enhanced CD with behind-the-scenes video. In the videos, Einziger and Boyd discussed their new songs. Einziger described them as "like the old shit, but older. It's very different. It's very energetic and fast, and a lot of it is more technical. I guess maybe in the vein of more of our older songs; they don't sound like our older songs. They are more exploratory." On December 15, 2003, the first single, "Megalomaniac", was released. It raised controversy when it was said to be an attack on the Bush administration, and was banned from daytime view on MTV (despite the band saying that it was not an attack on a particular person, rather a comment on some people's negative attitudes). However, the band was actually pleased with this nighttime viewing restriction. Says Boyd, “When we heard our video had been relegated to late night rotation, I think that all of us were secretly like, ‘Yes!’ ”. Pasillas reflected Boyd's sentiments, saying, "I think it's okay if people think that we're trying to make a political statement. Whatever anyone conjures up or takes from our music is good; I mean, our point is to get people thinking."

A Crow Left of the Murder... was released in 2004, showcasing a new turn for the band. The second single released was "Talk Shows on Mute", featuring a video that was inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Incubus toured worldwide in 2004 with many bands, including Ben Kweller, The Walkmen, Hundred Reasons, The Music, Brand New and Sparta, to promote their new album. One song left off the album, the 27-minute long instrumental entitled "The Odyssey", was later featured on soundtrack for the video game, Halo 2.

In November 2004, the band released a live DVD entitled Alive at Red Rocks, filmed in Red Rocks Park, Colorado, during their world tour for A Crow Left of the Murder.... Along with the DVD came a bonus CD featuring five tracks, including a studio version of live favorite "Pantomime", "Follow" (a lyrical version, different from the First Movement of the Odyssey version), and the UK B-Side "Monuments and Melodies". Two live tracks were also included. The performance was also sold in high definition via Blu-ray Disc. A high definition version of the entire song "Pardon Me" is also available for free download from the PlayStation Store, an online service for PlayStation 3 users.

In December 2004, at a gig in Los Angeles the band played The Police hits "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Message in a Bottle" & "Roxanne" with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers from the former band.

[edit] Light Grenades (2005–2008)

Incubus performing at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore in 2007.

In the spring of 2005, the band went back into the studio with Brendan O'Brien. Three new songs were released in late July 2005 as part of the soundtrack album to the Sony film Stealth. The track "Make a Move", was released to radio in late May, and song reached No.17 (Modern Rock Charts) and No.19 (Mainstream Rock Charts). Fan reaction towards "Make a Move" was lukewarm, but the other two new songs, "Admiration" and "Neither of Us Can See" (a duet with Chrissie Hynde), seemed to be much more well-liked. In January 2006, the first of a series of Incubus podcasts was released by the band via internet. Among other things, the podcast featured the band's thoughts about their 2005 South American tour, some information on their new album, a mash-up of "Drive" and Tupac Shakur's "Better Dayz", a cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun", and a few live interludes.

On August 1, 2006, the band announced that album number six, Light Grenades, was soon to be released and that it was being produced by Brendan O'Brien. A few weeks afterward, the release date was confirmed to be Tuesday, November 28. Upon release, Light Grenades debuted No.1 on the Billboard 200, the first time Incubus has ever sat atop the album charts, despite only selling 165,000 copies (their lowest debut for an album since Make Yourself) in the first week.

In November, Incubus played two exclusive European shows in Berlin and London. These were both in less than 2000 capacity venues – a special occasion for the band and the fans (due to Incubus's mainstream success, the band now usually plays at large arenas worldwide). The band used these shows to showcase new material from Light Grenades. The band's first single, Anna Molly, had a music video which had mainstream success.

On December 27, 2006, Incubus launched the "I Dig Incubus" contest, in which participants cut together clips of the band performing their single "Dig", to form a complete music video. On February 1, 2007, five finalists were announced for the "I Dig Incubus" contest. In a video interview on Blender, bassist and vocalist Ben Kenney said, "It's almost something that will happen whether or not we want to do it. People will make their own videos for songs. It's kind of a cool way for us to get together with fans out there who are artistic."^[3] On August 4, 2007, Incubus played on the first day at Baltimore's Virgin Festival along with bands such as The Police and Beastie Boys.

Michael Einziger had been suffering from Carpal tunnel syndrome and although he had an operation that has corrected the problem, he needed to recuperate for a few months, hence recent tour plans were postponed. Incubus apologized to fans and continued the tour in the summer and autumn.

In February and March 2008, Incubus hit the road again starting in New Zealand and headlining the Soundwave Festival in Australia alongside The Offspring and Alexisonfire, and toured Asia performing to sell-out crowds. In Singapore, they met fans at a Meet and Greet session at Changi Airport and performed at Fort Canning Hill. In April, Incubus performed at the Festival Imperial in Costa Rica, along with the bands The Smashing Pumpkins and Duran Duran, and later in Venezuela at the Poliedro de Caracas. Incubus also performed a number of shows throughout Europe this summer including the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park Festivals in Germany, the Nova Rock Festival in Austria, Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands and the Download Festival in England. In July 2008, the band played in a VH1 tribute to The Who alongside Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and The Flaming Lips.^[4]

Hiatus and Greatest Hits (2008–2009)[link]

In April 2008 the band took a break from touring and recording while its members concentrated on school, family and other activities. Brandon Boyd enrolled in a university art program in Los Angeles, while guitarist Mike Einziger went to Harvard music school to study composition. Drummer José Pasillas was also "having a baby, so there's a lot of normal life stuff going on right now—school, babies, mortgages," Boyd said. "I'm of the mind to say it wouldn't be a bad thing to disappear for a year or two years," he said. "A lot of people would say culture moves too fast and you need to remind people, but I would argue there's not any rush."^[5]

In mid January 2009, Incubus posted a video to their official site, describing what each band member was currently occupied with in the form of letters to each other. The resolution of the video was that the band was planning on getting back together soon, excited to create new music with their diverse experiences over their respite.^[6]

On March 11, 2009, Incubus posted an update to their official site detailing the new Greatest Hits album, Monuments and Melodies. The first single for the album was "Black Heart Inertia," released on April 7, 2009 with the album coming two months later on June 16, 2009. Disc one of the album included new singles "Black Heart Inertia" and "Midnight Swim" as well as the top radio hits of the last decade. Then Disc 2 of the album contains songs that have not been released officially on an album, or were rejected demos on prior albums, as well as an acoustic version of "A Certain Shade of Green," and a cover of the Prince song "Let's Go Crazy." The band also announced many confirmed dates for a Summer Amphitheater Tour of the US.

On April 1, 2009, the band posted a fake "making of" video that was filmed on the set of "Black Heart Inertia". In the video, Brandon and his double "swapped places". Brandon fetched coffee for his double, and his double also imitated Christian Bale when the DP annoyed him, shouting at and violently chasing him out off of the set. After the short film, the first full stream of "Black Heart Inertia" was uploaded, clocking in at 4:17. On April 2, the full song was streamed on the band's official site. The song peaked at No.7 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it the band's 15th Top 10 standing on the list.^{[citation needed]}

On June 16, 2009, Monuments and Melodies was released to the public, and opened at No.5 on the Billboard 200. Monuments and Melodies was the band's fourth album to reach the top 5 on the Billboard 200. The next month, on July 1, 2009, Boyd stated to North County Times, "We are definitely going to be writing ... in hopes of putting out a record sometime in 2010. That's the hope. We can never force anything. I definitely have the suspicion that we're going to get on the road together this summer, and we're just going to start playing and stuff is going to start brewing, and we're going to light that fire again."

In January 2010, it was revealed that former turntablist Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell threatened current turntablist Chris Kilmore in a store on December 28, 2009. Chris Kilmore, who replaced Gavin Koppell in 1998 claimed that Koppell, "asked me to fight him right there and raised his fists to me."^[7] As result of the incident, a judge has granted a new restraining order against Koppell. Kilmore also had a previous restraining order issued against Koppell in 2003 after Koppell allegedly spat in his face.^[7]

[edit] If Not Now, When? (2011–present)

After the release of singer Brandon Boyd's first solo album, The Wild Trapeze on July 6, 2010, it was announced that Incubus would head back into the studio to begin writing and recording a new studio album, to be released on July 12.^[8] The band played a handful of South American tour dates in October 2010, also debuting a new song "Surface to Air."^[9]

Incubus announced in March 2011 that the new album was complete and would be released in "August or September" according to Brandon Boyd. Boyd also stated that "this new record is different from anything that we've done."^[10]

On April 2, 2011, band manager Steve Rennie confirmed that the new album has been named, If Not Now, When?. It was released on July 12, 2011.^[11] The album's lead single is "Adolescents" and it was posted on the band's website on April 4, 2011.^[12]

On April 28, 2011, Incubus premiered the video^[13] for Adolescents and also released a video with behind the scenes footage.

The band revealed that they would tour for 18 months following the release of the record.^[14]

Mike has said that he is writing music for an orchestral project and also for Incubus. He states in a video (Mikey Gear Tour part II), "My hope is to just write lots of music and then by the time we get to the point to where we're going to finish the tour I'll have a lot of music written and then people won't have to wait five more years for another album (laughs)."

The band will join Linkin Park as co-headliners on the 2012 edition of the Honda Civic Tour.

Musical style[link]

Over the course of their career, Incubus has utilized elements from a variety of genres and styles, including alternative rock,^[1][15] heavy metal,^[16][17] electro,^[18] funk,^[16][17] funk metal,^[19] jazz,^[17][18] hip hop,^[16] nu metal,^{[20][21][22][23][24]} rap metal,^[19] techno^[16] and trip hop.^[25] With many critics praising the band's ambition, it has also made them difficult to correctly classify. The band has issued a wide variety of instruments into their music that are not traditionally associated with use in rock music, including a djembe, sitar, didgeridoo, and bongos on many of their earlier tracks and during live performances, and with the use of a pipa (played by Einziger) in the song "Aqueous Transmission".

Band members[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Fungus Amongus (1995)
• S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)
• Make Yourself (1999)
• Morning View (2001)
• A Crow Left of the Murder... (2004)
• Light Grenades (2006)
• If Not Now, When? (2011)

Number-one singles[link]

All of the following singles reached position #1 on the US Alternative Songs chart.

[edit] References

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Incubus

• Official website
• Make Yourself Foundation – Incubus charity website

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (August 2009)

Incubus, 1870

An incubus (nominal form constructed from the Latin verb, incubo, incubare, or "to lie upon") is a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them. Its female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin.^[1] Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death.^[2]

Medieval legend claims that demons, both male and female, sexually prey on human beings - generally during the night when the victim is sleeping.

Origins[link]

Victims may have been experiencing waking dreams or sleep paralysis. Nocturnal arousal or nocturnal emission could be explained away by creatures causing otherwise guilt-producing behavior.^[3] Then again, victims of incubi could well have been the victims of real sexual assault. Rapists may have attributed the rapes of sleeping women to demons in order to escape punishment. A friend or relative is at the top of the list in such cases and would be kept secret by the intervention of 'spirits.' The victims and, in some cases, the magistrates,^[4] may have found it easier to explain the attack as supernatural rather than confront the idea that the attack came from someone in a position of trust.^{[citation needed]}

Ancient and religious descriptions[link]

One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian King List, ca. 2400 BC, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu.^[5] It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams.^[6] Two other corresponding demons appear as well: Ardat lili, who visits men by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Irdu lili, who is known as a male counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them. These demons were originally storm demons, but they eventually became regarded as night demons due to mistaken etymology.^[7]

Debate about the demons began early in the Christian tradition. St. Augustine touched on the topic in De Civitate Dei ("The City of God"). There were too many attacks by incubi to deny them. He stated, "There is also a very general rumor. Many have verified it by their own experience and trustworthy persons have corroborated the experience others told, that sylvans and fauns, commonly called incubi, have often made wicked assaults upon women."^[8] Questions about the reproductive capabilities of the demons continued. 800 years later, Thomas Aquinas lend himself to the ongoing discussion, stating, "Still, if some are occasionally begotten from demons, it is not from the seed of such demons, nor from their assumed bodies, but from the seed of men, taken for the purpose; as when the demon assumes first the form of a woman, and afterwards of a man; just so they take the seed of other things for other generating purposes."^[9] It became generally accepted that incubi and succubi were the same demon, able to switch between male and female forms.^[10] A succubus would be able to sleep with a man and collect his sperm, and then transform into an incubus and use that seed on women. Even though sperm and egg came from humans originally, the spirits offspring were often thought of as supernatural.^[3]

Though many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual,^[11] others indicate that it is strictly heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental.^[12] There are also numerous stories^[where?] involving the attempted exorcism of incubi or succubi who have taken refuge in, respectively, the bodies of men or women.^{[citation needed]}

Incubi are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. The most famous legend of such a case includes that of Merlin, the famous wizard from Arthurian legend.^[4]

According to the Malleus Maleficarum, exorcism is one of the five ways to overcome the attacks of incubi, the others being Sacramental Confession, the Sign of the Cross (or recital of the Angelic Salutation), moving the afflicted to another location, and by excommunication of the attacking entity, "which is perhaps the same as exorcism."^[13] On the other hand, the Franciscan friar Ludovico Maria Sinistrari stated that incubi "do not obey exorcists, have no dread of exorcisms, show no reverence for holy things, at the approach of which they are not in the least overawed."^[4]

Regional variations[link]

There are a number of variations on the incubus theme around the world. The alp of Teutonic or German folklore is one of the better known. In Zanzibar, Popo Bawa primarily attacks men and generally behind closed doors.^[14] "The Trauco", according to the traditional mythology of the Chiloé Province of Chile, is a hideous deformed dwarf who lulls nubile young women and seduces them. The Trauco is said to be responsible for unwanted pregnancies, especially in unmarried women. Perhaps another variation of this conception is the "Tintín" in Ecuador, a dwarf who is fond of abundant haired women and seduces them at night by playing the guitar outside their windows; a myth that researchers believe was created during the Colonial period of time to explain pregnancies in women who never left their houses without a chaperone, very likely covering incest or sexual abuse by one of the family's friends.^[15] In Hungary, a lidérc can be a Satanic lover that flies at night and appears as a fiery light (an ignis fatuus or will o' the wisp) or, in its more benign form as a featherless chicken.^[16]

In Brazil and the rainforests of the Amazon Basin, the Boto is a combination of siren and incubus, a very charming and beautiful man who seduces young women and takes them into the river.^[17] It is said to be responsible for disappearances and unwanted pregnancies,^[18] and it can never be seen by daylight, because it metamorphoses into a kind of river dolphin during those hours. According to legend the boto always wears a hat to disguise the breathing hole at the top of its head.^[19]

The Southern African incubus demon is the Tokolosh. Chaste women place their beds upon bricks to deter the rather short fellows from attaining their sleeping forms. They also share the hole in the head detail and water dwelling habits of the Boto.

See also[link]

Look up incubus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Incubo

• Classification of demons
• Christian demonology
• Demon
• Demonology
• Krampus
• Lilith
• Fiery serpents
• Trauco
• Gancanagh
• List of fictional demons
• List of theological demons
• Night terror
• Sexuality in Christian demonology

Notes[link]

Mike Einziger
Mike Einziger performing live with Incubus.
Background information
Birth name	Michael Aaron Einziger
Also known as	Fabio Fungus Amongus Dynamike Enjoy Incubus Jawa S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Born	(1976-06-21) June 21, 1976 (age 36) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Instruments	Guitar, pipa, piano, bass
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Epic, Immortal, Sony
Associated acts	Incubus, Time Lapse Consortium

Michael Aaron Einziger (born June 21, 1976 in Los Angeles, California) is a Grammy-nominated musician known as the co-writer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Incubus. Einziger is widely known as an innovator and enthusiast of the use of pedalboard guitar effects during live concerts, and was voted #41 in Total Guitar's top 100 guitarists of all time in 2002. In an interview with Gibson Guitars, writer Steven Rosen states "[Einziger] hasn’t played the guitar so much as he has manipulated it, submitted it to his own needs. Einziger fashions a sonic tapestry that draws heavily from the Zappa/Vai/Hendrix school of rock."^[1] Mike is also an active composer, writing his first full-scale orchestral concert entitled "End.>vacuum", as well as "Forced Curvature of Reflective Surfaces"; an experimental composition that will be featured at the "West Coast, Left Coast" Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Einziger is currently enrolled as a student at Harvard University.^[2]

Career[link]

Incubus[link]

Einziger co-founded Incubus with classmates Brandon Boyd, Jose Pasillas II, and Alex Katunich in 1991. Incubus has sold over 13 million albums worldwide and has been nominated for 2 Grammys, MTV music video awards, American Music Awards, mtv U Woodie Award, and the Billboard Awards. Incubus has performed sold-out concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, The Great Western Forum, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Wembley Arena in London, and Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines.

Solo work and current projects[link]

Outside of his work with Incubus, Einziger founded his own project Time Lapse Consortium in 2003. The group featured Incubus musicians Jose Pasillas II and Ben Kenney (who was not a member of Incubus at the time), Neal Evans of the band Soulive, and long-time collaborator Suzie Katayama contributing string arrangements. The band had their debut show at The Roxy in LA, and would go on to play Jimmy Kimmel and the Knitting Factory in New York City.

In 2003 Einziger contributed to Ziggy Marley's debut solo album Dragonfly alongside fellow Incubus member Chris Kilmore as well as Flea and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers.^[3] Einziger expanded into the realm of video games when he and his bandmates worked on the soundtrack of the popular game Halo 2, writing a 26-minute song that also featured Flea on trumpet. In 2006 Einziger produced the debut album "Red Rover" by Agent Sparks; a collaboration with younger brothers Benjamin Einziger and Paul Fried.

In 2007, Einziger produced Nighttiming, the debut album of long-time friend and former Phantom Planet drummer and actor Jason Schwartzman's Coconut Records project.^[4] The album featured appearances by Kirsten Dunst, Zooey Deschanel, and Robert Schwartzman, and was recorded at Einziger's own home studio in Malibu, CA (Casa Chica).

Einziger began crafting an orchestral composition “End.>vacuum” following surgery in March 2007 for Carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive-strain injury to his left wrist undoubtedly due to a lifetime of playing guitar. The condition forced him to take a hiatus from the band and his instrument. It would be the longest he’d ever gone without playing, and enabled him to follow some other musical, as well as outside, interests.

The piece consisted of nine musical movements (approximately 40 minutes total) and was performed by a chamber orchestra led by renowned Los Angeles conductor and Einziger’s longtime collaborator Suzie Katayama. Inspiration has been attributed to such iconoclastic modern and avant-garde composers as Igor Stravinsky, George Crumb, Samuel Barber, Krzysztof Penderecki and Frank Zappa.

According to Einziger, “End.>vacuum” makes reference to his perception of the outer edge of human understanding, “the finite place where rational scientific knowledge stops and pure speculation ensues…The event horizon between what we know and what we don’t know is what keeps me awake at night, but also gets me out of bed every day.”

“Einziger's work plays with time.” Los Angeles Times’ Steve Hochman proclaimed, “Pulsating tribal/mechanical rhythms melt into sustained, almost static stretches before the rhythm reemerges. The early-'80s large ensemble work of John Adams comes to mind, but the character of the piece is Einziger's own.”^[5]

End.>vacuum was Einziger’s first original orchestral composition. It debuted at UCLA’s famed Royce Hall on August 23, 2008. On Saturday, November 21, 2009, Einziger will be participating in the premiere event of the West Coast, Left Coast festival titled "EUREKA!". Einziger will be performing his latest musical endeavor, a piece called "Forced Curvature of Reflective Surfaces". Forced Curvature was inspired by a combination of the physical appearance of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Einziger's studies in the philosophy of quantum mechanics.

The music was written for 12 electric guitars (played with a slide), 12 strings (violin, cello), and is based on the glissando. The instruments have been orchestrated in terms of corresponding high and low registers, that reflect each other as though being viewed through a mirror. The exterior shape of Disney Hall informed the shape of the sounds created and by necessity, was first drawn visually in the form of architectural-like renderings, before being committed to paper in the form of a hand-written score.

"[Disney Hall] is obviously a solid, immobile structure, but it looks like a series of reflective waves that have been frozen in a specific state at a specific place in time, and I wanted to try and imagine what it might sound like if that idea were to be expressed as waves of sound. Adding a 4th dimension of time to the picture would force the structure into a Minkowskian space-time manifold, and it would therefore become directional. It would be as though time itself were forcing the curvature of the reflective material in a forward-motion, because time appears to be directional."

The piece has no apparent formal structure and has been through-composed. All of the instruments will be fused together, forming 2 distinct 'mirror images'. The strings and guitars combined will not sound like separate groups of instruments, but rather as dense units of a single instrument uncharacteristic of entirely one or the other.

Einziger conceived of the piece at Harvard University where he is currently a student, and has studied the history and philosophy of physics with physicist/historian, Dr. Peter Galison.

Einziger has a profound interest in the physical sciences. In 2008 he contributed to an article on the topic of human evolution with evolutionary biology figure and Brown University professor Dr. Kenneth Miller.^[6]

On June 17, 2008 Einziger took a personal tour of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland with British physicist Dr. Brian Cox. During that visit, Einziger invited Dr. Cox to appear as a speaker at his concert for "End.>vacuum" later that Fall.

In 2009, Einziger orchestrated and recorded the additional strings for the 30 Seconds to Mars third album This Is War.^[7]

Musical influences[link]

Mike has cited his early guitar influences as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, and Frank Zappa. He claims "infatuation" with Björk's voice. Mike was also heavily influenced by the music of Black Sabbath and Metallica.

Personal life[link]

As of 2008, Mike is enrolled as a special student studying music at Harvard University.^[8]

As of 2012, Mike is engaged according to his Twitter account.

Equipment used[link]

Early on, Mike was playing Ibanez guitars, and sometime around the making of Enjoy Incubus he switched to PRS (Custom 24's). On the albums "Science" and "Make Yourself" he used a Mesa-Boogie Tremoverb. Mike used PRS McCarty Archtop guitars while recording some songs on the album Make Yourself (for example the song "Make Yourself"). On the album Morning View, Mike only used his PRS McCarty Archtops. During the A Crow Left of the Murder... tour, he started playing Fender Jazzmaster guitars. This guitar is played most prominently on the "Alive at Red Rocks" DVD. On a recent tour he has been seen using a Gibson SG Junior with P-90's modified with an extra neck pickup and a pickup selector switch.

Einziger is a multi-instrumentalist, and in addition to guitar, he has played piano, Mellotron, pipa, analog synthesizers, tape samplers, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and many other instruments on his recordings with Incubus as well as his other projects. He has also played a Jerry Jones Guitars Master Sitar on "Nowhere Fast" from the Make Yourself album (live, he simply plays the sitar part with his guitar), and a Pipa on "Aqueous Transmission". Mike also plays electric piano on songs like "Here In My Room" and has played piano on live versions of "Drive."

He commonly uses Mesa/Boogie Trem-O-Verb 2/12 Combos, Fender Twin Reverb. Uses [Electro-Harmonix] Micro POG [Polyphonic Octave Generator] for the solo section on “Promises, Promises.” On title track, “If Not Now, When?” Einziger plays a Mellotron mandolin. Has a 1930s Gibson with a smaller body and used an older Martin acoustic when recording “Defiance.” In the video for “Adolescents.” he is seen with a custom PRS guitar which was sold at a charity auction for $15,000 and was borrowed from the buyer for the video shoot.^[9]

Stopped using PRS guitars after some issues arose with a particular employee of Paul Reed Smith.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mike's Official MySpace profile
• Mike's Make Yourself touring rig schematic

Brandon Boyd
Background information
Birth name	Brandon Charles Boyd
Also known as	The Invisible Floating Torso Man (Make Yourself) Happy Knappy (Fungus Amongus) Brandon of the Jungle (Enjoy Incubus) Cornelius (S.C.I.E.N.C.E.)
Born	(1976-02-15) February 15, 1976 (age 36) Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupations	Service Advisor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, percussion, didjeridoo, djembe
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Epic Records Immortal Records Sony Records
Associated acts	Incubus

Brandon Charles Boyd (born February 15, 1976, in Van Nuys, California) is an American musician, author, and visual artist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Incubus.

Early life and Incubus[link]

Boyd graduated from Calabasas High School with Michael Einziger and José Pasillas in 1994 and attended Moorpark College for two years before committing to Incubus. Brandon grew up in Calabasas, CA with Ricky Taylor who inspired him to write music. His parents, Priscilla "Dolly" Wiseman and Charles Boyd, both of whom had experience in entertainment, had nurtured his artistic side since he was a child.^[1] Other musical family members include his younger brother, Jason Boyd, the former lead singer of the band Audiovent, cousin Sam Boyd, a songwriter and touring musician, as well as cousin Robert "Berto Chico" Boyd, an accomplished Flamenco guitarist. In an interview, Boyd explained that he had "yet to stumble across his best work" because he lacked the ability to read music.^[2]

Boyd designed concert fliers advertising their early performances. At first, Boyd had copied several drawings from a sex education book that Einziger's mother had given them, but he decided to stop using it after several prospective fans had been confused by their fliers ("What kind of band is this?").^[3] Boyd is also known for playing several instruments such as the didgeridoo and djembe. He also has some guitar parts during live performances.

His voice was part of what enticed Sony's Epic/Immortal Records, and the band was signed in 1996. The band's first two releases on the label, Enjoy Incubus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. went largely unnoticed, but subsequent releases Make Yourself and Morning View were commercial successes. The band's 2004 release A Crow Left of the Murder... has continued their success, nominating the band for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 2005 Grammy Awards. On November 28, 2006, the band released Light Grenades. On June 16, 2009, Incubus released a greatest hits album titled Monuments and Melodies.

In 2011 Incubus finished their 7th studio album If Not Now, When?, which was released on July 12, 2011, followed then by a tour.

Literature and fine art[link]

Brandon Boyd has written two books. The first, written in 2003, was White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward. It was published by Endophasia Publications and mainly consists of his artwork, photography, song lyrics from Incubus, and additional writings and thoughts. His more recent publication, From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss, was also published by Endophasia in 2007.

In recent years, Brandon Boyd has focused on making fine art, specifically painting, and on September 8, 2008 celebrated the opening of his first solo show,^[4] titled "Ectoplasm," at Mr. Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles, California.

Solo career[link]

On July 6, 2010, Boyd announced that his debut solo album, The Wild Trapeze was released.^[5] On June 21, 2010, a music video for Boyd's first single from The Wild Trapeze, entitled "Runaway Train," was released online. A second music video was released for the album, for the song "Last Night a Passenger" in October 2010.

Tattoos[link]

Boyd is known for his wide variety of tattoos. On his forearms he carries the widely known Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, referring to the qualities of generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, renunciation and wisdom. Underneath that is a koi fish in red ink designed by friend and bandmate, José Pasillas. On the inside of his right arm he has several tattoos, one once again incorporating the Tibetan mantra and another designed after Sarah Kerrigan^{[citation needed]}. Following the release of their album "A Crow Left of the Murder," he got an elaborate back tattoo featuring the common image of the All Seeing-Eye embedded in a pyramid.^[6] He also has a tattoo of the Eye of Horus on his right ankle. Other tattoos include his parents' names (Priscilla and Charles) on his forearms, an owl on his back, one teardrop on his index finger on both hands, and a picture inspired by Aubrey Beardsley's famous art, "The Peacock Skirt", on his left arm.

Personal life[link]

Brandon Boyd has reportedly dated models and personalities such as Jessica Miller, Baelyn Neff, Vanessa Marra, Lisa Snowdon, Carolyn Murphy, and Jo Bourne-Taylor.^[7]

Discography[link]

With Incubus

• Fungus Amongus (1995)
• S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)
• Make Yourself (1999)
• Morning View (2001)
• A Crow Left of the Murder... (2004)
• Light Grenades (2006)
• Monuments and Melodies (2009)
• If Not Now, When? (2011)

Solo

• The Wild Trapeze (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)

Benjamin Lee Kenney, Sr. (born on March 12, 1977), is a musician from Brielle, New Jersey, and the bassist for the band Incubus.

Ben Kenney played guitar for the hip-hop group The Roots before he joined Incubus in 2003 after the departure of bassist and founding member Alex Katunich aka Dirk Lance. He had previously played with Incubus members Mike Einziger and Jose Pasillas in Time Lapse Consortium.

Ben is known to play at least six different instruments and sometimes plays drum duets with Incubus' drummer Jose Pasillas live on-stage.

He has also done studio work for artists including: Justin Timberlake, Faith Evans, Erykah Badu, Blackalicious, and producers Timbaland and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

26, Maduro, Distance & Comfort & "Burn the Tapes" were all released by Ben's own record company, Ghetto Crush Industries. Ghetto Crush has also released music for The Division Group, Aleda, and Root Valdez. Ben has also helped The Smyrk produce their latest EP, New Fiction.

Solo career[link]

Ben Kenney started off in a New Jersey band called Racecar in 1994 with band members Jimmie Mueller and Sam Hoffman. After this, he and his friend Chuck Treece started a musical duo christened Supergrub in 1996, with three CD's released: Norma & Thurselle, Communicator, and finally Challenger.

Ben has four solo albums, 26 released on December 1, 2004, Maduro released on March 1, 2006, Distance And Comfort released on January 15, 2008 and "Burn The Tapes released on October 1, 2010. Ben plays guitar, bass, and drums while singing and writing every part on the solo records. When touring to support his solo records he plays guitar and sings, along with Ashley Mendel on bass and vocals and Sekou Lumumba on drums.

Ben's website, benkenney.com, allows you to download three tracks from his solo work; Hoopdie from 26, Wrong from Maduro and Eulogy from Distance & Comfort. Towards the end of 2007 Ben added a link to a video of him playing each part of, Eulogy, a track from Distance And Comfort. In this video he also spoke about the tour he is doing with Chris Kilmore in early 2008.

On September 2, 2010, Kenney announced that his fourth solo album, Burn The Tapes was released.^[1]

Equipment[link]

His bass equipment includes Lakland basses, Line 6 effects "(interview)". http://www.bassplayer.com/article/ben-kenney-on/Apr-04/650.  and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. His collection of basses includes a seafoam-green USA Joe Osborne, sunburst USA Joe Osborne with a fretless fingerboard, sunburst Skyline Joe Osborne, red Skyline Bob Glaub, shoreline gold Skyline Hollowbody, and a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass". All of his basses have rosewood fingerboards and are strung with GHS flatwounds, with the exception of the Skyline Bob Glaub which is strung with roundwounds. His live Mesa/Boogie rig consists of a pair of Big Block 750 heads and a Roadready 8x10 cabinet. In the studio and for solo gigs and small live gigs with Incubus, he uses Mesa Walkabout 1x12 combos and extension cabs.

Discography[link]

26 (2004)

1. Breathe - 3:31
2. Hoopdie - 4:17
3. 4.2.3. - 5:23
4. Andrea's Asleep - 1:08
5. Creme - 3:41
6. You Won't Like the Sound - 3:16
7. So Hard - 2:47
8. Mr. Spader, I Presume - 1:28
9. Empty Handed - 4:30

Maduro (2006)

1. Wrong - 3:00
2. Inside Pt. 2 - 4:15
3. Skyscraper - 2:57
4. Nigeria - 1:12
5. The Ether - 2:52
6. Nepenthe - 1:15
7. Conception and the Funeral - 3:26
8. It's Not Too Late - 4:08
9. How Would You Know? - 3:49
10. Girl - 3:55
11. The Moment - 3:09

Distance and Comfort (2008)

1. Not Today - 3:27
2. Get It to Go - 2:14
3. 18th Avenue - 3:53
4. Eulogy - 4:20
5. Walking - 5:19
6. When We Are Both Cats - 1:51
7. Implants - 3:04
8. Fluorescent Yellow - 4:14
9. Some Days Are Better Than Others - 2:58
10. Comfort - 7:06

Burn the Tapes (2010)

1. Beard of Bees - 3:50
2. Homes - 3:52
3. Heemtro - 0:44
4. Aftertouch - 3:09
5. Rubber Sheets - 4:40
6. The Kibash - 3:52
7. Worlds Collide - 3:54
8. Ishmael - 1:45
9. Habit - 3:34
10. Go - 5:49

Three singles are available for download through Ben's webpage: "Hoopdie", "Wrong", and "Eulogy".

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Ben's website
• Incubus' official website
• The Division Group website
• Supergrub website
• Ghetto Crush Industries website
• Incubus' #1 fansite
• Ben Kenney search on the iPhone
• Incubus Portugal
• Ben Kenney interview with TheGrixer.com