The Duke Spirit, out of London, England, opened for a sold out crowd at Austin Music Hall, who were here to cheer and scream when Incubus hit the stage. The Duke Spirit is a post-punk five-piece band, fronted by the enigmatic Leila Moss. With a definitive ‘don’t-give-a-damn’ attitude, they have a sound that Sonic Youth or The Velvet Underground did before them. Duke Spirit’s sound is a more modern, up-to-date version of their predecessors angsty guitar led punk. The Duke Spirit are the kind of band that will make music history, maybe not for doing anything big, but simply for being around and making the kind of quality music that will stick in the minds of music fans for years to come.
Austin Music Hall is a wonderful facility that has a long history in Austin, Texas. After a complete rejuvenation a few years ago with a new modern look, it is a house for music enthusiasts of all genres to enjoy an almost up-close and intimate night with some of their favorite artists.
The Duke Spirit came out and WOW-ed the crowd with excellent music and lyrics to match. Between some soothing harmonies in the background and some great beats, the sound to this 54 year old music aficionados’ ears was reminiscent of a mixture of 70’s rock, with a touch of that 80’s excitement, and just a tad bit of some punk slipped in. I was quite pleased, very impressed, and look forward to purchasing some of their music and seeing them again.
An incubus (plural incubi) is a demon in male form and is supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have sexual intercourse with them, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child. Some sources indicate that it may be identified by its unnaturally cold penis. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death.
Interesting name, eh? Just a few images quickly enter the mind…
Incubus quickly rose to become a popular alternative metal band after forming in 1991 with members Brandon Boyd providing the vocals, Mike Einzinger on guitar, and Jose Pasillas on drums. They followed a teenager’s dream of forming a band while they were still in high school. 
In their case it worked. And it worked well. While some of their early influences included such legendary bands as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, their tastes and influences grew through time and their sound broadened to include post-grunge rock, rap, metal, and alt-metal. Bassist Ben Kenney later joined them in their quest of their own sound. In 1995, the hip-hop turn table spinner, DJ Lyfe (aka Chris Kilmore) had joined the group while they released their first album Fungus Amongus. Soon after that, they signed with Epic Record’s subsidiary label, Immortal. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although Incubus has been around since 1991, you would have thought they were the hottest ticket in the land. The sold out crowd of mostly twenty-something’s, who were just babes when this band formed and just hitting grade school when their first label release hit the streets, gave them a welcome to the stage that I would put against any band. The thunderous roar of these 4400 people was ear shattering. The reception received by Incubus simply by stepping onto the stage was just the beginnings of a very loud and excited crowd to hear these guys play. From the photographer’s pit, it was quite a site. The number of people that were pulled from the crowd due to the constant pushing to be just a little closer to this band gave evidence of their popularity, and their hard driving music and stage presence explained why.
It simply didn’t matter which hit they threw out to the crowd, they were ready for more, crowd and band both. Whether it was Pardon Me, Stellar, or Drive, this group of fans just got louder and pressed forward harder to reach their band, Incubus.
While vocalist Brandon Boyd delivered some mesmerizing lyrics with a voice that explains a good share of the Incubus popularity, combined with the leadership and stage presence that he offers their fans, it becomes clear that this band is far from being done.
Mike Einzinger’s guitar was tossing out a sound that most guitarists could only wish they could sound like. All the while hanging out in subdued blue or red lighting and allowing his band mate Brandon the spotlight and focal point.
Bassist Ben Kenney waltzed about in similar lighting that Mike enjoyed, all the while showing little emotion as he poured out a sound that left little to question about his part in this band’s formula for continued success.
While I don’t remember seeing Jose Pasillas hardy even break into a sweat, by the hard drum work he offered 
the crowd, there must have been a great fan somewhere nearby.
While some could say that Incubus isn’t perhaps as relevant as they were, I would counter that with fans such as I witnessed this night, I would suggest they are wrong.
Incubus was tight, spot on with their sound, lights were incredible, and appreciation of and connection to their fans was obvious. In reality, what more could any band ask for?
