About Cubensis

CUBENSIS, the band that plays Dead, had its beginnings in 1987 when a group of Deadhead musicians became frustrated with the Dead's all-too-infrequent visits to Southern California. To fill the gap, guitarist Craig Marshall assembled a quartet and began to perform at backyard parties and local bars. Soon, word got around about this outfit, who used the Dead's music as a skeletal framework for their own improvisational explorations. It was a band-within-a-band, and to this day, you would have a difficult time calling CUBENSIS a "Dead Cover Band" without admitting they have tapped into the same inspirational wellspring as the Masters themselves. The LA WEEKLY says "Cubensis plays with the same laid-back mastery as the Real McCoy." Big Brother Skateboard magazine crowned Cubensis as "the nation's premiere Dead tribute" in their January, 2002 issue.

Now celebrating their 18th anniversary as a band, CUBENSIS has been privileged to be joined onstage by numerous rock superstars, including Chris Robinson and Marc Ford (Black Crowes), Warren Haynes (Phil & Friends, Allman Bros.), John Molo (Phil & Friends), and Vince Welnick (Grateful Dead). CUBENSIS has performed extensively at the Southwest's major venues, including the House of Blues in Hollywood, Anaheim and Las Vegas.

Speaking of Jerry Garcia, CUBENSIS guitarist Craig Marshall met him during a shared airplane flight to Eugene, OR for the famous Dead/ Little Feat pairing. By way of introduction, Marshall said that he was in CUBENSIS, and that they played Grateful Dead music, to which Garcia replied, in mock surprise, "Oh yeah? So do we!!"

Upon that, the two lead guitarists talked shop, and reports of the conversation showed up on computer nets coast to coast. One thing Marshall obtained was Garcia's blessing to perform the Dead's music. Garcia's only request was that he "Do a good job of it." Ever since, CUBENSIS has promised authenticity and delivers pure Grateful Dead-inspired music like it was meant to be heard, keeping the Dead alive and re-creating the magic one show at a time. Don't miss it!
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According to information recently received from Chester (original singer/guitarist), the first Cubensis rehearsal was December 30, 1987 in Redondo Beach, CA. Cubensis played a wedding reception for Craig's sister Ellen in May 1988, and the first actual paid gig was July 27, 1988 at Club Dead in the San Fernando Valley.