Article: Cub Comes Out (September 1995)

cub comes out

printed w/o permission from Campus Canada magazine, September/October 1995

Cute. Cuddly. Irascible. And a little bit feisty. Words to describe ... what? A lion cub? How about cub? The power pop trio from Vancouver has been garnering national and international attention -- just in time for the release of the group's second CD on Mint Records, the playfully titledcome out, come out. Cub is made up of Lisa Marr (lead singer/songwriter and bassist), Robynn Iwata (guitar) and Lisa G (drums).

While all members are of the female persuasion, cub is not so much Riot Grrrl as Grrrl next door. Lyrically, several songs could be filed under, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Nice People? ("I found a diamond in my bed/That means death, or so they said ... Lucky seven, daisy chain/my wedding ring went down the drain.")

Known for energetic live shows and ... um ... simplicitywhen it comes to musicianship, cub is a testament to the indie spirit that is the self-taught school of rock 'n' roll.

"We're serious to the point of putting in as much effort as we can," says Lisa G. on the phone from Vancouver. "But, it's about having fun and meeting people -- and making good music, of course. I'm proud of the new CD, but I wouldn't say we're out to solve the world's problems."

Perhaps not, but cub's approach to music seems to be working. During their last tour, many cub fans showed up at a record store -- in Las Vegas. "They knew all the words to our songs," says G. "That totally freaked us out."

G is currently living out every music fan's dream. Only a couple of years ago, she was just a cub fan. "By fluke, I made friends with Lisa Marr through a fanzine called Self-Esteem Queen -- there are only two issues out -- and she was talking about how they needed a tour drummer. And all that time I'd had this little wet dream about playing with them." G had never played in a band before then, but "I had bought a guitar once, then a drum kit. The key thing for cub was that I was available."

Since going on tour, cub has garnered a good deal of recognition across the country. Campus gigs are the mainstays of the tour.

"At campus shows, a lot of young people -- particularly women -- come up to us afterwards and say, 'I never thought I could play an instrument, but watching you guys play really inspires me,'" says G. "That's the best compliment for me, because I tried to learn to play for years but was constantly told, 'No, you don't have the skill, you'll never learn to play.'"