When MTV News caught up with Incubus backstage just before their Friday-night set at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco last week, frontman Brandon Boyd, guitarist Mike Einziger and bass player Ben Kenney shared their personal experiences with Beatles songs, their different approach to soundchecks and the stress of putting together a greatest-hits album. But perhaps the most revealing confession came from Einziger, who admitted that he once played one of his own songs on a video game and was massacred.
"I played our song 'Stellar,' and my then-14-year-old sister absolutely schooled me," Einziger said. "It was a little humbling."
Boyd had a similar experience with music-based games. "I tried it once and I sucked," he said. But that doesn't mean they're down on "The Beatles: Rock Band," which drops next Wednesday, September 9. "[The Beatles] wrote music that as much as you wanted to get it out of your head, it was sort of stuck there. That's not easy to do," Einziger said. "['Rock Band'] is really fun, and a lot of young people are going to discover the music of the Beatles through video games, and I'm OK with that."
In addition to getting excited about my T-shirt, the trio also said that despite the fact that they are all working on their own projects, they have a multitude of songs developed during soundchecks on their just-completed tour (Boyd referred to this process as "farting around"). Another Incubus soundcheck tradition? Playing songs for themselves. "We have a lot of songs we really like that don't make sense to play live at our shows," Einziger explained. "Sometimes we have fun with covers, too." When pressed for details, the conversation turned cheeky. "'Careless Whisper,' of course."
By Matt Elias
This past weekend at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, we got a glimpse into a world that most music fans don't get to see. Backstage, an entire artist hospitality area was set up to make the musicians feel like, well, rock stars. Nestled between festival regular the Ice Cream Man and a fully stocked bar were a handful of vendors hooking up artists with high-profile swag all weekend.
One of the products that came in handy in the abnormally hot sun (for San Francisco, at least) were Kaenon Polarized sunglasses. We spotted artists all weekend rocking these shades, including members of Mastodon and Cage the Elephant. Originally developed for sailing and ocean sports, the polarizing lenses translate well to the bright summer days of the festival season. Thankfully the folks at Kaenon boasted enough styles to satisfy all of the varying tastes within a band, dodging any potential breakups over the weekend. Plus, all of the glasses came in a nifty little carrying case with a custom Outside Lands logo.
Next door, Altec Lansing was unveiling the boombox for the 21st century. Read more...
Just before they took the stage at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco yesterday, Incubus took some time out to lounge in their cabana and talk to MTV News about the dangers of putting together a greatest hits record, their various side projects and my T-Shirt.
"I'm excited about this dragon blowing out the birthday candles on your shirt," guitarist Mike Einziger said even before I could ask a question. "I like his little party hat." The shirt in question is a design from Threadless called "Wishless," which depicts a fire-breathing dragon attempting to blow out the candles on a birthday cake. It's a heartbreaking image because if you look close, there's a single tear running down his face. The joke is on him — he'll never blow those candles out. I bought it because it reflects my philosophy about birthdays: That no matter how hard you try (or many party hats you wear), something usually screws it up.
But the shirt became a sort of Rorschach test for the guys in the band, who quickly dreamed up other interpretations. "He's sitting in a big puddle of blood. Or she!" frontman Brandon Boyd said. Was Boyd suggesting that the pool of blood might be ... "Yes. That's why she's really crying," he said.
The band — who wrapped up a two-month tour of the United States with their set last night — revealed that they have hours of new material that they've experimented with during soundchecks on the tour, though it's unclear when they'll get around to recording a new album. In the meantime, Einziger is at work on a second project with the Los Angeles Philharmoic, which will also involve the Kronos Quartet, composer Terry Riley and Matmos. "There may even be dragons," Einziger said.
What do you see in my T-shirt?
(Check out more photos from the 2009 Outside Lands Festival, featuring Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mras and more!)
By Matt Elias
Think you had a productive summer? Try penning an original orchestra and staging your very first performance at UCLA's prestigious Royce Hall. That's what Mike Einziger — resident guitarist for Incubus — did.
It all started in March 2007, after carpal tunnel syndrome forced Mike to take a break from the band and undergo surgery on his wrist. Years of constant playing and repetitive motion finally took a toll on his body. Mike was unable to touch his guitar for three months, and to keep himself from going crazy he decided to approach this project, titled "End.>vacuum." Read more...
