A Decade of Decibels: The Photography of Joe Kleon Opens at Space: ROCK June 7

Joe Kleon

Space: ROCK, the new music photography gallery at 15721 Waterloo Road in North Collinwood, is proud to present the first-ever one-man show by Joe Kleon, the area’s premiere music photographer of the past decade. “A Decade of Decibels: The Photography of Joe Kleon” opens with a reception from 6-10 pm Friday June 7.

It’s an appropriate date for the show’s opening. It’s also his 10th wedding anniversary. And he bought his first professional quality camera to take on his honeymoon following his marriage to his wife Nicole.

Kleon’s involvement in music preceded his work in photography — and led to his discovery of his life’s passion. He’d been a radio announcer for 25 years, with top-rated stints on WNCX and WRQK. He also worked as sound effects tech for area Pink Floyd tribute band Wish You Were Here and started shooting them on the side. He quickly realized he had a gift for photography.

In the decade since then, Kleon has photographed nearly 100 shows and events a year. His work appears regularly at Scene’s website, where he posts slide shows of his concert photos of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Judas Priest, Dave Matthews, Radiohead, Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Neil Diamond, Toby Keith, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, and Taylor Swift.

Despite the obstacles to shooting contemporary concerts, Kleon routinely brings back stellar shots that capture the artist’s personality in carefully observed work.

Kleon has been the staff photographer for Michael Stanley and Auburn Records for the last ten years, as well as for the yearly Kumite Classic, a national martial arts championship, held in Pittsburgh. His work has been published in various newspapers, magazines, television commercials, and CD artwork.

A Decade of Decibels will run through the end of July. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Space-ROCK/577928505565228?ref=hl

Anastasia Pantsios is a Cleveland writer and photographer with an emphasis on music and the arts. She is the director of the Space: ROCK Gallery on Waterloo.

anastasia pantsios

Anastasia Pantsios is a Cleveland writer and photographer with an emphasis on music and the arts. She is the director of the Space: ROCK Gallery on Waterloo.

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Volume 5, Issue 4, Posted 2:40 PM, 05.08.2013