Game with Fame

We all know how much you like to log into Xbox Live and vent your frustrations on random twelve-year olds in Halo, but what if you had the chance to go head-to-head with your favorite celebrity, athlete or musician? Xbox Live’s “Game with Fame” promotion is giving players a chance to do just that and compete with the likes of Marc Ecko, Mike Jones and Jason Giambi.

Recently featured on the “Game with Fame” tour were the multi-platinum alternative rockers, Incubus. The band has released their sixth album Light Grenades after a long hiatus.

Between frags in Xbox 360’s Gears of War, Blast’s Tom Cody had a chance to talk to turntablist Chris Kilmore about life on the road, releasing a new album and how Incubus is embracing technology to grab more fans.

TOM: You guys are taking part in Xbox Live’s “Game with Fame” promotion where fans are getting a chance to take on you and the rest of the band in Xbox 360’s Gears of War. Hows the gaming competition so far?

CHRIS: Pretty good, we logged on at 4:30 and we’ve been beating on some kids. I’m used to playing Halo online, but this is great.

TOM: How does Gears of War stack up to Halo?

CHRIS: I love Halo, it’s my favorite. But, this stacks up pretty close. The graphics are incredible. The way the Xbox controller feels and handles is just perfect.

TOM: As part of the promotion, content from your latest album Light Grenades will be available for free on the Xbox Live marketplace. Do you think embracing new technologies like Xbox Live’s marketplace will help you guys reach out to a larger audience?

CHRIS: I wasn’t really aware of it until I signed on and saw our video up there. I think it’s really cool. You never really know where your audience is coming from, so if someone finds us on here and likes us, that’s great.

TOM: Released on November 28, Light Grenades is the band’s first studio release since 2004. What separates this from your earlier albums?

CHRIS: It was really a growing album. We usually come right off tour and get into the studio. We took some time off to chill. It was cool because we didn’t tour but we all still hung out together.

TOM: So is it going to be another few years until we hear from Incubus again?

CHRIS: No, I think we will get back into our regular process, but you never know. Right now is our time to chill. We’ll see how things go and what the future brings.

TOM: When the new year rolls around, you guys are hitting the road on tour. What do you enjoy more, the process of putting together an album in the studio, or performing live across the country?

CHRIS: I really love both man. You hit the studio and are able to create this music, that is a great feeling. Then playing live is awesome because we can share the music that we spent so much time creating. At the same time, playing live gives me a chance to enjoy the music myself.

TOM: When you guys are on the tour bus traveling, is there any video gaming going on to pass the time?

CHRIS: Of course, Jose and I are always on Xbox. We hook up the boxes on the bus and play multi-player Halo.

TOM: Incubus has come a long way since your first pay to play gig at The Roxy in Hollywood. Where was your favorite live performance of all time?

CHRIS: That’s a hard question man. I could change my mind every day. But, we did play this one festival in Portugal with System of a Down and the Chemical Brothers. There were like 40,000 people there, it was like a riot. When we went on it was almost scary, but awesome.

TOM: Do you have a favorite band that you have toured with?

CHRIS: System of a Down was great. System and Incubus really came up at the same time and experienced some of the same things.

TOM: That’s about all I have for you, thanks a lot for your time. We’ll be looking forward to checking out Incubus when you make it to Boston in a few weeks.