Klear (stylized as "klear") is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band based in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. The band's debut and second album was produced by Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac and released on Takac's independent record label.

Background

The band's members are Fred Shafer on

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, Bruce Wojick on

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, Leo MacDonald on

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, and Denny Pelczynski on

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. Previous frontmen include Joe Cafarella (

STEMM STEMM is an American metal band from Niagara Falls, New York. STEMM was formed in 1998 by Joe Cafarella. He, along with Louie and Jimi Penque, Russ Martin, and Alex Scouten made up the original lineup of the band. Alex left the band in 1999, ...

) and A.D. Lewis (both during Shafer's absence). While Lewis fronted the band, they also had Dan DeLano on keyboards. The band has released four albums, ''7500 Miles'', ''Makin' Noise,'' ''10 Seconds to Burn'' and ''Eyes Wide Open.'' klear songs have been used in films and trailers including "Beautiful End" in '' The Station Agent'', "Comeback" in the FX series '' The Shield'' and "Mr. Cracker" on

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

's '' UFC 37.5: As Real as it Gets''. The band has been asked to play at some of the most prestigious venues across the US including the

Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established as The Viper Room in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp. The other part owner was Sal J ...

, House of Blues (Mandalay Bay/ Las Vegas), Whisky a Go Go,

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, and The Keyclub in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. On July 20, 2008, it was announced that the original vocalist, Fred Shafer, would be performing with the band during the August 21 edition of

Thursday at the Square ''Thursday at the Square'' was a free weekly concert series held annually from May through August in downtown Buffalo, New York at Lafayette Square. History The first year of the series was held in downtown Buffalo at the corner of Main and Chi ...

in Buffalo. At the show, Shafer announced that he would be officially returning to the band while continuing to pursue his solo career, as Joe Cafarella would be leaving to focus on STEMM.

Members

*Fred Shafer –

*Bruce Wojick – lead guitar *Leo MacDonald –

*Denny Pelczynski –

Former members

*Danny Wiedenbeck – drums *Joe Cafarella – vocals *A.D. Lewis – vocals *Dan DeLano – keyboard

Discography

The band has released four albums, ''7500 Miles'', ''Makin' Noise,'' ''10 Seconds to Burn'' and ''Eyes Wide Open.''

7500 Miles (2002)

''7500 Miles'' is klear's first full-length album. It was released independently and sold at the band's live performances, at various local retailers in the

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, area, and online through the band's website and various online retailers.

Makin' Noise (2004)

''Makin' Noise'' is klear's second full-length album, originally released on September 28, 2004 through Robby Takac's Good Charamel Records label.

10 Seconds to Burn (2006)

''10 Seconds to Burn'' is klear's third full-length album. It has Joe Cafarella of

, as klear's frontman, Fred Shafer, took a break from the band. It was released on November 22, 2006, through Robby Takac's Good Charamel Records label, and was sold through klear's website, at the band's concerts, and through various

retailers.

Eyes Wide Open (2015)

References

External links

Archive of the band webpageAlbum covers
Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups from Buffalo, New York {{US-rock-band-stub