Musician Steve Stefanowicz doesn’t mind if audience members shout out tunes for him to play. Chances are he will know them all.

Stefanowicz, a Tacoma native, has been called “the human jukebox” for his vast knowledge of popular cover tunes and said he knows “about a million tunes,” but he recently released a CD featuring mainly his own compositions, called simply “Time.”

Stefanowicz and his backup band will perform for a New Year’s Eve party at Bay Street Grill & Bar in Port Orchard.

Stefanowicz has been blind since birth, and took up the guitar at age 12. He has played professionally since he was 21, and turned to performing full time in 1991. He has been pleasing crowds at bars, clubs, private parties and festivals ever since.

He has performed with Lou Rawls and Sam Andrews’ Holding Company and has shared the bill with Savoy Brown, Kansas and Elvin Bishop.

Although he plays mainly popular tunes, he was named “Blues Man of the Year” at the 1998 Tacoma Blues Festival.

He said he would like to play more blues and jazz, but audiences seem to prefer the pop tunes.

His new CD is his first solo effort, and gives listeners a better idea of his original songs and his wide-ranging musical abilities.

Review Alex Perlman, of Victory Review said of the album: “If you’ve ever heard Steve Stefanowicz play, whether solo, or as an opening or supporting musician in a live venue, you’d buy this CD without hesitation.”

The CD was recorded in Stefanowicz’s home studio, and features him on acoustic guitar, dobro, banjo, acoustic bass, mandolin and Nashville high-strung guitar. Guest vocalists are Vicci Martinez and Katie Holbrook.

Perlman had this to say about one song on the album: “The vocal textures in his rendition of Lyle Lovett’s ‘Nobody Knows Me’ can only be described as tasty, and for a guy who claims he isn’t a mandolin player, well, so much for modesty.”

You can check out Steve Stefanowicz’s musical mastery at 9 p.m. Dec. 31, Bay Street Bar & Grill, 1604 Bay St., Port Orchard.

The show is 21 and over; $10 admission includes a buffet, champagne and party favors at midnight. wu