90s/00s Rock Gods Incubus Revisit Their Past With ‘Morning View XXIII’ — And The Future Looks Bright Says Brandon Boyd.
"Roughly 23 years ago we rented a house at the sea to do an art experiment. The novel and expansive environment combined with a healthy dose of momentum helped us find that ever sought after FLOW state and the songs that became known as ‘Morning View’ have since become indelible and deeply important parts of our lives. This album helped propel our little art experiment called ‘Incubus’ into a way of life and here we are today, some 23 years later about to introduce a new/next phase of it’s existence. ‘Morning View xxiii’ is a re-recording/re-think of the 2001 album and is the result of our desire to honor this burgeoning legacy but also reimagine it as musicians who have been lovingly performing these songs night after night for the last 23 years.
Why? OK, so beyond the criminally uninteresting language of “re-record rights” there was a creative challenge here in the attempt to reimagine something we made so long ago that became a soundtrack of sorts to our own experiences but as well to the lives of so many people who allowed this album to penetrate beyond mere casual listenings. So with great enthusiasm we are not only releasing this new version of the album but we are also planning a 10 show arena tour through the United States where we will perform the album from front to back. After our October 2023 concert at the Hollywood Bowl where we played Morning View in it’s entirety, it became an obvious next step for us to take this show on the road, so to speak. So in late summer of ’24 Incubus will be coming to an arena near you to share that love.
It’s an understatement to say that a lot changes in a couple of decades. In our cultural environment today it appears that the poles shift every day at noon. But in that spirit of movement I suppose this is as good an opportunity as any to let you know that our friend and bass player of over 20 years, Ben Kenney, has decided to step away from Incubus. We are saddened at his departure but honor his decision and we are so grateful that we had the opportunity to make music with such a talented and generous artist for two decades. I’m sure it’s inevitable that everyone will have questions as to the details surrounding his departure and that is fair, but in honoring our long friendship with Ben, it feels appropriate to allow for him to answer those queries in a time frame he himself feels comfortable with. We wish him only the best of fortunes and we tip our hat to Ben, one of the greats.
There is never only a closed door though, at least not the way I like to observe our strange and wondrous universe. A window opened soon after and in came a breath of fresh air in the form of Nicole Row. (Insert whooshing sound effect!) What started as a suggestion from Ben Kenney himself for someone to step in during his absence has become a fast friendship and creative kinship that we are so grateful for and deeply excited about. We’d like to welcome Nicole to the Incubus family! She spent most of 2023 on tour with us and has quickly proven herself indispensable. We love her and her delightful presence, and it’s a real dollop of icing on the proverbial cake that she is a monster of a musician. We are thrilled for you to hear her contributions to Morning View xxiii and witness her energy on stage.
Recap! We’re putting out a redux/re-recording of Morning View entitled ‘Morning View xxiii’ and come summer, we are doing a ten date area tour (in the US) in support of it. We’re welcoming musician and professional bass slayer Nicole Row into our Incubus Family! Additionally, we are currently writing a new Incubus album and it’s already sounding really exciting! It’s been seven years since we released a new LP so we have high hopes that this one reminds our listeners why and how we love making art together.
You know, being in a band is not unlike being an author, except in our case we have been writing the book for 33 years now. Some of the chapters have been triumphant, some of them stupid, some tragic, some odd and some surprising, as any book worth reading has. One thing that is certain though is that we are far from being done, and this tome is one we are crafting with a decided glee! Our process is one of a continual refinement that we hope can bring some modicum of joy to and for anyone who decides to keep reading on. So, with your participation and your attention we will keep the ink flowing. See you on the road soon!
With Love,
Brandon Boyd." - brandonboyd.substack.com/p/a-new-morning-view-b24?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
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