A Cub Koda Story
submitted by Phil Klink
Get to know Cub a
little better!
The very first rock concert I ever attended was a Brownsville
Station show back around 1970.....and it set the standard by which I judged
all concerts since. Even though the rest of the band rocked with authority,
it was immediately clear that that guitarist, Michael "Cub" Koda,
was something special. Always in motion, he always seemed to be enjoying the
music he made as much, if not more, than the audience. Brownsville opened
for many of the more well known bands of the day, and without exception, stole
the show time after time....to the extent that most bands refused to follow
'em!
Imagine my excitement in late 1979 when I finally got to meet
Cub in person while touring with the Points. As good as B.S. had been, Cub's
new band upped the ante......one of the most devastating live bands I've ever
witnessed! During this time, my wife and I got to know Cub, and kept in contact
with him until his untimely and tragic death.
Although the stories I could tell about the Cubmaster are so
numerous it would take forever to relay 'em all, one stands out as a moment
that defines Cub's sense of humour to a "T". After the Points broke
up, Cub took to doing the odd gig with a few friends from Fremont, Ohio. Calling
themselves the Stringbusters, they played around the N.W.Ohio area for a year
or two, and the diehard Kodaphiles always came out to see them. On one particular
night, at a small, crowded bar....and a particularly rowdy crowd.....a very
drunk woman, after calling out for the band to play "Stairway to Heaven"
repeatedly, approached Cub during a break, and irately demanded her request
be honored.
Now, anyone who knew Cub knows that he was extremely patient
with his fans.....but also didn't suffer fools gladly. After explaining that
they didn't do the song and had their own things to do, the young woman grew
even more upset. Imagine the surprise when, after the band mounted the stage,
Cub starts the intro to Stairway....note perfect! As the woman's yells of
" Yeah, whooo!" draw everyone's attention, Cub starts to sing the
opening lines....."Oh sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of
a fateful trip." Cub had played a perfect rendition of Stairway to Heaven
and substituted the words to the Gilligans Island theme! The crowd went nuts,
the drunk woman stomped out of the bar, and the band tore into a vicious version
of Louie Louie!
Subtly, and with a sense of humour, he had made his point.
There won't be another Cub........and I miss him a lot.
Phil Klink
(If you have a story about Cub, something funny, how you met, etc., please
email them to: webmaster@cubkoda.com
so that they can be added for others to enjoy!)