Blackouts, Refuzors, Student Nurse, and U-Men at Danceland, Seattle, WA, December 5, 1981

This poster advertises a performance by four Seattle Punk bands: The Blackouts, The Refuzors, Student Nurse, and U-Men, at Danceland USA in Seattle on December 5, 1981. 

The Blackouts were a Punk Rock band formed in Seattle in 1979 by singer and guitarist Erich Werner, bassist Mike Davidson, and drummer Bill Rieflin, who were all former members of a another local Punk band, The Telepaths. They were joined by Roland Barker, first on synthesizer and later on saxophone. Following the release of a single and an EP, Davidson was replaced by Barker’s brother Paul (b unknown) in 1981, before the band relocated to Boston in 1982. The Blackouts relocated to San Francisco in 1984 and toured the East Coast with the band Ministry, before disbanding in 1985. 

The Refuzors were a Seattle Punk Rock band in the 1980s, formed by Mike Lambert (b. unknown) on bass and vocals, Danny Barton (b. unknown) on guitar, and Dan Bradshaw (b. unknown) on drums. Other members included Ward Nelson (b. unknown) on guitar, Al Dams (b. unknown) and Mike Purdon (b. unknown) on bass, and Renee Vazquez (b. unknown) on vocals. The band was involved in media controversies both of their own making—such as swinging a dead cat into their all-ages audience while playing the song “Splat Goes The Cat”—and others stemming from assumptions about their black leather uniforms, such as a public accusation by a rock critic at the Seattle PI suggesting they were white supremacists, which led Lambert to write “White Power,” explicitly denouncing such views. The Refuzors performed around Seattle and Porland before they disbanded in 1989. 

Helena Rogers (b. unknown) and then-husband John Rogers (b. unknown) co-founded Student Nurse, whose name was suggested by John, in 1978. The group started out playing improvisational Jazz and Pop, but later developed into an Art-Rock band, whose early lineups included bassists William Adam (b. unknown) and Joe Harris (b. unknown) and guitarists Al Davis (b. unknown) and Allan Evans (b. unknown). They played with local artists and performed improv music and poetry on local FM radio station, KRAB. Their first live performance was opening for Enemy at Ballard Firehouse, and they self-released their first single, “Disco Dogs b/w Lies,” in 1979. The band also performed at events with impromptu music, dancing, and painting. Bassist Eric Muhs (b. unknown) and guitarist Tom Boettcher (b. unknown) joined the band in mid-1981, forming a tight-knit group with the Rogers. John, Helena, and Eric came together again for the first time since 1984 for a live show with newcomer David Ehrich (b. unknown) at Georgetown’s Fantagraphics Bookstore in 2022 and have performed occasionally at local venues since. 

The U-Men was a Seattle, Washington Rock band formed in 1980. Vocalist John Bigley led the group, which included Tom Price on guitar, Charlie "Chaz" Ryan on drums, Robin Buchan, Jim Tillman, Tom Hazelmyer (b. 1965), and later Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom, on bass. In 1983, The U-Men became the first band managed by renowned Seattle manager Susan Silver, and their Alt Rock sound helped inspire much of Seattle’s Grunge music. They toured locally and extensively across the United States before disbanding in 1989.