Music of Virginia - Hardcore Punk and Heavy Metal

Hardcore Punk and Heavy Metal

The city of Richmond has long had one of the more active punk rock scenes on the East Coast. The city is perhaps best known for shock-punk-metal band GWAR, known for wild on-stage antics. GWAR grew out of Death Piggy, a hardcore punk band that followed in the footsteps of local scene leaders White Cross, Beex, and The Prevaricators. However Richmond punk became big with Avail. The Richmond punk scene grew, including: Inquisition, Fun Size, Knucklehed, Uphill Down, Four Walls Falling, The Social Dropouts, Ann Beretta, Sixer, River City High, BraceWar, Smoke or Fire (originally from Boston), Strike Anywhere,and many underground bands. Richmond punk is often mistakenly considered to be an offshoot of the D.C. scene, however Richmond punk bands have developed a unique sound, often influenced by country, folk, and southern rock (particularly prevalent in Avail, Sixer, and Ann Beretta, and to a lesser degree in Strike Anywhere). This is most likely due to the fact that Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during most of the Civil War, is arguably the oldest and most lively punk scene in the South. Richmond punk has a close relationship with punk from Gainesville, Florida, particularly between Avail and the now-disbanded Hot Water Music. Other hardcore bands from Richmond included Unseen Force, God's Will, Graven Image and Honor Role. Richmond also has an active metal scene that includes, in addition to GWAR, Lamb of God, Alabama Thunderpussy, Municipal Waste. The metal scene is closely related the city's punk rockers, and, like the punks, there is a Southern influence in the music of Lamb of God and particularly in Alabama Thunderpussy. Richmond still harbors an extremely strong hardcore scene, emerging from the shadows of the mid 80's Four Walls Falling, Fed Up, Set Straight, Step Above, Count Me Out and Dead Serious. More recently a resurgence of old school hardcore punk has risen from Richmond with such bands as Direct Control, Government Warning, Wasted Time, etc. Richmond also has a small post-hardcore scene with bands such as Remaniscense, Wow, Owls! and Ultra Dolphins.

Norfolk was known, during hardcore's heyday, for violent clashes between punks and local military personnel from the Navy base. Ray Barbieri (Agnostic Front, Warzone) and John Joseph McGeown (Cro-Mags) became punks while serving in Norfolk due to a judge's order.

There were many semi-pros, who played venues...from the late 30's-early fifties, in southwestern Virginia. Roanoke was a hub for some of these lesser known music men, who came and went thru the early years, of country music radio, and stage performances thruout this part of Virginia. One of the more notable ones, was a group known as "The Blue Ridge Entertainer's". It was led by a man, who had done some work in Nashville, and was very popular on the Roanoke scene, by the name Roy Hall. Roy was a man of considerable talent, and well liked by his band members. Among his band members was Jayhue, and Saiford Hall(related to him), Wayne Watson, and a man by the name of Eddie Dooley. Sadly, Roy's music career ended, when he was killed, in tragic car crash accident. "Eddie" Dooley, was a friend to Roy, as well as a member of his band....and had considered going back to Nashville with Roy, who was asking him to do so. The group had just opened a show for Roy Acuff, in Radford, Va...the night Roy Hall was killed. Eddie was very saddened, by Roy's untimely death. Eddie went on to play with a number of local bands, after Roy died. He was a multi-talented self-taught music man, who played about 6 different instruments, equally well. He played guitar, Hawaiian(or steel) guitar, fiddle, piano, and a number of other instruments. When a band member was out, Eddie could fill in most any position needed. He was also a talented singer. Among the bands he played with, were, the "Virginia Pioneers", "Wanderers of the Wasteland"(led by Woody Mashburn), "Hamilton's Hawaiians", and many more. There were others, besides Eddie, who played and were members of some of these early bands. There was Ralph Hambrick, Shannon Kincaid, Jimmy Argenbright, Carl Decker, Ralph Thomas, and many more. Some of these men, were very talented men, and although many had day to day jobs....were known as regular performers on radio, and for stage shows, in Roanoke and the surrounding areas. Some of these men have now died. Eddie died in December, 2001. These men may have been lesser known, but still made a significant mark, as pioneers on early country radio, in southwestern Virginia,and deserve to be recognized for the contributions they made, to the music history, in Virginia. (More information can be found, in the archives of the "Blue Ridge Institute", in Ferrum, Va).