cub home page

Official cub FAQ (shyeah, right!)

Frequently Asked Questions? (FAQ) I'm sure there are a few. I don't claim to have all the answers, or even know all the questions. But here's some of what I can tell you about cub. Did I miss something? Is something wrong? Well, lemme know. I'm not hard to find. Please forgive the tense shifting throughout this page (the is/was/are/were etc.), as sometimes I write about them as if they're gone, but they're not, right?

Who is (was) cub?

Cub's final incarnation consisted of Lisa Marr on bass and vocals, Robynn Iwata on guitar, and Lisa Gertrud Nielsen (referred to by most at "Lisa G") on drums.

In the beginning, it was Lisa (Marr), Robynn and a girl named Valeria pounding the skins. I really know nothing about Valeria, except what I see in the pictures on the "Betti-Cola" CD insert. She looks pretty scary. Neko Case played drums on a coupla tracks, in one of the videos, and occasionally on tour with cub. Neko's a woman from Takoma, Washington who has a band on Mint called Maow (formerly "Meow").

This is from Shawn McCaffrey:

Oh, got a tidbit about "Valeria". Her real name is Valerie, I think. ;)
Well, I asked Lisa Marr about it one time and she was somewhat evasive. Something about a stage name because she didn't want the attention, or something like that. Valerie was actually a really really cool person. Sure, she had the goth look down, but she was a sweetie. Very down to earth, she said she only played in cub "for a chance to practice." I said, "what if the band becomes really popular and you sign a major label deal?" to which she replied, "I'd be outta here long before that!" So I wasn't at all surprised when she left. More info: she used to give out home-made chocolates at the shows. She has a very thick accent.

But just ask either of my sisters, both of whom were at the show where I met Valerie, "cub was never quite the same without Valerie." :-)

Cub was based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They toured all over North America a bunch of times. Their music is mostly three-chord girl-rock pop that got more aggressive-sounding as the albums went on.

Are they really cute? Who's the cutest

To look at, or in the cutesy-giggly personality way that they've often been portrayed in? The former is undoubtedly true, the latter not necessarily so. Lisa, Lisa G and Robynn were very nice to me whenever I talked to them. Keep in mind these are just my impressions ... Lisa Marr was very opinionated, very bright, no-bullshit-please type. She smoked Camel cigarettes. How's that for cute? But as far as looks go, she's yummy. She seemed the most "rock star" of the bunch. Lisa G seemed the type you'd love to sit around and crack dumb jokes with all day. Very easy-going and seemed really spontaneous. And she's hilarious to watch in concert. I always thought of Robynn as "the shy one" for some reason, but when I interviewed her, she was very chatty. I didn't realize she had a lisp 'til we talked. She was very nice, too. Who's the cutest? Don't ask me that.

Aren't they all, like, lesbians or something?

I don't know, I don't care so much. There's nothing to indicate such, but so what? Lisa Marr is married to Ronnie, the bassist in the Muffs. As for the others' marital status, beats me. The gender-bent lyrics in their songs, and the fact that they covered lots of songs sung by guys has been explained in several interviews.

Cover songs

Cub did a lot of cover songs. Here are some of them. If I missed any, lemme know.

And believe it or not, a coupla folks have covered cub songs:

  • nfa (a New Brunswick band?) - What The Water Gave Me
  • They Might Be Giants - New York City
  • Sicko (that Seattle band) - Little Star

If you've recorded your own version of a cub song, let me know! I'll digitize it into RealAudio and put it up for everyone to hear! I've always wanted to do this, but a) I can't sing, b) I don't know how to multi-track on my 'puter, and c) I can't sing. Send me a tape or somethin' -- it'll be fun.

I like cub. What else will I like?

I dunno. I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I'm not into that whole indie-rock thing. I listen to Ween, They Might Be Giants, Rush, The Pursuit of Happiness, Matthew Sweet, and a bunch of stuff. But here are some recommendations handed to me from others:

What? They broke up? Fuck off!

Yeah, they did. Sucks, eh? Here, I did a whole section on that.

Collectables?

Beyond the CDs (see the discography), cub put out a bunch of stuff you can collect, if that's your thang. Here's some of the stuff that I've managed to git:

  • "cub in space" sticker (on my amp) and matching blue t-shirt (circa Come Out Come Out)
  • Cub paw/sunshine tshirt
  • Very very early cub "Rorschach ink blot" green-on-white tshirt that R..... & I found at a Goodyear clothes-by-the-pound joint here in Toronto
  • Buncha press photos
  • "For Promo Only" copy of Box Of Hair CD
  • Concert poster for a Cub/Pluto/Pansy Division show at York University where only two dozen people showed up (pity)
  • "cat" design white-on-black sticker from Box Of Hair tour
  • Betti-Cola postcard
  • cub set lists (2) (dunno where they are, though)

Other stuff I don't have but can be found:

  • Lapel pins
  • Underwear -- there's cub panties available at some rock 'n roll shops. Fandom Paradise in Toronto sells 'em. (mmm...cub's panties)
  • Posters
  • The Cub Movie -- a "road" documentary that was sold through Mint, I think
  • cub kids club packages
  • Lisa Marr's old zine, Self Esteem Queen. I betcha this'll be a collector's item.
  • Other t-shirts and stickers
  • Patches
  • I dunno, guitar picks, drum sticks, chop sticks

Kids Club

I was never a member, sadly, but cub's self-run fan club was the Cub Kids Club. The band sent out newsletters and goodies to members. I have a scan of one of 'em, front and back, and they even mentioned me!

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