Left-right: A.J. Wilkes, Dustin Shrum, Stephanie Shrum, Mary Haux, Hadley Haux, Chaz Wilkes
Today we’d like to introduce you to Hadley Haux (on behalf of the Wurst Bavarian Band).
Hi Hadley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
The Wurst Bavarian Band got its start 12 or 13 years ago. At the time, I was the band director at Ritenour High School. I had a cultural exchange program between my school jazz band and the Stadtmusikanten (town band) from Dingolfing in Bavaria, Germany. We would trade visits every year or two, and one of the places I booked them to perform was at the Ferguson Farmers Market in St. Louis County. This German Day event was successful enough that the market wanted to do it again the following year, though we didn’t have a German band coming over. My wife Mary (who worked with the market) and I told them we might be able to get a small group together to play some German music I had. So I asked several former students – most of whom had been to Bavaria with me – if they’d like to get together and play. So we did, and for several years, we played just that gig and a private Oktoberfest party. We enjoyed the music and playing together so much that we decided it would be nice to expand a little more and get out in the community. Two or three years ago, our drummer, A.J., set up social media pages and a website for us, and we almost immediately started receiving inquiries. This year, we played a full slate of gigs. We’re busiest during the fall Oktoberfest, but we have stuff going on all year now, and we already have quite a few bookings for 2024. There are six of us in the band – two clarinets, trumpet, baritone, tuba, and drums. We have found our niche playing traditional Blasmusik style and dressing in the Trachten (costumes) within the St. Louis scene with the other great German bands (Die Spitzbuam, Deutschmeister Brass Band, So Grand Polka And an extra shout-out to our friends in the traditional German dance group Wir Tanzen, who we met by chance at a ‘Mocktoberfest’ event.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a smooth road, partly because we all have personal history together. Chaz (tuba) and A.J. (drums) are brothers; Dustin (trumpet) and Stephanie (clarinet) met in college and are married, and Mary (clarinet) is my wife. Chaz, A.J., and Dustin were all former students of mine who have become good friends. The main challenge is that we all have other musical commitments to one degree or another, plus the family obligations that everyone has, so sometimes scheduling is a juggling act.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I retired in 2023 after thirty years as the band director at Ritenour High School. I was responsible for the whole band program there, including the marching, concert, and jazz bands. As a director, I always believed in giving students lots of opportunities to get out in the community and play. I also liked to travel with my bands, which allowed them to see and perform places they otherwise might never go. These were great educational experiences for students. And, of course, the German exchange our jazz band had for twenty years laid the groundwork for the Wurst Bavarian Band.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I always enjoyed family vacations – traveling and seeing the country. Also, the band was always a ‘happy place’ growing up. I brought both those sensibilities to my career as an educator and musician.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ponytailexpressproduction.com/the-wurst-bavarian-band.html?fbclid=IwAR3la16KaB404MuFK7jEMpyZT3KFpu6voOe_AiQPo3lyVyexi19GtdlRfWo
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewurstbavarianband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWurstBavarianBand
