THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507120142
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Dru Stowe plays the oompah music of Germany, classical Italian pieces, Renaissance music, Dixieland, early American swing.
He plays every brass instrument, collects musical instruments and teaches music history.
Stowe's three trombone-playing friends will be at the Suffolk Museum for a free concert Tuesday. Since this is July, they are The Beach Bones; in the Christmas season, they are The Santa Bones.
The winter group came first, organized to play in churches and shopping malls. ``It caught on so well, we figured `why stop?','' said organizer Stowe.
They keep on the go, playing classical music, traditional band favorites, ragtime songs, marches and light jazz.
The ``Bones'' are just stops for Stowe, who travels overseas every two years with the International Trombone Association.
He travels to Busch Gardens during theme park season, often flitting from one locale to another - playing beer-drinking oompah music at the Festhaus, going to Italy for some classical offerings and working as stage manager for other productions.
Stowe, tall and thin, also sits behind the big, fat tuba as a member of the Hotel Paradise Roof Garden Orchestra, playing pop music of the 1920s and '30s. His wife, Karen - the couple have two children - plays violin in that orchestra.
Is that enough to keep him occupied?
No way. Stowe plays some ancient instruments as a member of the Locrian Consort, specializing in Renaissance music.
Still more: He is a member of the Tomcats, the Dixieland band that performs during Tides baseball games. And he is co-owner of a Newport News booking agency, MurSto Productions.
When he has time to spare, he teaches music history at some elderhostels, often bringing some of the 50 instruments from his collection, which is expected to be on display, next year, in Isle of Wight County. He purchased nine acres of land there.
``I hope to have an instrument museum and a concert hall,'' Stowe said. ``It will be a postcard attraction. I want to have concerts, offer music education and bring in visiting artists.''
The museum will feature such items as a digeridoo, ``a most unusual Australian instrument,'' he said. ``It's a 6-feet-long limb of a tree that was hollowed by termites. You buzz into it, like a brass instrument. The result is a rumbling sound.''
Stowe, 34, has been playing trombone since he was 12, but until 1988 he was an aerospace engineer at Fort Eustis.
``I gave it up when I had that opportunity to go to Europe,'' he said.
When he returned, Stowe realized he wanted to make music a full-time career, ``but,'' he said, ``on the side, I repair computers.''
Performing is his big love.
``No two weeks are the same, and I go to many interesting parties. At the same time, there's no steady paycheck,'' the trombonist said.
The trombone, which dates back about 500 years, ``is the one instrument, through history, that's been a part of almost every kind of band,'' Stowe said. ``A lot of instruments don't have that opportunity.
``I've always been intrigued with its sound. It's unique and efficient, no keys or buttons, just one moving part,'' he said. ``It's tougher than the trumpet because you don't have the security of relying on valve combinations.''
To be sure, there is a valve trombone, ``but,'' Stowe said, ``I prefer the standard instrument.''
Several types of trombones will be on hand at Tuesday's concert. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
Dru Stowe, top right, is the organizer behind the Beach Bones, also
known as the Santa Bones. The group will play Tuesday at the Suffolk
Museum.
by CNB