Since leaving Klear in 2004, Fred Shafer has enjoyed a good deal of success in his solo career. There s only one thing the former local rocker would change about his current situation. Health care, he said with a chuckle. The benefits of being a musician aren t that great. What has been great, though, is the fact that the 25-year-old has sustained himself by performing since leaving Western New York three years ago.

Shafer joined Klear in 2001 as a 19-year-old, working with the band as it released its first CD and opened for acts such as Kid Rock and the Goo Goo Dolls. By time I was 23, we were doing those things … and it really felt like it was a great platform to start my career, he said during a recent phone call. He left the band after having worked on some of his own material in 2004, the bulk of which became his debut effort Truth or Dare.

Since then, he s toured with Collective Soul and Staind, and digitally released The Fred Shafer EP over the Internet this past summer. Continuing to broaden his sound to incorporate pop, rock and soul, Shafer hopes local fans will relate to his new material. I think people who are familiar with what I did before with Klear should go, Oh, that s where he was going. I get it now, he said. It s not so much of a departure that it s hard to follow.

Having toured for much of the year, Shafer plans to record with Collective Soul at some point in 2008 in South Carolina. He also intends to join up with them for part of their U.S. tour, which is slated to open Feb. 17 in the Bear s Den Showroom at Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel. In addition, he hopes to record enough songs to combine with the tracks from his latest EP and make a full-length record. Although he headlines his current tour, Shafer has spent much of his time opening for other acts.