Former writer now promotes Petaluma community

Shelley Shepherd Klaner admits that she has “been a workaholic since I was 17.” That might account for the many hats she wears: writer, public relations specialist, event coordinator, musical events host, copy editor, small business owner, page designer, production department head, managing editor, you name it. Klaner agrees, saying, “I want to do everything.”

Her first local writing gig was for the Novato Advance, then for the Marin Independent Journal, Sonoma Index-Tribune and Real Estate and Best Of Marin magazines. Klaner served at the Press Democrat’s Petaluma Bureau for years as a community writer, then her beat changed to arts and entertainment stories. Here, Klaner says, is when her love for music writing took off.

“I interviewed Ronnie Montrose, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Starship, Carlos Santana’s wife about their divorce, the lead singer of Smashmouth, Guster and many other bands,” she notes.

Klaner continued finding and losing writing gigs, as newspapers struggled to adapt to the times, changing focus while shifting from print to online journalism and laboring to add and retain readers. Ironically, the girl who hated writing press releases in college, despite her journalism school dean telling her she had a knack for it, found herself launching a public relations business in an effort to make ends meet.

Then, Klaner says, “I was asked by an editor to show up at community events and write press releases for them as part of my volunteer hours and I found I was good at it. I started with business, health care and nonprofit clients but as my journalism career shifted to entertainment, I found my PR clients shifting to art festivals, music events, beer and wine fests, all sorts of community events involving music. It was an easy step from there to promoting musicians and bands.”

A new field beckoned and Klaner moved into talent management. She says, “I was managing the stage, selecting bands, and going on the radio to promote them, and I found that I really liked being on the radio. In the past seven years, I appeared on The Bone 107.7 with Steven Seaweed, on KRSH, the River (KVRV, 97.7) with the Lobster and Brew Ha Ha.”

Digging in further, Klaner launched Sonoma County Music Vibe. She says, “Three years ago, we were going to have the Wabos play at Petaluma Art and Garden Festival and they pulled out at the last minute. Marie McCusker had booked Dylan and Lester Chambers as an early act. I had met Dylan when we did our promo at the KRSH and we immediately hit it off.”

Klaner moved Chambers to the top of the bill and says the crowd loved it when they performed.

Klaner and Chambers appear together again when she hosts an Open Mic at Penngrove’s Twin Oaks Tavern with Dylan Chambers as her special guest from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, Sept. 24. See her Local Music Vibe - Sonoma Facebook page for more information.

(Contact Lynn Schnitzer at argus@arguscourier.com.)