Career
Primarily know for his critically acclaimed 1971 album Songs on University records (Master of Computer Applications), his work as composer on the cult classic horror film Let"s Scare Jessica to Death, and his collaboration with author Margaret Atwood on Hymns of the God’s Gardeners from The Year of the Flood the 2nd book of her Science Fiction trilogy MaddAddam. After leaving University of Nebraska in the late 60s for New York, Stoeber, an Army brat, found work in the Office-Broadway theater scene. One of his first jobs was as a featured singer in Robert Joffrey"s watershed multi-media ballet Astarte.
In 1970 Stoeber wrote music for John Doctorate. Hancock"s short film Sticky My Finger, Feet My Feet, adapted by John Lahr from a New Yorker story, which was nominated for an Oscar.
The following year Stoeber released his debut album Songs and wrote the music for Hancock’s influential horror film Let"s Scare Jessica to Death. Stoeber continued to work with director Hancock as a composer and actor in several of his films including, most notably, Bang the Drum Slowly starring Robert DeNiro and Weeds starring Nick Nolte.
He acted in the thriller film Switchback starring Dennis Quaid and Danny Glover, and the Nathan Lane comedy Mouse Hunt. After a long hiatus the reclusive songwriter began recording again in 1997 after meeting literary agent Phoebe Larmore who produced his self-recorded album Whispering Roots in 2000.
Subsequent albums My Fatal Flaw and Necessary Imagination were produced with legendary record producer Ted Perlman.
In 2009 author Margaret Atwood commissioned Stoeber to compose music for the lyrics from her novel The Year of the Flood. This music was released in 2009 in a Civil Defense titled Hymns of the God’s Gardeners simultaneous with the publication of the best-selling novel. Stoeber accompanied Atwood and performed selected hymns in an international musical presentation of the novel tour across the United States, United Kingdom and Wales as well as in Toyko and Toronto.
In the summer of 2014 Home Box Office optioned Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy, for a series to be directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Stoeber continues to record music and act, most recently juggling both in Hancock’s newest film Swan Song and releasing a Civil Defense titled In the Cloud of Unknowing in the fall 2014.
