In late 1999, a little Southern California band named Incubus released an album titled “Make Yourself.” It gained some airplay on KROQ with “Pardon Me” and earned attention from MTV with the follow-up single, “Stellar.”
The band hit Ozzfest, toured with System of a Down and 311, and even had their own headline tour. By the end of 2000, they dropped another single, “Drive,” and Incubus was becoming a recognizable name and topping the alt rock charts.
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In October 2001, Incubus released the album “Morning View,” cementing their place in music history and launching them into the rock stratosphere. “Wish You Were Here,” “Nice to Know You,” and “Warning” became radio staples – and remain so today – and the album and its singles topped seemingly all the applicable charts.
With “Morning View,” Incubus was everywhere.
Incubus has continued to release incredible material and remains a phenomenal live band, but their current tour celebrates all that is “Morning View.” Brandon Boyd (vocals), Mike Einziger (guitar), Nicole Row (bass), José Pasillas (drums), and Chris Kilmore (turntables) will kick off the next leg in Nashville on June 25th and wrap it up July 19th in Chula Vista at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (there’s also an October 4th show at Intuit Dome).
Enjoying a little bit of a break before the craziness resumes, DJ, turntablist, keyboardist Chris Kilmore aka DJ Kil stopped relaxing to catch us up on all things Incubus.
Traci: Hey man! It’s been a minute! When we spoke two years ago, you were getting ready to tour, and you’ve been touring nonstop since then. I saw you just did Rockville. How was that?
Kil: Rockville was great. That was our second time doing it in, I think, three years. What’s really incredible about being there is being inside the racetrack. You see racetracks on TV, but when you see the bank on the curves at Daytona, you’re just like, “How do the cars and motorcycles go that fast around that?” And then, the fans! We had a really good time there. I don’t know how many people were there. I never really paid attention to that, but it looked like a lot of people, and they were having fun. They were starting mosh pits and crowd surfing. The energy was high.
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Traci: Did you get to see any of the other bands, or was it basically work and go?
Kil: We were in and out that day. We actually flew in on the same plane with Linkin Park and those are old school friends of ours from way back in the ‘90s. We did some touring with them in the 2000s, so it was good to see them. But other than that, I didn’t get to see anybody, but sometimes it’s just like that.
Traci: When we talked last time, I asked you what it was like to hear the first Incubus song on the radio, and we talked about “Pardon Me” being on KROQ. Now you’re on the road with “Morning View.” “Make Yourself” got you going as a success, then “Morning View” made you guys superstars. What was that time like back in the day?
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Kil: Wow. I remember we fought really hard to get into a house to record that record. The record label was like, “No, we’re not giving the keys to some kids to go in and just thrash a house.” But Mikey, our guitar player, fought really hard to make it happen. That was step one to get into the house, and we did. We wrote that record. We had a great time. We were working really hard. We were playing really hard as well.
Kil continues: But all living together at a house near the beach, it was like we were working anytime anybody had an idea. It’s like, “Okay, I got this idea. Let’s go just try it out. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But the room’s right there and we can work.” We had that mentality, that whole record, and what came out of it shows – it’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and good times.
Kil went on: Once we write the record, it’s up to the listeners to make whatever happens. But we, as a band, always try to put out our best piece of work, no matter if it’s 1999, 2000, or 2025. That was really cool. Speaking of “Pardon Me,” “Stellar” and “Drive” came out while we were in that house recording “Morning View.” “Drive” was the third single on “Make Yourself,” and we were actually off the road when that single came out.
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Traci: Already onto the next album…
Kil: Back in the day, we toured a lot more than we tour now. When I first got in the band, our first show would have been, let me think about this… It was somewhere around February 16th of 1998. That year, we did 305 shows. I did 305 shows with the band. I don’t know if that rolled into January because it was a long memory ago, but I just remember that cycle being 305 shows for some reason. I was like, “Wow, we couldn’t even do that now if we tried.”
Traci: I don’t know how on social media you are, but several of my friends in bands, in touring, the past few days have shared a specific post about the mental health of touring and how it’s hard to go back and forth. Is it easier for you now that you’ve been doing it so long, or is it still really jarring?
Kil: I would say it’s harder. The older you get I think the harder it is. I think that’s because everyone has family; most of the guys have kids. All of us have pets, wives and families, and everything. Our bodies are older. We know what band we are. When we were young, we didn’t care about any of that. It was like, “On to the next, on to the next! This is great! We get to play our music in front of people that like it and enjoy it!” It’s just the experience of that makes you forget that, “Oh, wait, you have to pack up the truck after you play. You have to pack the trailer up, and then you got to get in the van, and then you drive to the next gig, and then you got to unload it, and you got to do that.”
Kil explained: We did that over and over and over and over and over again. I think our longest run in a row was 18 shows in a row. We’ve done 11 shows in a row before and stints like that. In a touring sense, there’s no way we could sustain that anymore. One, we were playing bars for 45, 50 people. You could just hop around and play. But we’re older. Mental health on the road is really important, so we have to cut that all back. For us, we play maybe three shows in a row, then take a day off now. Sometimes it’s two shows, whatever. But the most important thing for us, especially when we’re in the States, is to travel with a chef. We travel with our catering, and that way we eat healthy. That’s one of the biggest things. That and sleep are the biggest things to stay healthy on the road.
Traci: You don’t want to live off Buc-ee’s food and beer? (laughing)
Kil: (laughing) I know that for me, I don’t know if I’d be around if we were still doing that. I can pretty much tell you that definitely we wouldn’t be around if we were still doing that. Eating healthy is important. We even have catering for our crew as well, and the local crew. We carry it so we know what we’re eating. And that way everybody’s got a full stomach and as healthy as they want to be. And it’s up to you to sleep. Everybody needs a different sleep. Everybody’s on different sleep cycles.
Traci: You mentioned getting older, but you can still do the head thing, right? (imitates Kil’s iconic dreadlock head spin)
Kil: I can, but I cut all my hair off!
Traci: Gah! It was hard to tell because of your hat, but I was thinking, “I am not seeing dreadlocks…”
Kil: I cut off all my hair. So now when I do it, nobody sees the hair flying around.
Traci: It probably feels a lot better, though, doesn’t it?
Kil: It feels so good. I had not had a haircut since March of 1995, so it was 30 years of hair growth. A couple of my dreadlocks were dragging on the ground, and I couldn’t really let them hang. I always had to tie them up. When you tie them up, they’re real heavy. Getting caught in car doors, waking up and they’re wrapped around my neck. After 30 years of that, I was like, “Okay, I think it’s time.”
Traci: Man, all this maturity and growth!
Kil: Yeah, but I feel lighter. I can move around a little easier. It was time.
Traci: What do you take with you on the road to keep yourself entertained?
Kil: I take a little mini keyboard with me. It’s just a little MIDI controller that also has its own sounds in it, and I can plug it into my computer. So if I have that in my computer, I’m great. I have my little scratch thing with that. That travels with the wardrobe cases and stuff, so that’s always at the gig. But I always personally have that with me so that way I can learn songs. If somebody calls up the night before and just, “Hey, can we play this cover tomorrow to show?” That’s cool. Let’s do it. Or whatever, my friend is like, “Hey, can you play this for me right here?” Different things. That’s my sanity, a little keyboard. That’s where I’m at now.
Traci: You guys are going to do “Morning View,” and I assume some other songs after that?
Kil: Oh, yeah. We’ll play “Morning View” front to back, so there’ll be no surprises on what we’re playing next on that part of the show. But then after that, we’ll play a handful of songs that fit in well with that record and that are also some big songs that the crowd wants to hear as well. We’re about to have nine full-length albums out. We have one in the works coming out soon.
Traci: “Something in the Water?” (the band has been teasing this on social media)
Kil: “Something in the Water,” yeah. There’s “Something in the Water.”
Traci: Let’s hope it’s something good and not scary!
Kil: I think it’s good. I think it’s great. I think the new record we wrote is incredible. But I think that about all the records. This one has something a little special, like a little “Morning View”-esque vibe to it as far as us being in a good space and having a lot of fun writing this record. We did it with Brendan O’Brien, and it sounds like us, but in 2025.
Traci: Still touring, still having fun together, and still making music. I think that’s a pretty successful band. I mean, how long how has it been… 25, 30…
Kil: Yes, long time. We don’t have to count it. (laughing) I’m definitely grateful for it. I enjoy what I do, and I really, truly, honestly good friends with everybody in the band, and we’re all cracking jokes and going through the good times and the bad times together.
Not many bands can say they get along, tour successfully, all while continuing to give us amazing new music. Incubus is definitely a special case.
Incubus will have Manchester Orchestra and Paris Jackson along for the ride. Jackson opened for them when I saw them two years ago and she was definitely talented – arrive early for her! And if I can quote my own review: “There were no weak links onstage. Kil’s distinctive scratching reminded me why Incubus has their own sound. Mike Einziger’s guitar work pales only to his dad jokes. I really noticed just how distinct José Pasillas sounds on drums now and as I listen to their music while I write this, I feel stupid at never noticing it. Boyd was a magnetic leader that had the crowd mesmerized. Any lull was punctuated by screams and when he spoke – in a quiet voice that did not match his incredibly powerful singing skills – fans flipped the hell out. We were in the church of Incubus, worshipping the musical messiah that is Brandon Boyd.”
Thank you to Kil and I plan to attend my next Incubus worship session soon!
