- Tom Ryan
With cause to celebrate as well as reflect on history, Cubensis took the stage at the Marlin Bar & Grill in Huntington Beach, CA for the very last time on March 8th…Fat Tuesday. As fans poured into the small space on Gothard Ave adorned with their purple, green and gold Mardi Gras beads, the feeling was of celebration. By the time the night was over, it was hard to leave the regular Tuesday night venue that has brought together friends and family for many years was closing.
- The beads and masks came out for the Fat Tuesday celebration.
Kicking the night off with the Creole standard, “Aiko Aiko” set the tone for a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration. First set stayed heavy with Gratedul Dead standards like “Candyman,” “Casey Jones,” “Bird Song” and a set closing crowd pleaser, “Jack Straw.”
First Set: Aiko, You Win Again, Casey Jones, Passenger, Candyman, Hey Pockey Way, Big River, Cats Down Under The Stars, Bird Song, Jack Straw.
- Craig Marshall
Kicking off the second set was “Reuben & Cherise” with the rare vocals from Cubensis’ “Jerry,” Craig Marshall, as a special request from birthday boy, Mark Palermo. The second set was chock full of covers to soothe your soul including the Sam Cooke rocker, “Let The Good Times Roll.” “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane with CeCe Sherman belting out the lead vocals melted the crowd. Tom Ryan’s delivery of the Allman Brothers “Soulshine” moved the collective soul of the room and Nate LaPointe’s “Johnny B. Goode” closed out the night. But wait, JBG is no way to bid adieu to a venue you’ve called home for many many years. Indeed it wasn’t as Cubensis re-took the stage just about 1 am to deliver the tear jerking “Brokedown Palace” as their final farewell to the little bar on Gothard.
Set 2: Reuben & Cherise, Odessa, Run For the Roses, Soulshine, White Rabbit, Jam > Cream Puff War, You Never Can Tell, Let the Good Times Roll, Johnny B. Goode. Encore: Brokedown Palace
While the Marlin moves to a bigger space, the Tuesday night Cubensis shows will halt, momentarily, until a new home is found. There’s hope that as soon as the Marlin settles into their new location and secures the appropriate permits, the Tuesday’s will begin again at the Marlin.
