#the traditions built around reinvention and throwing away aspects of your old life that you wish to discard

[cyberpunkboytoy]

My DID-having ass is experiencing so much world-envy for the fictional country of Vaugarde I'm going to throw up

[theseventhhex]

Incubus Interview

Mike Einziger, Jose Pasillas, Ben Kenney, Brandon Boyd & Chris Kilmore

Photo by Brantley Gutierrez

Multi-platinum alt-rock icons Incubus remain as dismissive of rock’s traditional boundaries as ever, roaming from New Wave pop to dark-hearted electro-blues and a dub/lounge-jazz mash-up on their formidable and aptly named eighth record, ‘8’.The Californians continue to deliver exhilarating and incisive compositions laced with an array of pulsating and diverse soundcscapes. Like no other band, Incubus manages to create a perfectly balanced mix of attentive lyrics, dynamic melodies and experimental material. Soft, hard, love, anger and always authentic… We talk to drummer Jose Pasillas about being patient, the evolution of the band’s live shows and growing vegetables…

TSH: In the lead-up to the band’s latest record entitled ‘8’, you guys had a renewed sense of adventurous spirit with your crafting methods, how crucial was the break you had?

Jose: Firstly, taking time out since our last full-length record was very important, even though we put out an EP; I still think that we took time to recharge and ventured out into our own little projects, which was required to keep things fresh. We were each individually evolving as people, we were also looking back in an introspective way and seeing who we were and what we’re all about now, which was also key in giving us a greater appreciation going into this record. Man, we were just inspired and we had this energy that we hadn’t had in quite some time. It was very present and obvious in the crafting process and lead to a solid body of work.

TSH: Was it particularly pleasing to bring back elements of the band that you naturally gravitated away from?

Jose: Yeah, it was definitely pleasing. You know, I think art in general is this sort of subconscious route and I think for us things are very cyclical in this band. For us, revisiting previous Incubus traits and elements just simply happened naturally. We only really started to notice this aspect when we started playing the music for other people. I guess it goes to show that we’re open to revisiting a previous type of feel and vibe, even though we always have elements of reinventing ourselves. It takes us long to make the right call, however, the energy and inspiration we give each other makes it worthwhile.

TSH: What was the process like in bringing together ‘Glitterbomb’?

Jose: That song was really free-flowing. I brought my best rhythmic fundamentals to the band for the track. I was writing to a simple guitar and bassline, which I prefer. Mike had a couple of beats and parts he’d developed and we built the song up together and collaboratively. There are a few long winded parts in the song, which we tend to fall on at times, ha! I guess sometimes we can be guilty of overplaying, but I feel we got it just right with ‘Glitterbomb’. It’s certainly one of my new favourite songs to play live - even though it’s aggressive, there’s still space to work within.

TSH: What do you admire mostly about ‘Throw out the Map’?

Jose: I just feel that the chorus in that song is super-fun! It kind of reminds of the chorus on ‘Nowhere Fast’. Also, there are a lot of skippy parts on the snare and some quarter notes too, as well as the verses having a four on the floor kick drum and a rambunctious section for the pre-chorus. The song is heavy and aggressive, but not in a metal way, more in a high energy way. Again, it’s another fun song to play live, very much like a journey if you will.

TSH: Moreover, throughout the record, narratives and themes in relation to loneliness, isolation and paranoia come into play…

Jose: Yeah, that’s largely Brandon’s decision to cover these kinds of topics. Brandon is constantly writing poems and stories and the themes you mentioned were playing on his mind - he most probably felt compelled to express them. After all, it’s hard to not talk about so much negativity, considering we’re surrounded by it on a daily basis. Brandon has a pool of stuff to pull from, he’s a deep thinker and very philosophical. I personally appreciate that a lot of these themes are very current and people can relate to them, they are kind of timeless in a way. I feel the album echoes messages of being bent but not broken, as well as getting knocked down and having the agility to get back up.

TSH: There’s also the factor of listeners for countless years connecting with your music and applying it their own lives to overcome obstacles and feel uplifted…

Jose: I feel fortunate that me and my bandmates can use this incredible music tool and allow others to feel such positive results. Music is escapism and I’ve used it all my life to feel content, so I can understand our fans connecting with it too. I’m just glad that our music can help people and allow people to have personal connections. I personally use music to take me to the light or the dark, depending on how I feel. I just hope that as we progress, we continue to make new fans, new connections and inspire those that have stuck with us for all these years.

TSH: How would you sum up the evolution of Incubus’ live offerings?

Jose: Well, for me, it’s the most fun part - bringing these songs to life. We’ve evolved consistently via understanding each other and respecting our audience. The recording process is rewarding in a different way, however, the process of playing live is amazing. We can’t replicate the production when we play live so it’s always a fun challenge to rewrite songs to play live and make it feel and sound great. Performing live is a nightly project for me. Also, Incubus has become really good at being intuitive with one another onstage, which makes for an entertaining live show, for sure.

TSH: What keeps you smiling during the mundane tour moments?

Jose: Touring is not easy, especially when you’re living on a bus with many other individuals. Our company is what keeps us smiling though; we are constantly making each other laugh and just messing around. Essentially, we’re still old neighbourhood friends, and believe me; we’ve got some funny motherfuckers in this band, haha!

TSH: I understand you’ve been growing your own vegetable patch lately, consisting of cauliflowers, brussel sprouts and kale…

Jose: Ha, you know about that! Yeah, you know, this whole growing my own vegetables is a new adventure I’ve been embarking on. It’s my first time growing a little crop of food, but if feels so good man. My daughter learnt a bit of horticulture in school so she’s the one that inspired the idea, therefore we do it as a family.

TSH: Also, does cycling, as well as your own clothing line help to keep you motivated outside of the band?

Jose: Yeah, absolutely. My clothing line is just another outlet for my creativity, which I enjoy a lot and cycling is a meditative process for me. Both outlets bring so much stability to my life and that’s ultimately what it’s all about. I just want to remain upbeat in my spare time, with my loved ones around me. I’ve been through many downs and pitfalls, I’m sure there will be more to come, but I just try to avoid as much negativity as possible and stay upbeat.

TSH: What are the key fundamentals that you hope to maintain with Incubus as you venture ahead?

Jose: I think I speak for everyone in the band when I say that we just really want to continue to write music that we feel is inspiring. Also, it’s important to keep it entertaining for our fans and for us in the band. We always want to be appreciative of what we’ve got and that’s the stream of thought that we hope to maintain and continue to pull from.

Incbubus - “Undefeated (Lyric Video)”

8