Incubus

Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger's new musical direction is guaranteed to surprise fans of the rockers - he's writing a classical symphony. Einziger has been working on his project since March, after undergoing surgery to relieve Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a nerve condition that leads to pain and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand.

Although he has no plans to quit Incubus, the 31-year-old is so serious about the currently untitled symphony, he has been studying classical composition for five days a week with a teacher.

He tells website Billboard.com, "I couldn't play guitar for a few months, so I just started studying music again. I started working on (the symphony), and I learned very quickly that there were a lot of gaps in my musical knowledge.

"I'm just kind of writing it in small pieces, because it's very intimidating to think of it as a whole body of work. It'll probably be three movements and 40 minutes of music, and that's a lot of music to write.

"And I completely realize that it can't just be interesting only because it's the guitar player of a rock band writing it. It has to stand up to the work of other composers as well. It's a pretty hefty task for me to endure, but I'm actually excited about it."