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Joe Kleon is an American disc jockey, radio producer, network announcer, recording studio owner, music producer, published writer and semi-pro photographer, based in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Contents 1 Early years - WUJC 88.7FM 2 Commercial Radio Success And Beyond - the 1990's 3 The New Millennium 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Early years - WUJC 88.7FM

Kleon's first radio program "Metalmorphiosis," began in September, 1986, on John Caroll's University's WUJC, and featured a loosely based format of rock, hard rock, heavy metal, thrash, progressive metal, and other forms of rock.^[1] Kleon soon began doing interviews with national heavy metal acts and would continue interviewing major label artists and local bands, throughout his career. Notable bands Kleon has interviewed include Armored Saint, Overkill (band), various members of King Diamond, Candlemass, Fates Warning,^[2] Anthrax (band), and Crimson Glory^[3], Great White (band)^[4], Ace Frehley,^[5] Y&T vocalist/guitarist Dave Meniketti,^[6] original Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith (drummer),^[7] Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate,^[8][9] Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen,^[10] Twisted Sister vocalist, Dee Snider,^[11][12] Savatage vocalist Jon Oliva, Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci,^[13] Gwar vocalist Oderus Urungus, Blue October drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld,^[14] and many others. ^[15][16] He would devote airtime to local interviews, in-studio acoustic performances, and live concert broadcasts.^[17] One such recording and live radio broadcast, December 23, 1993, from the band Winter's Bane, featured lead vocalist Tim Owens. Owens would be hired as the lead vocalist for Judas Priest in 2000 and the interest in his musical past resulted in the release of Kleon's 1993 recording, as disc two, of the reissue of the Winter's Bane release, Heart of a Killer, in 2000. ^[18] This would be the first major release, featuring a musical recording, produced by Kleon. Kleon would interview Owens many times^[19][20] and has been one of the strongest local supporters, of Owens and his music.

[edit] Commercial Radio Success And Beyond - the 1990's

Kleon's national artist interviews attracted the attention of Scene Magazine, a locally owned entertainment weekly, and Joe wrote his first article for Scene in 1989, on popular progressive metal band Fates Warning. Kleon would continue working as a Staff Writer for Scene until late 1994, when he relocated to Savannah, Georgia. Upon returning to the Cleveland area in 1997, he returned to Scene as a writer and continued until the company was bought by The New Times, in 1998. Joe's article "Donuts In Paradise,"^[21] published in the July 3-9, 1997 edition of Scene, would fuel local controversy surrounding sobriety checkpoints at Blossom Music Center, a popular concert venue, located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Joe interviewed some of the biggest acts of his career, at this time, including Black Sabbath,^[22] Ace Frehley^[23], Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson^[24], Blues Traveller, Rik Emmett,^[25] Primus, and others^[26]. His honest and gritty review of the August 28, 1997 Boston (band) concert, at Blossom Music Center^[27], resulted in hate mail, for weeks after it's publication.

Joe made the move to commercial radio in 1994, working for WONE-FM, and sister station WAKR, in Akron, Ohio.^[28] Later that year, he was hired as the Music Director and afternoon announcer at WZAT, in Savannah, Georgia.^[29][30] In addition to his midday shift, "Metalmorphosis" was resurrected, as a free form Saturday night metal program. Kleon was broadcast on CNN Worldwide radio, during this time, as a local correspondent, during the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration, which brings more than 300,000 partygoers to Savannah every year.^[31] He began working on "Underground Savannah," a television program, featured on Cablevision of Savannah. While a part of "Underground Savannah," Kleon did a controversial interview with Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider. The interview angered local religious groups, when Snider wished cancer, on a record company executive.^[32]

Kleon left WZAT and found himself on the air at competitor WIXV-FM^[33] and even tried a forray into country music radio at the now defunct WCHY.^[34] Kleon reurned to Northeast Ohio in 1997. He quickly secured a spot on the air at Cleveland's classic rock powerhouse WNCX-FM. Kleon would soon take over the overnight shift on WNCX and shoot to the top of the Cleveland ratings, beating out the syndicated show Coast to Coast AM, in the station's target demographics. The process of voice tracking cost Kleon his position and he regretfully left WNCX in 2001.^[35]

[edit] The New Millennium

In 2000 and 2001, Kleon would appear in several comedy sketches, on "The Ghoul Show (Ron Sweed)," broadcast on WBNX-TV.^[36][37]. He worked for various radio networks from 2000-2002, mostly doing sports broadcasts and voicing radio and TV commercials. His network broadcasts were heard across the United States, in many large markets, such as New York City's WXRK-FM^[38], Detroit's WRIF-FM^[39], and KMPC^[40] in Los Angeles. A brief stint back at re-named WJCU in 2000-2001 and WRUW found Kleon continuing to interview national artists.^[41]

Kleon is known for engineering, recording, co-producing, and mastering the 2003 CD Pete Way (Alive In Cleveland)^[42][43], by UFO (band) bass player Pete Way. "Alive In Cleveland" was released worldwide and earned positive reviews from Rockport^[44], Melodic Rock^[45], and others.^[46]

Kleon was the photographer and designed the cover artwork and packaging for Pete Way (Alive In Cleveland) CD.^[47] Kleon's photographs have been used as cover and packaging artwork for releases such as Michael Stanley's American Road,^[48] Pete Way's Acoustic Animal, ^[49] American Dog's "Scars And Bars,"^[50] and "Foamin' at The Mouth,"^[51] Soulless' "Agony's Lament,"^[52] and many others.

Other national artists Kleon has photographed include Collective Soul,^[53] Trouble (band),^[54] Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson,^[55] Quiet Riot,^[56][57] UFO bassist Pete Way^[58], Ratt,^[59] Michael Stanley^[60], Three Days Grace^[61], Death Angel,^[62] and hundreds of additional local and national artists. Kleon also began a venture into sports photography, working since 2002, as a staff photographer for the yearly Kumite Classic,^{[63][64][65][66][67][68]} in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also worked as the staff photographer for the Kent State Women's Gymnastic team from 2002-2003.^[69][70]

In addition to recording and producing Pete Way, Kleon continues as webmaster for Pete's official website,^[71] which features many exclusive photographs, recordings, and interviews.^[72] Other notable releases, recorded by Kleon, during this time, include a live recording from Overlorde, "Snow Giant," recorded July 11, 2002, during the Classic Metalfest II, at the Phantasy Niteclub, in Lakewood, Ohio, and released on the CD "METAL-RULES.COM CD COMPILATION VOL. 1."^[73][74] Several of Kleon's recordings from the Classic Metalfest II would eventually be released, including "Stage Fright"^[75][76] by October 31, Destructor's "Pounding Evil," one of two of Kleon's recordings included, as bonus tracks on the "Sonic Bullet" release^[77][78] and the set by Canadian metal band Anvil (band), which was mixed, but never released, due to problems with the house sound system. ^[79][80]

Kleon returned to commercial radio at WRQK-FM, in Canton, Ohio, in 2002 and soon found himself taking over the 7pm-Midnight slot.^[81] In addition to his nightly program, he also produced "Local Licks," a Sunday night program, featuring music from regional artists.^[82] Much of this music was exclusive to the show and recorded by Kleon, including performances by Electramode,^[83] Shallow Wake, ^[84] Waterband, and many others. Joe's August 20, 2005 Waterband live recording, from Shakers Nightclub, in Cambridge, Ohio, was the last recording to feature drummer David Keen, who died unexpectedly, of a heart attack, February 26, 2006.^[85][86]

Upon WRQK's purchase by Clear Channel Communications, in January 2007, Kleon was released from WRQK.^[87][88] Several months later, he accepted his first job, as Promotions Director at the privately owned WDJQ,^[89] and can currently be heard on the air with the DeLuca In The Morning show.^[90][91] While at WDJQ, Kleon has used his studio, G4orce, to engineer, record, and produce live radio broadcasts, by national artists such as Boys Like Girls^[92][93], Skillet (band), and Jordan McCoy.^[94]

As a result of recent research on his father's activities in World War II, Joe has begun to develop the website Kaufering.com, a tribute to those who suffered and those who liberated the series of Kaufering concentration camps, located in the areas of Kaufering and Landsberg, Germany, at the end of World War II.^[95]

In 2006 G4orce Studios recorded guitars on "Crazy (In The Eye Of The Storm)" and "Autumn," which were featured on the smooth jazz release "The Same Difference - Expressions (Stepping Into Today)."^[96]

Kleon's March 12, 2007 recording of the Cleveland band BMZ, was released as the two-CD set, "Live At The Winchester," in February of 2008.^[97][98][99] The CD has generated good reviews and airplay, in several countries, including Serbia.^{[100][101][102]}

In September, 2007, Kleon recorded the Florida based Southern Rock band Gator Country, at Classic Park, in Eastlake, Ohio. Gator Country features original members of Molly Hatchet, along with Mid 1980's UFO (band) guitarist Paul Chapman (musician). The band mixed the live recording in Florida and released it in May, 2008.^[103][104]

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Joe Kleon - Artist Direct

[edit] References