Cub

From LoveToKnow Music

Cub
Genre	Rock Music
Origin	Vancouver, Canada
Active	1992-1997
Albums	Betti-Cola (1993) Come Out Come Out (1995) Box Of Hair (1996)
Songs	My Chinchilla New York City
Website	Cub

History

Cub is credited with starting the genre of “cuddle-core”, a mix of punk rock and love songs somewhat related to the emo craze, but more upbeat and fun. This label would later be shunned by the members of the group, and this is reflected in their later work, most noticeably on Box Of Hair, which reflects a move toward distorted guitars and slurred vocals, away from the clean chords and soft vocals which could be found all over Betti-Cola. The three women of Cub resisted labels and focused on having fun, which was very evident in their live shows, during which the group could often be seen tossing candy to the audience. This dedication to fun also showed a lack of focus on technical skills. During early Cub shows, Robynn Iwata, the guitarist could be seen sitting on a chair near the edge of the stage, with a list of chord progressions on her lap, along with her guitar.

The band faced a revolving door of drummers, as is usual for most bands, until they found Lisa G., who would remain behind the kit for the rest of Cub’s existence, in 1993. Lisa Marr, the vocalist/bassist, was responsible for the band’s sound, which in the early years consisted of many covers, most notably of the Beach Boy’s “Surfer Girl”. Indeed, this song, and “Sweet Pea”, originally written by Tommy Roe, and also covered by the band, fueled speculation that Marr was a lesbian. Marr later dispelled these rumors with songs such as “Main and Broadway”, written about an encounter with a former boyfriend and his new girlfriend, which appeared on their last album, “Box of Hair”.

Albums

Their first album, “Betti-Cola”, is a collection of EP tracks and newly recorded material issued by Mint Records, co-owned by Iwata’s brother. The album contains a staggering 29 tracks, including a cover of one of their songs, “What The Water Gave Me” by another Vancouver band, NFA. Most tunes clock in at around 1:30, with only one track at 3+ minutes. The album received very little commercial notice, and did not do much to expand their fan base beyond Vancouver, where the band was already well-known.

The second album “Come Out Come Out” showed any rumors of a sophomore slump to be as false as a three dollar bill. In fact, this is the album that put them on the map. Their song “New York City” was covered by They Might Be Giants, and this did a great deal to spark interest, both critical and commercial, in the band. This album shows Marr’s growth as a songwriter, with such tunes as “My Flaming Red Bobsled” and “I’m Your Angel”. The songs got longer, and there was only one cover, the Go-Go’s “Vacation”. Regardless, they continued in the same vein as “Betti-Cola”, and it seemed they had settled into their niche.

“Box of Hair”, released in 1996 was a stylistic departure from the previous two albums. Tired of being marginalized as “cuddle-core”, Cub set out to prove that they could rock as hard as any group of boys, and they succeeded. To be sure, there are still some songs that could have come off of the first two albums, such as “Magic 8 Ball”, but there are also straight-up rockers, like album opener “Freaky”, “Mom and Dad”, and “S.G.”. The songs are even longer, and they rock harder, but it is possible to determine that the same band wrote and performed all three albums.

The End

Cub broke up in 1997, explaining via handwritten notes posted on the Mint Records site that continuing Cub was denying them the opportunity to explore other aspects of their lives. Despite trying to buck the trends of cuddle-core, as they became more and more well-known, fans would not let them. They felt stifled and unable to be truly creative. They wanted to make their fans happy, but found they could no longer do that because of the outside expectations placed upon them. Rather than music that their hearts were not in, they decided to break up the band and find other ways to make music.