Brandon Boyd
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Brandon Boyd (born Brandon Charles Boyd, February 15, 1976, in Van Nuys, California) is the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band, Incubus.
[edit] Life and career
Boyd graduated from Calabasas High School in 1994, and attended Moorpark College for two years before committing to Incubus full time.
He grew up in Calabasas, California. His parents Dolly and Charles, both of whom had experience in entertainment, had nurtured his artistic side since he was a child. He had first met Jose Pasillas in elementary school in the 1980s, but it was not until high school that he was asked to join a band that already included Pasillas, Mike Einziger, and Alex Katunich. Boyd's vocal abilities, which were for the most part self-taught (he had taken two lessons before he ran out of money, but he claims he learned everything he would need), proved to be the final essential element for the band. As they developed more and more songs, the band quickly became a popular show around the neighborhood.
When the band decided to play their first show together at a friend's house, the time came to choose a band name. Boyd's suggestion, "Spiral Staircase," was denied in favor of Einziger's suggestion, selected at random from a dictionary: Incubus. They chose Incubus simply because it had the word sex in the definition.[1] Boyd put his other artistic talents to good use, drawing concert fliers advertising their early performances. At first, Boyd had copied several drawings from a sex education book that Einziger's mother had given them, but he decided to stop using it after several prospective fans had been confused by their fliers ("What kind of band is this?").[2]
His strong voice was part of what enticed Sony's Epic/Immortal Records, and the band was signed in 1996. The band's first two releases on the label, "Enjoy Incubus" and "S.C.I.E.N.C.E." went largely unnoticed, but subsequent releases "Make Yourself"and "Morning View"were commercial successes. The band's 2004 release "A Crow Left of the Murder..." has continued their success. "Anna-Molly", the lead single from their new album "Light Grenades", reached #1 in the Modern Rock Tracks chart, boding for continued success with this album. On 28 November, 2006, the band released their new album entitled Light Grenades. He has also taken up some guitar parts during live performances.
Over the years, Boyd's lyrics have expressed a range of different ideas. His early work, which was often light and playful, was no doubt influenced in part by his use of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.[citation needed] According to Boyd, after smoking his first joint with his older brother Darren, the poetic floodgates had been opened inside of his brain. The whole first album "Fungus Amongus" is about psychedelic mushrooms. While Boyd is opposed to organized religion [3] he remains spiritual[4], expressing strong belief in a governing energy which is "feminine at its core". He has also said that he practices lucid dreaming.
Boyd was also the subject of controversy for a time, thanks to a deal as a poster child for GAP. Many fans felt this contradicted lyrics that Boyd has written in the past about not conforming to the norms of society. However, once more details about the ad campaign were released, fans cooled down. Boyd sang a cover version of Elvis Costello's "Alison" in this ad. His cover of "Alison" was released on a GAP in-store CD (the rest of Incubus did not contribute to the song). The ad is no longer aired.
Brandon Boyd has written two books during his lifetime. This first, written in 2003, was White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward. It was published by Endophasia Publications and mainly consists of his artwork, photography, song lyrics from Incubus, and additional writings and thoughts. His more recent publication, From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss, hit the shelves in 2006 and was also published by Endophasia.
[edit] References
- ^ Incubus Online Website, Band History, Part 1 The rest of the members thought it was a cool sounding word, and "it had sex in the definition, alright, that's great, lets use it."
- ^ Incubus Online Website, Band History, Part 1They eventually started to receive complaints, and kids would see the fliers and ask "What kind of band are you?" So the band had to retreat back to using their own artwork.
- ^ Brandon on his song meanings Favorite things is my personal beliefs about religion and how it oppresses the things I enjoy the most. Unfortunately, the simplest things, such as thinking for myself, creating my own reality and being whatever the hell I want to be each day of my life, are a sin. To be a good Christian basically means to give up the reigns of your life and let some unseen force do it for you.
- ^ Interview with Brandon Boyd of Incubus "The energy I have experienced has definitely been feminine at its core. At the same time though, I've come to the conclusion that by putting a type of sex on it, one way or the other, you limit the energy. At this point, it, stressing the word "it," is far beyond my capability."
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| Brandon Boyd | Mike Einziger | Jose Pasillas | DJ Chris Kilmore | Ben Kenney |
| Alex Katunich | Gavin Koppell |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Fungus Amongus | S.C.I.E.N.C.E. | Make Yourself | Morning View | A Crow Left of the Murder... | Light Grenades |
| Live albums: Live at Lollapalooza 2003 | Live in Japan 2004 | Live in Sweden 2004 | Live in Malaysia 2004 |
| DVDs: When Incubus Attacks Volume 2 | Morning View Sessions | Alive at Red Rocks |
| EPs: Enjoy Incubus | When Incubus Attacks Volume 1 |
| Singles: "A Certain Shade of Green" | "Pardon Me" | "Stellar" | "Drive" | "Wish You Were Here" | "Warning" | "Nice to Know You" | "Are You In?" | "Circles" | "Megalomaniac" | "Talk Shows on Mute" | "Agoraphobia" | "Make a Move" | "Anna-Molly" | "Dig" | "Love Hurts" |
