We may earn an affiliate commission from any company linked to in this post.
Have people lost their focus on Dirk Lance? Did the audience find a better and more interesting bass player to follow?
Or was Incubus the vehicle that drove Dirk’s popularity during his tenure?
The latter is most definitely the case. Dirk didn’t lose his talent. His influences and playing style have invariably stayed on course. It’s the fans that maintained focus on Incubus- not missing a beat, even after Dirk’s dismissing.
He’s not drawing much attention to himself these days, and I respect a man who follows his heart. Be it Willie’s Nerve Clinic or no clinic, I sure miss the old Incubus either way.
Spoonfuls of TLC, Savage Garden, Sugar Ray.. but not a drop of Incubus?
Dirk’s departure in 2002 had no effect on me.
Give me some slack, I was 12!– not a clue who Incubus was or what they’d accomplished. Missed out on some of their most impressionable tours e.g., the flamboyantly clothed-afro conspicuous Morning View era, and who can look past those dreadlock endured S.C.I.E.N.C.E. days?
…my only gateway to music prior to that was the mainstream and classic rock radio stations. Incubus fitted neither of those categories.
As for their couple of songs deemed ‘mainstream’ (Pardon Me and Drive), were more or less filtered from airplay. At least in my geolocation. Perhaps radio DJs have local restrictions for which singles are permitted..
Incubus were kinda the underdogs, weren’t they?
I had no idea who Incubus was during the 90s hay days. Their S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album portrayed them eager for success (evident with their live shows) and proved them creative individuals who, at the same time, are easygoing and all-around cool dudes.
Yet they were still under the radar.
Several days prior to their release of Make Yourself (their breakthrough album) they played a show put on by a radio station, in Las Vegas.
The crowd was yet to fully welcome in with open arms, even while the band was jamming away on Pardon Me. (Still trying to figure them out then?)
(Check out a bootleg of their 1998 Coney Island High show in NYC- on youtube. An ode to their early days; A Certain Shade of Green is undeniable!)
At the point of my ‘Incu-inception‘, I realized they’ve enlisted two bassists in their bands history. One by the name of Alex Katunich aka Dirk Lance, and presently their bassist, Ben Kenney. Prior to Incubus he played for The Roots, and is, super talented. -Did he have those organic grooves that Dirk had- a predisposition for the bass guitar? My skepticism…
Dirk Lance, on the other hand, built his household name with Incubus.
Being introduced to their catalog in ’08 was a climax for me, musically. Actually, the first time I listened to them was when I watched: ‘When Incubus Attacks Volume 2‘. The first few songs were them performing live in Chicago, circa 1998. I disregarded their style, never thought twice about it.
Then a month went by, and decided to dust off the dvd again, probably from boredom.
That was when the egg hatched- a subtle hatch, but a successful hatch nonetheless.
Super Sophisticated
With Incubus, their sound is hard to classify. They’re all over the board. That was one of the final characteristics that got me.
An open mind was essential. As far as their music goes, I didn’t know where the heck to start. With little rhyme or reason I found a song called ‘Are You In?‘ and put that on my mp3 player.
A good choice.
That bass line in ‘Are You In?’ is second to none. The element sorely lacking from virtually any Incubus song post-’02 is the bass lines. That’s safe to say.
Dirk had that special ability to draw you in with a uniqueness only Alex Katunich could frankenstein- a bold, funky heaviness providing an awesome complement to the guitar. They had something that most bands can only dream of. No ass kissing here, for real!
A chemistry that began while most of them were still in middle school!
Like sipping on a fresh glass of herbal tea. They’re music has that flavor- a southern California surfer vibe, with heavy edges and a middle eastern touch. -Rock on, Mikey–
The greatest modern rock band ever?
I still can’t comprehend the beauty those guys layed out in their compositions, particularly Morning View, Make Yourself, and S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Dirk had amazing stage presence, and seemed to fit like a glove with the rest of the band. His style and personality are still part of their family. I guess that’s where I’m stubborn.
I finally got to see them earlier this year in Minneapolis, and was right in front of Mike Einziger, their lead guitarist. Words cannot explain my joy that night. Their tour was in support of their release, ‘If Not Now, When?’ (Any beef that album gets comes from the partiality of us Dirk fans!)
Even the most hardcore fans who support anything they do will deep down wish Dirk was back. ..Maybe I’m wrong..
But I’m not… Ha!
Common Ground in Incubus Land
Variety is good. Healthy. Ben or Dirk, our mutuality should reside there.
But please, give us one reunion show, Dirk! Just one! The original Incubus.
- Featured image by mooglet of Flickr under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
- Blog photo #2 by annurca of Flickr under a CC BY 2.0 license
- Blog photo #3 by Ed Vill of Flickr under a CC BY 2.0 license