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SAN FRANCISCO -- "...[I]'m now the pre-eminent indie-rock clarinetist in San Francisco," says
admitted Cubby Creature Karl Soehnlein, "my work here is done." I recently met up with Karl at the Four Season to discuss why he recently decided to leave The Cubby Creatures, and to find out just what lies ahead. Arriving almost an hour late, Karl breezed into the room wrapped in an oversized knit scarf and hidden behind large, protective sunglasses. Classic. Sipping on a Manhattan and all but ignoring his winter salad, Karl was excited to tell me about the past, present, and future. Introduced to The Cubby Creatures via former frontman Jol Perez in 1996, Karl was captivated by one of their early songs, Scratched by an Alien, which Jol played for him shortly after they met each other at Dolores Park one summer. And the decision and desire to be a part of such artistry followed soon thereafter at, where else, a rock concert. "Under the influence of marijuana and alcohol during a Dandy Warhols/Radar Brothers show at Bottom of the Hill, I had an epiphany: I would fix my high-school-marching-band clarinet and start playing music again," he says. Flash forward six years, four recordings, and one award-winning novel later, Karl found he had done all he needed to do. Surprising many, Karl announced his removal. The decision to depart, however, wasn't one based on any lack of interest, but one of moving forward, of pursing new interests, of liver repair. And his exit follows that of Jol, which raised a few eyebrows. When I asked him if his leaving was some small part of a larger (rumored) Cubby gay-cleansing operation, he laughed, saying, "Are you kidding? Have you seen the rest of the band? So gay." Though The Cubby Creatures are saddened and surprised to see him leave -- and, of course, admit that the band won't be the same -- Karl looks forward to whatever lies ahead. And what lies ahead? In his own words,."[W]rite more dirty novels, conquer the publishing industry, sell out to Hollywood, lip lock with Adrien Brody on Oscar night, retire to old Europe, return to writing dirty novels, die of liver failure, be rediscovered by future generations... " says Karl, looking down below at Market Street, eager to take it all in. On a final note of simplicity, I asked Karl to describe each of his remaining band members with one word: Bill = "magician" Brian = "pioneer" Emily = "goddess" Jason = "philosopher" Sigh. |