Incubus’ Brandon Boyd dives into the influence of ‘genius’ Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys

Incubus may not seem like the type of band greatly influenced by The Beach Boys, but frontman Brandon Boyd has been listening to the music of the late Brian Wilson for his whole life.

Boyd tells ABC Audio that his parents first introduced him to The Beach Boys when he was young, and he continued to listen to them even as he got older and went on to discover new music on his own.

“There’s the bands that you listen to because your parents were listening to them, and then when it’s your turn to choose the music you listen to, you kind of bypass much of that stuff and you make your own choices,” Boyd says. “The Beach Boys … were one of those bands that I obsessively listened to on my own. They lasted for me.”

“As a teenager and a young adult I started to really kind of listen to them with a more discerning ear,” he continues. “[I] saw the genius in the songwriting and the genius in the production and how novel and fun and psychedelic the ideas were.”

Now, Boyd is playing The Beach Boys for his and his wife’s first child together.

“Our daughter is just, like, loving it, and it’s so cool to hear these songs again through her ears,” Boyd says. “That’s sort of a testament to the genius of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys is that not only did it last from my parents’ ears to mine, but mine to my child and then, hopefully, when she has children, the same thing will happen.” 

Incubus will launch a U.S. tour June 25 in Nashville. They’ll be playing their 2001 album, Morning View, in full, plus a set of their greatest hits.

Incubus may not seem like the type of band greatly influenced by The Beach Boys, but frontman Brandon Boyd has been listening to the music of the late Brian Wilson for his whole life.

Boyd tells ABC Audio that his parents first introduced him to The Beach Boys when he was young, and he continued to listen to them even as he got older and went on to discover new music on his own.

“There’s the bands that you listen to because your parents were listening to them, and then when it’s your turn to choose the music you listen to, you kind of bypass much of that stuff and you make your own choices,” Boyd says. “The Beach Boys … were one of those bands that I obsessively listened to on my own. They lasted for me.”

“As a teenager and a young adult I started to really kind of listen to them with a more discerning ear,” he continues. “[I] saw the genius in the songwriting and the genius in the production and how novel and fun and psychedelic the ideas were.”

Now, Boyd is playing The Beach Boys for his and his wife’s first child together.

“Our daughter is just, like, loving it, and it’s so cool to hear these songs again through her ears,” Boyd says. “That’s sort of a testament to the genius of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys is that not only did it last from my parents’ ears to mine, but mine to my child and then, hopefully, when she has children, the same thing will happen.” 

Incubus will launch a U.S. tour June 25 in Nashville. They’ll be playing their 2001 album, Morning View, in full, plus a set of their greatest hits.