This article is a supplemental part of theMusic of the United States series. |
Roots music: before 1940 |
1940s and 50s |
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1980s to the present |
African-American music |
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Latin, Tejano, Hawaiian, |
Punk rock
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. Other hardcore bands from Richmond included Graven Image and Honor Role.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.
Roanoke's hardcore scene was limited, populated mainly by Virginia Tech students from Blacksburg, led by Mir.