Joey Stebanuk
Well, it's since been 40 years when I picked up the guitar for the first time and here I am....hmmmm.....it's been an interesting journey to say the least ! Where do I begin ? Let's go back, way back ! Little did I know at the time but seeing the Beatles on television for the first time triggered what I would do for the rest of my life. I always had a fascination for music and it started to blossom from that time on. I had just started to learn to play guitar when I heard Jimi Hendrix , it struck me like a bolt of lightning ! I never heard that sound, style,the feel and the pure reality of his music before. I didn't know what to think at first but it consumed and mesmerized me. Not until later in life did I realize that was the first time I felt and learned what music was all about. I was twelve years old at the time but "my" Jimi Hendrix "experience" made me decide without a doubt what I was going to do for the rest of my life. At that very young age I had made the decision , or should I say, my future presented itself. I was consumed by the guitar and music, I was 100% devoted and determined, every obstacle and hardship I encountered wasn't viewed as a problem but a challenge to be met and conquered, Success is a marriage of dreams,courage and reality. After many peaks and valleys I have to say things have turned out pretty well. I made and am making a living from music, in the past from being a full time performer and presently as a composer and guitar instructor. My heart , mind and soul was always into composing my own material, in fact, the first tune I ever played was my own little composition on my very first guitar that only had one string, but oh! how I loved that one string ! :). Actually, it took a few years before I had a guitar with all six strings but I finally was able to scrape up enough money for my first real guitar, so a Sears catalogue , 15 bucks and week waiting period later and there she was , YES ! the beauty of it all ! I took it out of it's box, started to tune it up and.... SNAP..... damn it ! back to less than six strings again, and a lickin' from my Mom because she thought I broke the guitar ! yes, I paid my dues early, LOL ! It took a while before I was able to get a replacement string, you see, where I was born and raised things were still pretty well delivered on horseback in those days, :). I was in my first rock band at 14/15 yrs. of age in high school with school friends , it was fun, innocent times and jammed with area musicians the few years to follow, a great training period ! I was in my first touring band not long after I was out of school and continued with that for many many years performing in various cover rock, pop, blues/rock bands and a country band at one time. Oh! the stories that were written during those years ! The travel , the clubs [ oh man, that constant aroma of beer drenched carpet], the crowds , fellow musicians and the accommodations for the bands, yes, some of those rooms were soooooo bad that it was better and healthier just to pitch tents in the room ! But of course, there were many good memories and times too. Then the time finally come where that chapter had to come to a close as it was a dead end street musically and artistically. Being in cover bands gave me an opportunity where I could make a living from playing the guitar and I'm grateful for that but something never felt right , as I said earlier, my heart was always into composing my own material. So I retired from that scene and made the decision to follow my dream whole heartedly . I opened up my little guitar school [ I love to teach] which is giving me a comfortable income and focused myself totally on writing, that was about 8/9 years ago. I'm now in a position where I can devote my whole self to composing and I couldn't be happier. Composing my own music was always my dream and now my dream is reality. My music has evolved over the years into what it is now and is still evolving. My influences were a wide range when I was younger but I always admired and was inspired by artists where their instruments were an extension of themselves, in other words,true artists. Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck just to name a few, you know, the people who go beyond the notes. I like to describe my music as my own interpretation of "Rock/Pop fusion", so to speak. It's thought provoking, melodic, mystical, visual and tuneful. I'm working towards TV/film placement, any audio application actually. Having my CDs available to the public is always a priority as I believe I have something a little different, fresh but familiar to offer. I put my days of "guitar hero" behind me a long time ago as I now play for the song. My mind and heart is now my instrument. My later years are now upon me but the best and most rewarding years have only begun ! Some of my story.......so far ! Soooo much more I could have told but where do I put it all !.........maybe a book ? Stay tuned !