This week alternative rockers Incubus announced a permanent lineup change with the departure of longtime bassist Ben Kenney and Nicole Row taking on the chair as a full time member. In 2023 it was announced that Kenney had stepped away from the band to recover from a brain tumor, while Tal Wilkenfeld, and eventually Row filled in during his leave. Row completed the band’s 29-date 2023 tour. Kenney had been a member of the band from 2003-2024.

Incubus announced the news via their website and socials through a letter penned by singer Brandon Boyd, while also announcing an upcoming tour, a new edition of their 2001 album Morning View, and that the band has begun work on a new album.

“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 xxill 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
xxill and witness her energy on stage.

Recap! We’re putting out a redux/re-recording of Morning View entitled ‘Morning View
xxill’ 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!”

More details on the new album with emerge soon. Tour dates are listed below:

• Aug. 23 – Detroit, Mich. (Little Caesars Arena)
• Aug. 24 – Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
• Aug. 27 – Philadelphia, Pa. (Wells Fargo Center)
• Aug. 29 – New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
• Aug. 31 – Boston, Mass. (TD Garden)
• Sept. 3 – Tampa, Fla. (Amalie Arena)
• Sept. 6 – Irving, Texas (The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory)
• Sept. 7 – Austin, Texas (Moody Center ATX)
• Sept. 9 – Denver, Colo. (Ball Arena)
• Sept. 12 – San Francisco, Calif. (Chase Center)

Ben Kenney has always been a close friend of Bass Magazine and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We also congratulate Nicole on her new journey with Incubus.

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Follow Nicole: Here