Dirk Lance

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} {{short description|American musician (born 1976)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox musical artist | image = | image_size = | name = Dirk Lance | alias = | caption = | birth_name = George Alex Katunich<ref>[http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/calbirths?c=search&first=&last=Katunich&spelling=Exact&4_year=&4_month=0&4_day=0&5=&7=&SubmitSearch.x=56&SubmitSearch.y=4&SubmitSearch=Submit Family Tree Legends]</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1976|08|18}} | origin = United States | occupations = Bassist | instruments = Bass, keyboards | genre = Alternative rock, funk metal, alternative metal, nu metal | years_active = 1991–present | label = Immortal Records, Epic Records | past_member_of = Incubus }} '''George Alex Katunich''' (born August 18, 1976), best known by his stage name '''Dirk Lance''', is an American musician. He was the founding bassist of the Californian rock band Incubus, which he left in 2003 after the tour supporting the band's fifth album.<ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/incubus-part-ways-with-bassist INCUBUS Part Ways With Bassist ]</ref>

==Personal life== Lance's paternal grandfather George was born in Indiana, to Croatian parents from the town of Ozalj.<ref>"United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, ''FamilySearch'' (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKTL-PXWC : accessed 4 November 2023), Alex Katunich in entry for George Katunich, Indiana, United States, 09 Apr 2008; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, ''GenealogyBank.com'' (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing ''Post-Tribune'', born-digital text.</ref>

==Career==

===Incubus=== Lance was a member of Incubus from 1991 to 2003, playing bass guitar on the albums ''Fungus Amongus'' (1995), ''Enjoy Incubus'' (1997), ''S.C.I.E.N.C.E.'' (1997), ''Make Yourself'' (1999), and ''Morning View'' (2001). The decision to leave the band was made in October 2002,<ref>''Incubus Online'', 2003. via [https://jenny4apenny.tripod.com/jeniscrazydidyouknow/id7.html]</ref> towards the end of the touring cycle for ''Morning View'', and his final performance with the group was on November 1, 2002. His departure was first announced to the media on April 4, 2003, through a statement from lead singer Brandon Boyd.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/incubus-replace-bassist-245222/|title=Incubus Replace Bassist|first=Andrew|last=Dansby|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 4, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/update-incubus-bassist-out-of-band-71676/|title=Update: Incubus Bassist Out Of Band|author=Billboard Staff|magazine=Billboard |date=April 4, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/incubus-part-ways-with-bassist/|title=INCUBUS Part Ways With Bassist|date=April 4, 2003|website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET}}</ref> Lance later said of leaving Incubus, "We were going in different directions, personality-wise and musically. If there was ever a time to get off the rollercoaster, it was going to be at the top." He also said long tours had become "trying" for him and that he felt the band had no "'What if?' questions left to answer."<ref name="Fox">{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Brian |title=“If there was ever a time to get off the rollercoaster, it was going to be at the top”: Being in a band is tough – just ask bassist Dirk Lance, who left Incubus at the peak of their powers |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/dirk-lance-incubus-willies-nerve-clinic |website=guitarworld.com |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=2 May 2026}}</ref>

Lance was replaced by The Roots bassist Ben Kenney, who started performing with Incubus in July 2003.<ref>{{cite web | title="What you think is guitar is actually me strumming chords on the bass": When Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger brought a blockbuster new song idea to rehearsal, bassist Ben Kenney came up with the perfect bassline | date=August 24, 2024 | url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ben-kenney-on-incubus-anna-molly }}</ref>

===After Incubus=== Lance later entered the video game industry with Stickman Entertainment. He has worked on titles like WWE Smackdown.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rampton |first1=Mike |title=A Deep Dive Into Incubus' Pardon Me Video |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/a-deep-dive-into-incubus-pardon-me-video/ |website=Kerrang! |date=October 19, 2019 |accessdate=July 26, 2020}}</ref> In 2012, Lance partnered with his first bass teacher Stray Deuce and Germany native Alexa Brinkschulte to form Willie's Nerve Clinic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lucchetta |first1=Nicola |title=Willie's Nerve Clinic il ritorno dell'ex Incubus Dirk Lance |url=https://www.musicattitude.it/attualita/news/willies-nerve-clinic-il-ritorno-dellex-incubus-dirk-lance/63999 |website=Music Attitude |accessdate=June 30, 2020}}</ref> In September 2013, Lance and former bandmate Jose Pasillas II, along with former Pharcyde MC Slimkid3 and Jurassic 5's DJ Nu-Mark, under the name 4 Player Co-Op, released the song "Picture Perfect Phantasy", inspired by the video game ''Rayman Legends''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eden Artist Profile: Alex Katunich |url=https://www.edenamps.net/eden-artist-alex-katunich.html |website=Eden Amplification |accessdate=July 26, 2020}}</ref>

Lance spent the 2010s with Willie's Nerve Clinic before joining with Kyle Mortensen to form his current band and latest collaboration East of June in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Former Incubus Bassist Dirk Lance Debuts New Band |url=https://bassmagazine.com/artists/former-incubus-bassist-dirk-lance-debuts-new-band |website=Bass Magazine |date=October 11, 2019 |accessdate=June 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Magazine|first=Alternative Press|date=October 11, 2019|title=Dirk Lance (ex-Incubus) releases video from new band, East Of June|url=https://www.altpress.com/features/dirk-lance-incubus-east-of-june-rebel-video/|access-date=July 1, 2020|website=Alternative Press|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=East of June|url=https://eastofjunemusic.com/|access-date=July 1, 2020|website=East of June|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Style and influences== Lance's playing is heavily influenced by funk music. He said he had been exposed to funk music from a very young age, and that one of the first records he owned was an album of Disney songs done in Disco-style.<ref name="sbl"/> As he grew older, he began to be influenced by bassists from funk metal bands, including Robert Trujillo of Infectious Grooves, Les Claypool of Primus, Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle and Billy Gould of Faith No More. Lance has mentioned Faith No More's 1989 album ''The Real Thing'' as being an important early influence on him, saying "you could hear the bass, and it was just front and center."<ref name="sbl">Katunich, Alex (2024). ''The SBL Podcast''.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120619015723/http://vintage.guitargeek.com/rigview/360/ Dirk Lance's 2000 Incubus Bass Rig]. GuitarGeek.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lance, Dirk}} Category:1976 births Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:American male bass guitarists Category:American people of Croatian descent Category:Incubus (band) members Category:Living people Category:People from Bell Canyon, California Category:American male guitarists Category:Guitarists from California Category:21st-century American bass guitarists Category:Place of birth missing (living people)