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 Stefan
began life much like anybody else - his mother and father
did the "Bedroom Lambada".
It wasn't long after this that
the genetic material was fused and his cells began
multiplying, eventually growing limbs which began
drumming and kicking, eager to get out and play.
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 His
grandfather, Jack Beaver, was a very successful composer,
having headed the Music Department of Warner Brothers
in England, and the BBC. He composed the music
to many films and TV shows, including Alfred Hitchcock's
"The 39 Steps". Music was in Stefan's
blood and he began playing the piano at age 3, becoming
competent enough by 4 to play in Eisteddfods.
He also played the Ukelele and used to entertain by
singing and playing any chance he got at school and
at people's homes. Nothing has changed. |
Being born in
England in 1963, meant that Stefan's early life was
surrounded by the sights and sounds of the British Pop
Explosion of the 60's. All those great sounds
have inspired Stefan ever since. The Beatles and
later the "Hippy" era of Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock,
Flower Power and especially the Rock Musical "Hair"
etched themselves into his young mind, as he grew to
play the songs of the 70's as he went through school,
with the energy of the 60's which so inspired him.
He also listened to Rolf Harris, which could explain
his extreme diversity today!!
Here he is in 1969, singing on
board the SS Australis, on the way over from England,
when his parents emigrated to Australia.
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 Stefan
went through a bit of a non-musical period, as he grew
up in Western Sydney, where it was rather unfashionable
to be a musician at the time. He took up skateboarding,
among other things, and excelled as a trick rider, putting
on displays for his school.
He did stay in touch with his
musical roots, by listening to a lot of radio, which
in those days, was 2SM, and they played a lot of David
Bowie, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Don MacLean, Stevie
Wright - in fact all the legendary music that is still
so popular today. Stefan used to sing along
with all these songs, but he lacked the performance
outlet, until he was about 13, and he got his first
electric guitar and stared a band with his brother,
Marek, and a friend at school. |
 Here
we see Stefan at 14 years of age, emulating Paul Stanley
from Kiss!! What a laugh!!! They were HUGE
in 1977, and, well, Stefan was dreaming of being a big
rock star himself...
This era saw him performing in
school musicals such as "Calamity Jane",
"Annie Get Your Gun" and "The Pyjama
Game". He started playing lunchtime concerts
with his band, and his first paid gig was in 1978,
when he played a primary school social for Lismore
Demonstration School. He then started putting
on his own gigs in local halls until he was old enough
to play in the pubs. Even back then, he played
at big public and private events, such as headlining
Grafton's Jacaranda Festival, Maclean's Big River
Festival and many other parties and events.
His unique stage presence and musical talent was an
instant hit wherever he played. |
 Over
the years after school finished, he played in many bands
- with many names. Sabotage, The Units, Syntax,
Broken Toys, The Movies, The Savage Echidnas (a theatrical
heavy rock band), The Choice. Sure none of these
bands ever quite made the big time, but they were all
very successful. The Units was the most popular
band on the Far North Coast of NSW for three years,
and drew huge audiences, as well as supporting all the
big bands that came through, like INXS, Midnight Oil,
Mi-Sex, Mental as Anything, Cold Chisel, Doug Parkinson
etc etc. |
The 80's saw
music move in a totally new direction, with synthesizers
taking over and lots of funny hairstyles and clothes.
Everybody went with the fashion, and Stefan's
band "Broken Toys" became Queensland's number
one band, winning two separate Battle-of-the-Bands for
their original music shows, as well as filling venues
all over Queensland with their accurate renditions of
the current hits. Unfortunatley the personality
differences saw the demise of the band after a turbulent
tour of Western Australia, just when the live music
industry was seeing a paradigm shift. This is
where Stefan went solo, as all the big venues closed
down and the Casinos and nightclubs took over.
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Below
is the "Savage Echidnas", Broken Toys alter
ego band, with the sound engineer, Ian Taylor on guitar
and the guitarist, Tony Adams, doing sound. Tony
went on to form various underground original bands,
with one of them, Cyberia, getting some airplay on JJJ
a few years ago. Ian Taylor went on to do sound
for The Angels, among others and runs an Audio Production
Course at TAFE. The Drummer, Peter Clarke went
on to join Keith Urban and moved to Nashville, only
returning recently, and Bass Player Leroy Bath became
an award-winning record producer, recording the early
works of such notables as Powderfinger and Custard.
To this day, Stefan and Leroy work together on recordings,
some of which can be heard on the audio/video page. Plans are under
foot for some new recordings in 2003. Stefan's
band Avatar
Crash is produced by Leroy. |
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 Stefan
is now a complete all-round entertainer with a rich
background of live work spanning four decades.
At 40, he can cover any style, with an exceptional vocal
range and an incredible ear for accurately reproducing
the spirit of any song he cares to sing. This
carries through to his own works, and his audiences
are unanimous in their appreciation of his talents.
These talents and experiences
are now being put to use in a wider and wider scope
of expression, including writing, acting, cabaret,
musical theatre, compere work, board game design,
broadcasting, recording, and the ever-important live
work at corporate, private and public events. |
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