Sad for us...

I tend to be pretty unemotional about most things, but when someone first sent me the email saying that cub had broken up, I was actually shaken. Why? When? How? Well, here are some of the answers. But not all of them.

What we know...

When? Cub's last show: December 14, 1996 in Mesa, Arizona USA. Robynn tells me, "It was at a club called The Nile, I think. No big deal was made... we didn't know it'd be the final one. We were just all excited to be free for the holidays after about three months on the road." Cub's actually final performance was on a pilot for a CBC TV show called "Terminal City." The episode was shot in Vancouver. Cub played two songs to a studio audience that included Robynn's mom and Lisa's grandmother. Randy at Mint Records told me "cub called it quits on May 15th or thereabouts, six years to the day I think since they began. Your cub site is one of the brightest cub spots on the web, I hope you don't remove the cub page. the three cub folk are working on other stuff in an artistic or musical vein."

More songs? I asked Robynn if we'll see any future releases -- sort of "cub -- the lost tapes" or something like that. She says "We were never ones to stockpile songs. So, nope there isn't a backlog of unrecorded stuff. We pretty much released stuff as soon as it was done (either on Mint or on various other 7"ers and comps). I still have a notebook full of my music and lyric fragments, maybe I'll get around to piecing somethings together."

But why? I dunno. When I interviewed Lisa Marr just before Box Of Hair came out in mid-1996, I asked where she saw Cub being in three or four years:

"I don't know. I, uh. There's a lot of things in the air right now, so I don't even know ... I'm not saying that, like, oh we're thinking about breaking up, but I mean, I just have the feeling that lots of things are happening...we're meeting lots of new people. I just was out east working with the Queers on their new album, that was really fun, and writing other kinds of songs, and writing, and Robynn's doing all kinds of artwork and so... I don't know. You never know."

What they say...

When they split... Lisa, Lisa G and Robynn posted these hand-written notes on Mint's web site. Here they are in text form.

Lisa G:

why? i know you all want to ask it. that's all anyone wants to ask nowadays. WHY? change is good. by quitting something one must fill the space with something new. this is good. in an old utne reader (sept. oct. 96) an article about quitting seemed to be speaking directly to me...headings such as CHANGE HORSES MIDSTREAM, REPUDIATE YOUR IDEAS not to mention TAKE TO YOUR BED...... hey, i don't mean to sound ungrateful.....and for fear of sounding cliche: quitting gives freedom. Have YOU ever been connected to something or someone so completely that no matter where YOU go or who YOU talk to the only topic that comes up is that "something" or "someone" YOU are connected to?? there are many facets to every person. Ultimately, finding the courage to do what i want NOT what my friends want me to do or what my parents wish i would do or even what i "think" i SHOULD do. taking control of one's life is really what living is about. there were a lot of really great experiences for me to check off me "to do" list. Achieving such "acclaim" in the music industry doesn't happen all the time, especially for women and frankly i'm proud. GO GIRLS GO! thanks for listening. (heart) lisag P.S. one worry. i don't read as much since my apartment doesn't have that comforting vibration a touring van does. so now i ride the bus aimlessly whenever i want to finish my current biography.

Lisa Marr:

What we leave + what we take. What we learn + what we fake. Flukes + triumphs, laughs, mistakes. So trivial; so much at stake. That lucky break. That lucky break. Wait + wait + wait + wait. A million miles, a million bands, a million one night stands in towns we call home for just a day. Friends made family along the way in greasy spoons, motel rooms, bathrooms with the sinks ripped out, rooftops, truckstops, souvenir shops, out front + backstage where it always smells like dirty words + excitement. Like everything else about cub, the answer is deceptively simple: why it's over is why it worked. Because it's about having fun. Because new experiences + wildest dreams are where it's at. Because the tide is high. Because what I love most in the world is singing songs. To everyone who came out, helped out, hung out, sang along, said we were wrong, jumped up + down, shared a beer/ a room/a night on the town, gave a shit, spread the word, listened closely, asked a question, got inspired, wrote us, coaxed us, challenged/encouraged/supported us throughout this crazy ride - thanks + thanks + thanks again. Keep going + doing. Words of wisdom once handed to me on a silver platter: WHO DARES WINS. And I believe it. xxx Lisa

Robynn:

FIVE YEARS AGO, I JOINED LISA AND VALERIA TO FORM CUB. SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING FUN. IT WAS A FINE OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SHOW MYSELF THAT I COULD JUST JUMP RIGHT IN THE DEEP END WITH NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, AND NOT BE AFRAID OR INTIMIDATED. MISTAKES WERE AND ARE OKAY. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO'VE LET US KNOW THAT WE'VE ENCOURAGED YOU TO DO LIKEWISE (WITH A BAND, A ZINE, OR ???). WE'VE BEEN SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE RECEIVED SUCH AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SUPPORT, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND HELP FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND STRANGERS. THANK YOU EVERYONE! I HOPE YOU'VE ALL HAD AS MUCH FUN (AND LEARNED AS MUCH) AS I HAVE. I'M CERTAINLY SAID THAT CUB IS NO MORE. IT'S BEEN A GREAT FIVE YEARS, BUT CHANGE IS A GREAT THING. AN EXCELLENT CHALLENGE. EXCITING! NOW IT'S ON TO NEW THINGS, NEW INSTRUMENTS, AND NEW ADVENTURES. BYEEE FOR NOW. XO robynn

So... that's what I know. What's cub up to now? If you hear of any projects by the members, lemme know. We'll always have their music (especially if you bought the CD's....nothin' against vinyl, but, I remember when I tripped and fell on an LP on a cold winter day when I was seven years old), and pictures, and videos, and lots of memories. I got to see them in concert a handful of times, meet them each time, and interview them. They were nice to me, and that was really really sweet and very classy. They gave a lot, so I can't complain too much. I wish 'em all the best of success.

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