Incubus, interview in Mondo Sonoro (2023)

Exactly six years have passed since Incubus published “8”but the Americans do not visit Spain to present new material, but rather to show that they are still an appreciated band and with a live show that lives up to their name.

You can see them in Last Rock Festival on June 16, in a day in which they will coincide with The Pretenders, Calexico, Bones Of Minerva, Gwar, The Undertones or The Guapos.

Brandon Boyd is clear: he does not want to be on the crest of the wave. On the one hand, he is aware that his greatest moment of popularity has already passed. On the other, he doesn’t want to get back into the wheel of success and all that that entails. Life for him is something else. It’s fine as it is. However, he promises that he will record a new album with Incubusbut when the circumstances are right. At the moment, the group is doing tours and with that they have enough. Despite this, the incentive to travel the world remains intact. “For me one of the most interesting things about being in a band is traveling the world. Also, since when we toured I’m not one of those who has had big parties and barely drank, I have every memory clear. I love getting to know the planet and seeing new people all the time. When I travel I realize that the human being is the same everywhere. No matter how different the place is, we like the same things: eating well, making love, sleeping… When you go to Europe, everything is quite familiar except the language, although I like to explore the different elements that each language has. . You can make the music you want, but for those people you are another like them. Each person has their own story behind it.

“We are waiting for Bent Kenney, the bassist of the band. He had a brain tumor and needs rest. He is much better, but he must go little by little”

Thanks to the fact that our talk takes place via zoom, I can see the interviewee face to face. On this occasion, Brandon Boyd is sitting in a yoga pose. He is wearing comfortable clothes and has a tea in his hand. He lives in a permanent state of zen, with a positive attitude and willing to talk. “I am attracted to the culture of methodology. At least it opens my mind. It’s fascinating to face life like that. When I go to Europe I look at the people, having a glass of wine or a cappuccino, and many watching a football game in the street. But of course, then there are the topics. First-timers to Los Angeles believe that everyone here is surfing all the time, when in reality it’s a very small part of the population that does. What is true of the United States is that we have those great spaces in which there is nothing. You can spend two days driving until you find a town or a gas station. You enjoy the scenery and then, when you arrive at the site, you will see if you are welcome or not. For example, I remember one time in Texas where we came to a small town called Marfa where there are art galleries, cute coffee shops and wonderful places to eat with great chefs. And that is a place that is in the middle of nowhere.”

Now let’s go back to the present moment of Incubus. The truth is that the band does not generate too much news right now. Although that is something that does not seem to bother Brandon Boyd. For him, everything has its moment. “We are in no hurry. Now we are watching Bent Kenney, the band’s bassist. He had a brain tumor and needs rest. He is much better, but he must go little by little and this year he will not be able to join the group. Therefore you will see a replacement, Tal Winkelfeld. She has played with Jeff Beck and is an extraordinary instrumentalist. With this I want to tell you that, to generate ideas and record, we must be calm and find ourselves all in tune”. Brandon is not at all worried about escaping from that disco-tour spiral that traps many bands until they are suffocated. “I neither need nor want to be in that wheel. For the first time in my life I feel comfortable with my position. Let’s see, achieving success and being on top is exciting. I would say more, it’s amazing! But that’s not real. At this point I don’t want success at any price. You realize when you suffer family tragedies. That’s when you forget about the music business and what it means to be exposed at all hours. In this industry, most people are not happy. Whether you like it or not, when you’re in that maelstrom, problems arise. Relationships between peers, drugs… without wanting to get into that loop. So we asked ourselves what kind of experience we wanted to live. Right now I am comfortable in this more meditative point. Spending so much time at home gives me peace and has allowed me to rediscover myself. Right now I know exactly where I am. I feel like getting up early and going for a walk with my dogs.”

Despite all this, last year Boy released his third solo album, “Echoes & Cocoons”. A varied and very particular collection. “It was a record that arose from having the perspective of spending a lot of time at home. We had published an epé with Incubus, but I felt the need to compose. In fact, that’s what I like best about my job. So, since I had a lot of time ahead of me and having discarded the idea of ​​running to do things, I focused on listening to new music with my wife. In addition to all this there was an album that dazzled me, ‘All Mirrors’ by Angel Olsen. I loved John Congleton’s production. I contacted him and he agreed that a record was finishing at that moment, so we began to talk about the possibility of making one together. And we did that, although we took it more as an experiment.