Brandon Boyd Of Incubus On Why They’re Doing An Arena Tour, How He Approaches Lyric Writing And Horror Movies
It seems like lately I’ve been interviewing musicians I’ve never talked to before. Brandon Boyd of Incubus fits in that category. They’re coming to Detroit, playing the Little Caesars Arena on August 23rd. Why are they playing arenas during the summer? “When we released Morning View back in 2001, things moved quickly for Incubus. We went from playing theaters to jumping to arenas. We wanted to see how it would play if we reintroduced the idea in 2024 in celebration of Morning View’s 23rd anniversary. We originally tested the idea at the Hollywood Bowl, and it went really well. Mikey actually had the idea to do the same show but in arenas around the country.”
With new music on the horizon, I asked him about his lyrical direction, now that they’re so many years removed from “the struggle” of being a young band trying to make it. “That’s a good question. When we first started touring, we were constantly on the road. It was amazing, but also limiting as a songwriter. I didn’t want to write songs just about being on the road. I wanted to write about life—falling in love, falling out of love, the chaos, the order, everything. Now, I have never struggled to find things to write about. Life is too interesting, with too many rabbit holes to wander down.”
Watch The Interview With Brandon Of Incubus Below
We also discussed his time on the road, and what a typical day looks like. “Concert days are more scheduled than you might think. There’s soundcheck, eating at a specific time, etc. But I do bring a bike with me, and so does Jose. In the mornings, we explore within a handful of miles from the venue. On days off, I walk, visit museums, surf if possible, and read a lot. I also paint when we’re on tour.”
The Incubus Singer Is A Horror Movie Fan
I’d heard he had an Evil Dead poster hanging in his house. Of course, I had to ask him about that. “I’m a big fan of the Evil Dead franchise. I have a small collection of horror film posters hand-painted onto potato sacks in rural Ghana. A friend of mine established relationships with artists there who would create these posters for movie club nights. They’re now in my living room.” He went on about the genre “I love horror films, but I don’t get to the movies as often now. I fell in love and married someone who’s not a horror fan, so I mostly watch them when we’re on tour. Nicole Row, our bassist, is obsessed with horror films too, so we geek out together on tour.”
Catch Incubus at the LCA on August 23rd. For more info, click here.
