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!)