From the rubble: N.L.'s 1st punk band, Da Slyme, releasing first album in over 20 years

For a St. John's band that started out as somewhat of a joke, Da Slyme has made quite the mark on the punk rock scene both locally and beyond the province's borders.

Rare copies of their first album can now sell for more than $1,000. Their records have been sought after in places as far away as Italy. Last year, the band was invited to exhibit their work in a new punk rock museum in Las Vegas.

But Da Slyme's career isn't over yet. This summer, the band will releaseits first album in over 20 years: an archival collection that includes songs from their earliest recording sessions in the late '70s to live performances from some of their biggest gigs, as well as songs that have never been released.

The album, called If There's No Rubble, You Haven't Played!, will be officially released June 2.

"It never ceases to amaze us," said Wallace Hammond, the band's lead guitarist, whose punk name is Kirt Sic-o-via.

"This is something we've talked about over the course of this project. It never ceases to amaze any of us that after 45 years, we are still dealing with this thing. We only played 30 times. We never played outside the overpass."

Back to the very beginning

Da Slyme, which formed in 1977 at Memorial University in St. John's,is Newfoundland and Labrador's first-ever punk band.

Hammond said he and his bandmates were all part of the university's radio station, and many of them were self-proclaimed "musical snobs," always listening to bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones.

Peter Morris, one of Da Slyme'sbass and guitar players hispunk moniker is Stig Stilletto said their idea to start a punk band was initially "a gag." With no preparation or experience, Morris and Hammond say, one afternoon, the friends went to the main studio at Memorial's radio station with some instruments.

That afternoon, they wrote and recorded their very first song within 15 to 20 minutes, said Hammond. It's now the first song on their newrecord.

"That very first take of that song opens up the album," said Morris. "And after close to 50 years, we've left a little snail's trail of rubble from here, back to the university and around town."

Da Slyme put out their first record, a self-titled double vinyl album, in 1980. Just over 500 copies of the record were pressed, says Morris, and only 10 made it outsidethe province.

Although there wasn't much buzz for the album when it was initially released, says Morris, copies of the record are so rare these days that they're selling on music sites like Discogs for about $2,000.

Over the course of their music career, Da Slyme released another album, The 20-Year Scam, in 1999. They performed about 30 times over the course of more than two decades, and all their gigs were in St. John's.

Morris saysthe band still doesn't know how copies of their first album, Da Slyme, made it outside Canada. They also never expected to be invited to exhibit their work at a new punk museum in Las Vegas, where a few of their CDs and costumes now live.

The band produced their new album with Montreal-based record label Celluloid Lunch Records, and Hammond says the label has also set them up to do an interview with a punk magazine in Slovenia.

Morris and Hammond say they never expected Da Slyme to have such an extensive career, especially one that found international audiencesdespite the band never having left St. John's for a gig.

When it comes to why Da Slyme is well liked, Morris says, bandmateTony Richards, also known by punk name Roscoe Santiago, sumsit up pretty well.

"He said, 'They love us so much because we did so little,'" said Morris with a laugh. "We weren't around long enough to annoy people too much."

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