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The Slickee Boys

Active from 1976 through 1991, with numerous short reunions in the years since, the Slickee Boys played a self-described ‘slickee-delic’ blend of psychedelic and garage rock, new wave, rockabilly, exotica, and punk that made them local favorites and helped establish the D.C. punk scene. The Slickee Boys were stalwarts of the scene in the late 1970s and 1980s, serving as mentors to many in the initial hardcore wave. Their defining lineup was established in 1979 with vocalist Mark Noone and bassist Emory Alexa joining founding guitarists Kim Kane and Marshall Keith, and drummer Dan Palenski for the group’s creative peak. A trio of singles from 1979-1981—Third, “The Brain That Refused To Die,” and “Here To Stay”—and 1983’s Cybernetic Dreams of Pi LP found the Slickee Boys at the height of their powers. Also notable is the band’s record for the most performances at D.C.'s long-running 9:30 Club, with 81 shows in total.

Drawn from the Paul Bushmiller collection on punk, the Sharon Cheslow punk flyers collection, the D.C. punk collection, the D.C. punk and indie fanzine collection, the Skip Groff papers, and the Robbie White collection.

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Fliers

Vintage rock and roll poster with a yellow background and red text.
The Slickee Boys and White Boy - Shalimar, Arlington, Virginia, December 16-17, 1977
A flier advertising and event at "The Atlantis" which is written in bold large letters at the top.
Slickee Boys and White Boy - The Atlantis, Washington, D.C., circa January 1978
Flier with plain and textured background, and at the center is all the content, including stylized text, multiple eye motifs, abstract shapes, and doodles.
The Slickee Boysthe Rudements, White Boy, and Urban Verbs - The Atlantis, Washington, D.C., February 1978
A teal-colored flier with black text. The large heading at the top reads "The Atlantis" and under it are featured bands for different days.
The Atlantis concert schedule flier, Washington, D.C., February 16-18, 1978
A black and white flier for a rock and roll event with an image of two people singing at the right side of the page.
The Slickee Boys and White Boy - Psychedelly, Bethesda, Maryland, March 3-4, 1978
A vintage, yellow-colored flier with black text, promoting a music event.
The Slickee Boys – Knights of Columbus Hall, Bethesda, Maryland, September 29, 1978
A hand drawn flier for a Fourth of July event. Under the title, there is a drawing of three cartoon-like characters, each holding smoking accessories.
4th of July Smoke-In promotional flier, Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C., July 4, 1979
Black and white flyer promoting a concert for The Slickee Boys, with large text and two images: one is of a stylized cartoon character and another is of a building.
The Slickee Boys and Judies Fixation concert flier - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., October 22, 1979
Black-and-white flier that includes various hand-drawn illustrations such as a woman's face, a rider on a horse, and a brain.
The Mad and Bad Brains - Madam's Organ, Washington, D.C., March 7, 1980
Flier with a background that has a large comic-style illustration of a man's face wearing a mask.
The Slickee Boys and Tina Peel - Psychedelly, Bethesda, Maryland, March 14-15, 1980
Vintage horizontal flier. There is a central illustration of a man, and lines connecting different parts of the illustration to the different texts of event details.
Tiny Desk Unit concert flier - Red Door Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, March 22, 1980
Yellow flier with black text and an illustration of a man with a microphone singing.
Billy Hancock and the Tennessee Rockets, Slickee Boys, Bad Brains - University of Maryland Colony Ballroom - College Park, MD, 4/11/1980
Black and white flier for the Punk Rock movie with pictures of some members in the top half of the flier, and the title and event details text are in red.
Cramps, Slickee Boys, "Punk Rock Movie" (film) - Ontario Theatre - Washington, D.C., 5/29/1980
A concert poster showing four men sitting against a brick wall at the top half of the page, and the bottom half has more information.
Ramones, Slickee Boys - University of Maryland Grand Ballroom - College Park, MD, 6/8/1980
Plain black and white flier, and there are no images or illustrations (handwritten text only).
The Slickee Boys and Dirty Work concert flier - One Flight Up, Washington, D.C., July 6, 1980
Vintage concert poster with band photos and concert details. Black and white with some orange highlights of images and text.
Cramps, Slickee Boys, Teen Idles, Tony Perkins & The Psychotics - Ontario Theatre - Washington, D.C., August 21, 1980
Flier with various styles of text on a yellow background, and there are band images around the title.
Plasmatics and the Slickee Boys - Ontario Theatre, Washington, D.C., November 20, 1980
Flier with an illustration of a man in a hat looking into the window of a woman who is sleeping.
The Slickee Boys and the Intruders - Columbia Station, Washington, D.C., September 26 1981
Flier for a Halloween Weekend Thriller. The text is all handwritten and the illustrations are Halloween themed, with a drawing on the left of a vampire with a spider web coming out of his face.
The Slickee Boys and Insect Surfers - Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, October 30 and 31, 1981
A simple text-only flier for an event called 'The Last Blast'.
Slickee Boys - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, May 4, 1982
Slickee Boys Flier with a drawing of the five band members standing in a line and looking up at the viewer.
The Slickee Boys concert flier - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., July 16, 1982
A simple black-and-white horizontal bar flier for the Slickee Boys.
The Slickee Boys concert flier - Wax Museum, Washington, D.C., July 31, 1982
A yellow flier with black text and illustrations of the band members of the two performing bands.
Mighty Invaders and Slickee Boys - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, September 17, 1982
Slickee Boys flier with an enlarged image of their logo, which is a cartoon-styled illustration of a man with a mask covering his nose and mouth and 'Slickee Boys' written on top.
The Slickee Boys concert poster - The Warehouse, Richmond, Virginia, October 21, 1982
Dark red flier with black text and illustrations.
The Slickee Boys and Beex - the Warehouse, October 21, 1982
Flier for a benefit concert for the NY Rocker Magazine, with simple white text on a black background.
Slickee Boys and Tommy Keene - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., December 7, 1982
Light yellow flier for The Slickee Boys event with black stylized text and an illustration of a character.
The Slickee Boys concert flier, Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, December, 11, 1982
Flier with a playful and bold text and musical illustrations on a light yellow background.
The Slickee Boys and the Ventures concert flier, Marble Bar, Baltimore, Maryland, February 19, 1983
Black and white flier with an illustration of the band members and event details under it.
The Slickee Boys and the Fuzztones concert flier - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., March 16, 1983
Flier with an enlarged image of their logo and event details underneath.
The Slickee Boys concert flier, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., April 1-2, 1983
Flier with stylized text and an image of two women.
The Slickee Boys and Switchblade - Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, April 15, 1983
Flier with a large image of their logo and the event details underneath.
The Slickee Boys - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland - May 6th, 1983
Flier with angled text boxes detailing event schedules and a graphic of a face in the bottom right corner.
Danceteria event schedule flier, New York City, June 1983
Flier with a purple tint, bold stylized text, and image of the four band members, and decorative lines placed throughout the page.
Damned, Minor Threat, Bow Wow Wow, Slickee Boys and New Order - Ontario Theater, Washington, D.C., June 16, July 1, and July 8, 1983
Flier in fun, stylized text and an illustration of an animated character.
The Slickee Boys concert flier, Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, September 3, 1983
Slickee Boys Flier in stylized text and illustrations of their logo and a line of a repeating Betty Boop image.
The Slickee Boys - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., September 17, 1983
Yellow flier with black text for Violent Femmes and Slickee Boys.
Violent Femmes and Slickee Boys concert flier, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland - October 14, 1983
Flier featuring photos of a performer and a band, with handwritten promotional text.
Psychedelic Beat Knight event flier, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., November 16, 1983
Slickee Boys Flier in handwritten text and their logo, and on the left is the venue name (9:30) repeated vertically from top to bottom.
The Slickee Boys and Plan 9 - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., November 23, 1983
Flier with large, bold text of varying styles.
The Slickee Boys - Marble Bar, Baltimore, Maryland, December 10, 1983
Psychedelic black and white poster with a silhouetted figure in a circle in the center, and curved bold text above and below the circle.
The Slickee Boys, Fuzztones, Mosquitos concert poster - Irving Plaza, New York, New York, January 20, 1984
Promotional flier with a black-and-white image of five band members in the center, and a mix of hand-written and typed-up text.
The Slickee Boys and the Breakers concert poster - The Decade, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1984
Bright green flier with black text and illustration of the five band members at the center.
The Slickee Boys, IKS concert poster - G.S. Vig's, Madison, Wisconsin, February 1, 1984
Slickee Boys Poster with large bold text and their logo of a character in a fighting pose.
The Slickee Boys concert flier, Friendship Station, Washington, D.C., February 5, 1984
Black and white abstract illustration of a person with half checkered clothing overlayed on a swirling and patterned background.
The Slickee Boys and the Purple Onions concert flier, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., February 9, 1984
Red-tinted flier with large, bold text, and at the center is the Slickee Boys circular logo (illustrated character's face with a mask on, covering the nose and mouth).
The Obsessed and Slickee Boys - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, February 24, 1984
Slickee Boys Poster with a black-and-white illustration of the five band members at the center.
The Slickee Boys - Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, February, 24, 1984
Flier for a St. Patrick's Day event with large, bold text of varying styles and small illustrations of four-leaf clovers and characters.
The Slickee Boys and the Fuzztones concert flier - Odd Fellows Hall, Towson, Maryland, March 17, 1984
Hand-written flier with a right triangle at the bottom-right of the page containing location information.
The Slickee Boys and Mission concert flier - Girards, Baltimore, Maryland, March 29, 1984
Plain flier with only large, bold text listing the band names, location, and date.
The Slickee Boys and the Monarchs concert poster - March 30, c. 1984, Hard Times
Flier with an image of the band at the top and handwritten event details underneath, including text that says 'Just a whole lot of raunchy American fun'.
The Slickee Boys and the Garden - The Decade, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1984
Flier with abstract black-and-white shapes and figures in the background that is overlayed with bold text.
The Slickee Boys and the Neats concert poster - Irving Plaza, New York, New York, April 14, 1984
Yellow flier wtih black text with distinct typographical styles and small illustrations (horses, cowboys, guitars), incorporating elements of Western and rockabilly aesthetics.
The Wanktones, the Redeemers, and Plum Crazy, d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., May 18, 1984
Slickee Boys Poster with a black-and-white illustration of the five band members at the center.
The Slickee Boys and the Diversions concert flier, Building 23, Naval Medical Command, Bethesda, Maryland, July 6, 1984
Yellow-background flier with small drawings of the band members' faces, and an image of a conversation between two people with speech bubbles at the bottom.
The Slickee Boys and Beatnik Flies - King's Head Inn, Norfolk, Virginia, July 20-21, 1984
Black and white flier with two columns of text boxes at the center (with an illustration of a rat in between wearing a shirt that says 'We don't bite').
Autumn Music Festival, the Slickee Boys, the Lyres concert flier - Adele H. Stamp Student Union, College Park, Maryland, October 27, 1984
Slickee Boys Flier
The Slickee Boys and the Mystagogues concert flier - Friendship Station, Washington, D.C., November 16, 1984
Red-tinted flier with large, bold text, and at the center is the Slickee Boys circular logo (illustrated character's face with a mask on, covering the nose and mouth).
Slickee Boys - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, circa November 17, 1984
Black and white concert flier with stylized, bold text and musical notes.
The Slickee Boys and the Wanktones concert flier, Psyche Delly, Bethesda, Maryland, December 21-22, 1984
Red sci-fi themed event poster with text and an octopus illustration.
Playgroup and the Slickee Boys concerts flier, Rockitz, Richmond, Virginia, c. 1984
Flyer with a black-and-white photo of the Slickee Boys and the band name written in stereotypical Asian typography.
The Slickee Boys - Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey, January 17, 1985
Slickee Boys Flyer with a black-and-white photo of the band members, with location and dates of the concert listed.
The Slickee Boys - the Roxy, Washington, D.C., March 22, 1985
Slickee Boys and Black Markey Baby flyer with pink text and a line drawing of a person's eyes and hair.
The Slickee Boys and Black Market Baby concert poster - Adele H. Stamp Student Union, College Park, Maryland, April 19, 1985
Slickee Boys Flyer with bold black type on a white background.
The Slickee Boys, the Beatnik Flies, and the Rhomboids - Wilson Center, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1985
Slickee Boys flyer with bold black type on a white background.
The Slickee Boys and Subterraneans - 688, Atlanta, Georgia, May 11, 1985
King Face flyer with a caricature of Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blown up on a vent with the heading, 'It's Springtime!'
The Slickee Boys and The Wanktones - Marble Bar, Baltimore, Maryland, May 18, 1985
Slickee Boys at the Brickhouse, Pasadena flyer with an illustration of a brickhouse and Betty Boop.
The Slickee Boys - The Brickhouse, Pasadena, Maryland, November 2, 1985
Slickee Boys flyer on yellow paper with a photo of bandmembers.
The Slickee Boys concert flier - Mineshaft Cellar, Charlottesville, Virginia, November 2, 1985
Wanktones flyer printed in pink with a drawing of bandmembers.
The Wanktones and the Vibrato Brothers - Stamp Union Atrium, College Park, Maryland, November 21, 1985
Slickee Boys and Rhomboids flyer with an illustration of a man wearing a scarf that covers his mouth.
The Slickee Boys and the Rhomboids - Stamp Student Union Colony Ballroom, College Park, Maryland, November 22, 1985
Slickee Boys and Rhomboids flyer on yellow paper, with concentric circle patterns.
The Slickee Boys and the Rhomboids - Stamp Student Union, Colony Ballroom, College Park, Maryland, November 22, 1985
Slickee Boys, Volcano Suns flyer with various typfaces and cartoon images advertising junk food.
Slickee Boys, Volcano Suns, and Mojo Nixon - Folk City, New York, New York, December 4, 1985
NRBQ and Slickee Boys flyer with photos of Joe Lynn Turner, NRBQ, and The Slickee Boys.
NRBQ, the Slickee Boys, Joe Lynn Turner - Warner Theatre, Washington, D.C., December 26 and 31, 1985
Slickee Boys flyer on a yellow page with thick, handwritten marker titles and details.
The Slickee Boys and Beatnik Flies - Dominic's, Norfolk, Virginia, January 18, 1986
Slickee Boys flyer on yellow paper with a photo of the bandmembers.
The Slickee Boys - 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 3, 1986
Slickee Boys flyer with a black and white striped background like ripped paper strips.
The Slickee Boys and the Fleshtones concert flier, Godfrey's Famous Ballroom, Baltimore, Maryland, April 4, 1986
Slickee Boys flyer on a dark background with collage-styled details and a drawing of a man with a scarf covering his mouth.
The Slickee Boys - Montgomery College Fine Arts Building, Rockville, Maryland, April 11, 1986
Rock Against Apartheid flyer with black printed text on white paper and a drawing of a fist in chains.
Rock Against Apartheid - Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C., May 9, 1986
Rock Against Apartheid flyer with black printed text on white paper and a drawing of a fist in chains.
Rock Against Apartheid - Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C., May 9, 1986
Slickee Boys flyer on yellow paper, with title 'Memorial Day Weekend Party !!' and a drawing of a figure surrounded by lines.
The Slickee Boys - Back Streets Cafe, Towson, Maryland, May 25, 1986
Slickee Boys flyer with a illustration of a robot holding a surfboard and a man holding a sword and wearing a bandana mask.
The Slickee Boys and Frankie & the Actions concerts flier, February 10 and 18, 1988
The Wanktones with the Cynics flyer with a photo of four band members with their instruments.
The Wanktones and the Cynics - d.c. space, Washington, D.C., March 17, 1989
Slickee Boys flyer with handdrawn titles and band logos and a drawing of a cartoon character with a mask over his mouth.
The Slickee Boys and Frankie and the Actions - City Lights, November 9-10, 1989

Zines

Black and white handwritten cover page.
Vintage Violence, Issue 1, March 1977
Black and white handwritten cover page with and photo of a guy and the message under him says 'Johnny wishes you and yours a happy xmas'.
Vintage Violence, Issue 4, December 1977

Ephemera

Slickee Boys Greeting Card
Slickee Boys Greeting Card, ca. December 1979
Slickee Boys Here to Stay promo, with stick figure drawings of the band members at the top.
The Slickee Boys, promotional flier for "Here to Stay" single, 1981
9:30 Club Schedule. Colorful page with illustrations.
Concert calendar postcard for 9:30 Club, September 1983
Pink calendar of February events with varying fonts.
7th Street Entry concert calendar, Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 1984
Page 1 of the calendar for Baltimore Venue Girard's with typed black text on white paper and a photo of the bandmembers.
Girard's concert calendar flier, Baltimore, Maryland, April 3-28, 1985
Page 2 of the calendar for Baltimore Venue Girard's with photos of the band and a calendar for April.
Girard's concert calendar flier, Baltimore, Maryland, April 3-28, 1985

About

Persistent Vision presents the University of Maryland's digitized special collections materials related to punk in the Washington, D.C. area. Most of these materials reside at Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. These materials help to tell the story of a subculture and a community that has thrived since 1976.

Curators: John Davis, Ben Jackson
Design: Ben Jackson, Natalie Salive
Authors: Ben Jackson, John Davis, and Jessica Grimmer

With help from: Cindy Zhao, Jeremy Gottwig, Amanda Henderson, Gabby Cameron, Hayden Kramer

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Special Collections in Performing Arts is located in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library on University of Maryland’s College Park campus.

For general information about the library and our collections, contact us