rawk & roll for your soul
the drone. were:
dustin heald - drums, backing vocals, vocals
gerry stumbaugh - vocals, guitar, backing vocals
mike teuscher - bass
cory thrall - vocals, guitar, backing vocals
click here for the drone. music
S T O R Y
the drone. began in 1996 when gerry stumbaugh and cory thrall started an acoustic duo (with both cory and gerry on vocals and backing vocals) and named, well - the drone. they started with the very first drone. songs, "if you will", "hippo comb", "rope", etc. they played in gerry's bedroom and rocked hardcore acoustic styles. they played a few shows together and were generally known for their casual manner onstage, and for their live banter back-and-forth between (and sometimes during) songs, where they would playfully rip each other for messing up and other such things. they had fun! near the end of '96, cory had to move to Denver, Colorado - so to document the project they recorded what is now known as the drone. "demo" on 8/28/96 using gerry's mom's stereo and one microphone. the drone. closed up shop as cory left for "brighter pastures" (AKA "Hell").......
........we come back in early 1997 and cory has returned from Denver (escaping dark times). the drone. reunite, this time adding mike teuscher on acoustic bass and ken lantz on light drums. the sound changes a bit, gets a bit bigger. the band has fun practicing a few times in an empty wine chamber - echo!!! they experiment with practicing in the back of a pick-up truck behind office buildings late at night - cops!!! they even try practicing at a high school after hours.......eventually ken is replaced on drums by dustin heald (who also adds the benefit of extra backing vocals, and even main vocals on a few songs!) and the drone. we all know and love is complete!
1997 becomes the "Year Of The drone.", at least in their small lives. days and hours upon days and hours are spent practicing and writng new material and backing vocal ideas. shows happen and lead to a bi-weekly performance schedule at the local downtown coffee shop! another "demo" is recorded and given out to friends. a DIY "music video" (for a friend's college project) is done for the drone. song "union hotel". the band plays two hugely successful shows at the fun local club "The Old Vic". their best show ever was probably a full on acoustic rock show at The Phoenix Theater (their second show there - the first was a sit-down acoustic affair - this time they got to stand up and rock out!) it all culminated into an awkward performance at a now deceased club called Masse's - it was the last time anyone would see the band live. the middle of 1998 saw the end of the drone. all that remains now are the recordings.......
the drone. reformed in the early 2000's, but only for a short period. the members schedules couldn't match up and it just "fell apart". dustin has since moved away to go to special effects school (a longtime love of his!), and the others work in different projects. (gerry and cory still work together in the noise project shrew florist.)