The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
A decade separates them in age, but Debra Persons and Andrea Rizzo share a passion for the city's rock scene.
Back in 1979, a teenage Persons started sneaking into local dives to hear her favorite bands. Rizzo did the same in the '90s. The two recently collaborated with videographer Paul Unger to capture on film the music and artists they've long admired.
"Hardcore Norfolk: The Movie," will premiere at 1 p.m. Saturday to a sold-out audience at the Naro Expanded Cinema. Its producers hope to release it on DVD.
The documentary moves from the irreverent, gospel-suffused pop of Gary U.S. Bonds to the charging punk of the Bottle Babies. Archival footage, most from the artists' collections, is folded in between interviews.
"It was really a labor of love," said Persons, a stay-at-home mom whose husband, Grey, works at The Virginian-Pilot. "Norfolk has this rich rock scene that hasn't really been explored."
Rizzo, managing editor for a mental health and wellness website, said the film showcases a scene that remains fervent.
"There's a sound here that you won't find anywhere," Rizzo said. "There's a story that hasn't really been told. We wanted to do that."
Rashod Ollison, (757) 446-2732, rashod.ollison@pilotonline.com
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The movie is great but some
The movie is great but some of the "underground" bands were left out.
Who?
Who would you have included?
Gary US Bonds
When “New Orleans” burst through transistor radios in 1960, few knew anything about “U.S. Bonds,” really a young singer named Gary Anderson. The name was the brainchild of Legrand Records’ Frank Guida, who labeled the records “By U.S. Bonds,” hoping that record stations would play the song thinking it was a public service announcement. Rockaeology at http://bit.ly/eQLP0V has the story behind Gary US Bonds’ biggest hit, 1961’s “A Quarter to Three.” If you’ve ever wondered who were characters like Daddy G and the Church Street Five, it’s explained here.
Proof The Pilot is Disconnected
This should have been a story worthy of major coverage in The Pilot, but your entertainment staff has limited knowledge of the region.
Yes, especially since Gary
Yes, especially since Gary US Bonds showed up to the movie screening and then got up on stage after the movie was over to perform "New Orleans" with local band Ant Man Bee.