Incubus

Part 2 —

The first post I made gave a beginning history of Incubus’ forming. This is part 2.

By 1994, Brandon and Jose were attending Moorpark Community College after spending the last couple years writing new songs and playing whatever gigs they could get. Mike tried out for a new band forming called Alanis Morissette. This opened the door to Incubus getting some timeto write, record, and perfom a demo release called “Closet Cultivation”. As with many beginning artists, money gets tight, and you buy whatever you can afford to buy that does what you need it to. The tape recorder they used was placed in the middle of a room, or a 4 track recorder. This worked for a while, until a major tour manager, Mark Shoffner, gave them an offer that any band would love — a “no-strings-attached” chance to record in a friends’ studio. They took it. The demo tape “Incubus” was officially released on January 7th 1995. After playing those songs, and a few others for 10 straight months, Jim Wirt (Santa Monica, CA) helped Incubus put out a full length album on November 1st, 1995, called “Fungus Amongus”.

“Fungus Amongus” is one of my personal favorites. There’s something about a band’s infancy that adds to its intensity. Being a new band together, new faces, new personalities, new attitudes, new creativity….it adds a really great experimental twist to the music that you collaboratively write. I think “Fungus Amongus” was the album that helped define the band’s ability to write great songs together. So many of the tracks on this cd have incredible tempo changes, time signatures, and layered guitar. If you don’t have this album…I highly suggest you go out and get it. Right now. You’re still reading this. I meant go and get it right now.

Next blog — Part 3 in the history of Incubus — Incubus adds a new person…