Personal Life
Brandon Charles Boyd was raised by his parents Charles Boyd and Priscilla in Calabasas, California. His parent are also veterans of the entertainment industry, so, naturally, this helped grow his artistic and musical side when he was growing up. Ricky Taylor, Brandon’s childhood friend, was another inspiration behind him writing music and growing his skills. His brother, Jason, is also a singer in a band.
Career
Incubus released their first album Fungus Amongus in 1995 and their second album, called S.C.I.E.N.C.E, was released in 1997. However, these first two albums didn’t get much recognition. The band got its first huge break when they released the album Make Yourself in 1999. Boyd also believes in charity work, so he is involved in many charity causes and social events like the Plastic Use Awareness Camp.
During his career as an author, Boyd has has three books published that are well worth reading – White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward published in 2003, From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss published in 2007 and So The Echo published in 2013. Sons of the Sea is another band founded by Boyd in 2013. He was also named as MTV’s Weapon of Mass Heartbreak by Spin Magazine.
]]>More on Bands
A typical music band consists of a drummer, a lead guitarist, a bassist and a lead vocalist while some consists of back up singers, a lead vocalist, a drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist. Some like jazz bands consist of lead saxophonist, back up singers, a drummer, a guitarist, and back up saxophonists. In a band, the group of people in the band are known as band members.
Choosing band members
When it comes to starting a band, choosing band members is very important. When choosing your band it is best to go for dedicated, talented and professional people. Although, having talented members is not all rosy and comes with a huge price which might, in the end, break up the band. Therefore, when choosing a band it is best to choose personality over talent to be in your band.
There are also some other pointers to take into consideration when choosing your band members. Apart from looking for personality over talent, you need to get trustworthy members and figure out the financial aspect of your band. The financial aspect includes how the band would share the money, and individual positions in the band. Being in a band is more than just making music, it’s a lifestyle.
]]>Studio and Live Albums
From 1995 to 2017, the rock band has released 8 studio albums namely; Fungus Amongus, S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder, Light Grenades, If Not Now, When? And 8. Four live albums; Live at Lollapalooza (2003), Japan (2004), Sweden (2004), Malaysia (2004) and iTunes Live from SoHo. Four video albums; When Incubus Attack (Volume 2), The Morning View Sessions, Alive at Red Rocks and Look Alive.
Singles and Compilation Albums
The band has over 30 hit singles that include; Take Me to My Leader, A Certain Shade of Green, Redefine, New Skin, Pardon Me, Stellar, Drive, Wish You Were Here, Circles, Nice to Know You, Warning, Are You In?, Megalomaniac, Agoraphobia, Neither of Us Can See, Make a Move, Anna Molly, Dig, Love Hurts, Oil and Water, Let’s Go Crazy, Black Heart Inertia, Adolescents, Promises, Absolution Calling, Trust Fall,
Nimble Bastard, Glitterbomb, State of the Art, Undefeated, Loneliest, No Fun, and the Warmth (a live recording). They also have nine compilation albums that were produced between 2005 to 2013 that include; Mix, Morning View/Make Yourself, S.C.I.E.N.C.E/Fungus Amongus, Monuments and Melodies, Morning View CD/ The Morning View Sessions DVD, The Essential, 3 original album classics, Playlist: The Very Best of Incubus and HQ Live boxset.
]]>How Incubus started
The band started recording their songs in a Santa Monica studio with their producer Jim Wirt and Chillum Records. They were able to record their songs when school ended. They recorded their first EP song in 1995 titled “Let Me Tell Ya ‘Bout Root Beer”. They later went on to produce their first album in 1995 titled “Fungus Amongus”. They later produced S.C.I.E.N.C.E in 1997, which was their second album.
Musical Style and Influences
Over the years the band has produced ten albums, and eight of them have been full-length. Since the inception of the band, Incubus has integrated elements from different genres and styles, which have included, alternative metal, heavy metal, art rock, funk, post-grunge, electro, jazz, funk metal, nu metal, hip hop, rap metal, pop, thrash metal, techno, and trip hop. The band’s diversity has made them unique and consistently relevant.
A lot of critics have praised the band’s intentions with regards to their diverse music style, although it has made it difficult to classify the band. The band was influenced by many old-time bands, which they claim have inspired their music, such as Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mr. Bungle, Stone Temple Pilots, Ani DiFranco, Rage Against the Machine, Fishbone, Beastie Boys, Suicidal Tendencies and Soundgarden.
]]>Composition of songs
The band includes a vocalist, bassist, drummer and a guitarist. Making music together is a lively experience and one that helps people bond as friends. The process of coming up with songs for the band was totally random. The members got inspiration from their personal lives, matters affecting the society, or common ideas that sparked their creativity. Their aim was to engage and entertain their audience with beautiful rhythm and original sound.
Experience and challenges
The idea of being part of a band always excites strangers when they spot a stage setting, and the band lives it with a mix of fun and frustration. Fun comes from seeing people appreciate music and the frustration from the raging fear of failure. Getting Millennials to enjoy music is a desire the band is yet to fully actualise, even though they’ve been trying to reach that goal since their formation.
For every band, getting requests to perform is always exciting and refreshing, but spending hours in practice sessions, transporting heavy instruments and machinery can be stressful too. Sometimes ending up with a rescheduled event or delayed payment happens, but being friends makes it easier for the band to overcome challenges and all the issues that came across the way since their formation, creating expressive and original musical gorgeousness.
]]>Musical Style
The band is an alternative rock band with a deep appreciation for progressive rock. In order to create beautiful music it incorporates other styles from other genres like hard rock, classical music,pop and even some blues. It takes skill to master all these different styles without losing the identity and soul of the band. Passion and love for music is paramount as it helps to maintain authenticity, social context, and unique sound.
Band Influences
The focus of the band is on social alienation and thought-provoking issues, aiming to connect with people by addressing issues affecting them. Every musician and band have a source of inspiration and the band gets their from two famous bands that managed to bring life to music. Listening to different styles and sounds helps tap our creativity and provoke thinking. It is an essential part of the growth.
Both influences were legendary bands with impeccable talent. Nirvana, the American rock band, is a great inspiration to the work, with their amazing music that remains timeless and impressive. Linkin Park is also a great influence with their ability to use any genre in their songs and make a masterpiece out of it. They were the catalyst to the inception of the band and their passion for the art is admirable.
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