John “Klondike” Koehler
A reformed electric bass player with big ears and good hands, Klon has devoted his life to the performance of music, whether on stage or off. Raised in culturally-rich Washington, DC, attending concerts by the Beatles, Hendrix, James Brown, and Duke Ellington, he aspired to excel as a performer, but soon realized his true calling as a builder and operator of sound systems.
Managing the long transition from “public address” to “sound reinforcement” systems has encouraged the development of a broad skillset. As a lifelong tinker, Klon has enjoyed continuing education in carpentry, electrics, rigging, and acoustics.
Klon is the Audio Director of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and received an “E-chievement” award from NPR’s E-town show for founding Katrina’s Piano Fund, a non-profit mission which delivered over 500 instruments (of all kinds) to displaced and dispossessed New Orleans musicians. He tours internationally as PM/FOH with musician Miki Singh.
Klon lives at the end of a dirt road in the woods. He plays bass (still....) with numerous groups, including the Dirt Simple Band, Wailin’ Dave, Blame it on Tina, and the college pals who got him hooked in the first place: The Outerspace Band.
Klon's email
Chris Kelly
A long time part of the Klondike team, 15 years and counting, Chris is our contracting manager. He handles all those nitty gritty details that go along with getting a show together. Chris now divides his time between his self-made home office in Concord, NH and the office in Greenfield.
Chris' email
Darin Pawlus
At ten years old Darin put his head between a little pair of speakers hooked up to his WalkMan. For him it was like looking into a fish tank or swimming with a mask. He noticed the stereo panning of instruments and effects that didn't seem to occur naturally in nature; from that point on he was hooked. From a childhood of torn-apart electronic equipment and audio tinkering to hanging arena sound systems across the country, Darin continues his passion for music and its reproduction.
Darin is skilled with the soldering iron and manages gear deployment.
Darin's email
Karen Sise
Karen started out early in life playing music. Throughout High School and College she played a variety of instruments and styles of music in as many as 6 groups at a time. She got a small taste of engineering at Fort Hayes vocational High School in Columbus, OH where she studied music. While at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI Karen found her calling in the college theatre where she created sound effects and did sound design. After two years of working on her BA in Music at Lawrence, Karen left for sunny Orlando, FL to attend Full Sail Center for Recording Arts where she earned her Associates of Science in Recording Arts and graduated 2nd in her class.
While working odd jobs and being a freelance engineer members of the Klondike team scooped Karen up after finding her engineering in a small club in Western MA. In her spare time she volunteers at the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton (PACE) as their head sound technician and sits on the board of directors there. Karen has recently returned to school part-time at Smith College where she is working on a degree in Ethnomusicology.
Karen is the office manager and takes care of rentals, sales, and staffing.
Karen's email
Justin W. Anderson
At age seven Justin started working with his father off Broadway for the American Chamber Opera Company (ACOC) as a production assistant. He then moved on to acting and stage-managing many productions at Deering High School in Portland, Maine. As he went off to college to study philosophy, he continued his theatrical career constructing sets and operating lighting boards for the ACOC. In the summer of 1997 Justin started working for Maine Arts inc. stage managing Congress Square in Portland, this lead to his career in sound engineering, recording, and lighting design. For nine years Justin worked with IATSE local #114 and Moonlighting Production Services. In 2007 a shop position opened up at Klondike and Justin moved down to Massachusetts. Justin manages our truck deployment and keeps the shop running smoothly.
Justin's email
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In the late 1960’s a bearded longhair, named “Klondike” because he resembled a prospector from Alaska, founded Klondike Sound to provide systems for college rock shows. There were no “off-the-shelf” professional components in those days; he built systems from hot-rodded hi-fi parts, tube amplifiers, and re-packaged movie theater speakers with tie-dye grille cloth. A stack of small broadcast mixers summed 16 channels for the largest shows, and the soldering iron was the first piece of equipment to be plugged in.
During the next 40 years, Pro Audio has grown from infancy to industry, and Klondike Sound has evolved with every stage of development. Horn-loaded loudspeakers from Arkansas gave way to line arrays from France, and vacuum tubes have yielded to digital technology for dramatic improvements in flexibility, portability, and performance. Please see our Sales and Equipment Rentals page for inventory features.
Throughout four decades Klondike Sound has maintained high standards in all aspects of audio production. Preparation for even the smallest event involves careful review of artist requirements, seating plan specifics, electrical and logistical details, and the drafting of a production schedule to insure a stress-free day for all providers and performers. To meet the needs, equipment is specially selected from a deep and well-maintained inventory. Transport is facilitated by a long-term lease agreement with Penske for large trucks, and dealership-maintained smaller ones.
Most importantly, Klondike Sound is proud of its employees and associates. It takes a rare person to devote countless hours to the challenges of mixing art and science, enduring tight schedules and tough conditions, all with the humility to put the music first and remain “the man behind the curtain.” Engineers who have given their full time to us include many who have developed into world-class technicians, including Erik von Ranson, Ethan Williams, Larry Berger, Mark Brosnan, Doug Linnell, Pete Wiejaczka, Dana Parsons and CJ Danek. The ranks of great independent “A-1” contractors include Steve Schrems, Alison Goessling, Howard Rose, Brendan Twitchell, James Skiathitis, and Bob Potter.
Klondike’s goal has always been the same: bring the audience into a tight circle around the song or the story, and help a good performance become a great concert. We are proud to have played key roles in over 10,000 events, from house concerts to multi-stage music festivals, from small meetings to conventions. Please see the individual service pages for credits, production details, and photos.
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