I'm a fan (and you should be too) because ... listening to Incubus for the first time back in 1999 when I was 13 years old opened up my senses and mind to a completely different kind of band. I was hooked the second I heard them on that bus trip to San Antonio on my friend's discman. I remember that exact moment when I was instantly in awe of the notes and melodies burrowing into my ears and goosebumps ran up and down my extremities. "Drive", as many other fans know, was what pushed Incubus into the spotlight and it was what exposed me to them because, granted, I was one of those "Top Hits" nimwits who only listened to what was popular at the time ... but after listening to "Drive", my world turned upside down and my taste in music hasn't been the same ever since.

Every single album they've produced has left me craving more and more, and many argue that "old school Incubus" was better than what they are now, but really, think about it. What band that has stayed successful has kept the same old ideas and melodies in their music. None. Bands evolve and change as their members grow and experience different things throughout their lives. Music is about expressing what happens to us and how we feel about those moments that stand out in our memories which also define who we are as individuals. If Incubus didn't change their output of music and experiment with the millions of options they have available to them, they wouldn't appeal to me whatsoever. Take for example, Three Days Grace [sorry for hardcore TDG fans out there] : Their first album was a collection of songs which sounded exactly like the other. And so were their albums that followed. They're absolutely BORING. Who wants to listen to the same crap over and over? I for one, am all about change. I am absolutely NOT the same person I was 5, 3, or even ONE year ago. People change, lives change, music changes, deal with it. The people who whine about how Incubus should've stayed the same before they became famous are oblivious to what music is really all about.

One new song after the other leaves me in a trance, almost. I sit and blast their music with my eyes closed and take in everything and let my mind run free as it wanders to the most inner depths of my desires and dreams. Colors and images make way and control the waves my brain produces allowing me to completely indulge myself in one of my greatest pleasures.

The best way to describe watching Incubus live [which I've had the pleasure in doing so many times], is a full body orgasm. Not just the little heart jump you get and it's all over within 5 seconds, I'm talking about feeling my entire body go numb, my ears ringing, and all of a sudden a full sensation of goosebumps and tingles rapturing my being as I listen and see Brandon, Michael, Kilmore, Jose, and Ben put their hearts and souls into what they're doing on stage. Brandon's voice echoes and you feel the pulsing waves match your own heartbeat which races as their tempo increases ...

In all reality, if you haven't completely lost yourself in their music or haven't even exposed yourself to everything they have to offer ... it's an opportunity you can still have to change the way you view the world.