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RSW Living Magazine

Kelly's Live and Sarasota Sky Bar & Club Combine Forces

Sep 01, 2017 12:33PM ● By Kevin

Photo courtesy of Kelly's Live on Facebook.

After shutting down its brick and mortar location in May, live entertainment destination, Kelly's Live, has partnered with Sarasota Sky Bar & Club to put its musical acts back on center stage in Sarasota. Founder Kelly Shaefer, a promoter for many years, created Kelly's Live, along with his wife, in 2015.

"I came upon a chance to do things the way i thought they needed to be done in terms of the type of music we book," he said. "I was booking and bartending at The Cabana, and the management was poor, so I asked for the keys and ran it as Cabana for about 7 months. Then [I] convinced the property owner to let me change the name to Kelly's Live and it just took off."

Kelly's Live is not just a club. It also serves to book and connect people in need of music for their particular events. Shaefer is still a recording and touring artist, as well, which he said makes him uniquely qualified to bring some great shows of all genres to town.

Alex and Tanya Hagush, owners of Sky Bar, opened their doors to Kelly's just recently.

"We are grateful to them for it," Shaefer said. "Bringing amazing shows to downtown SRQ is something this town needed."

Kelly's has hosted such acts as Afroman, Bubba Sparxx, Genitortures and Dickie Betts, but Shaefer said the most memorable moment was bringing the legendary D.R.I. to town for a sold out show in December.

"That was amazing," he said. "Helping one of the local metal bands who came through and played to get a record deal. All of the support from the community!"

Attendees can expect big city entertainment for small town price at Kelly's Live, Shaefer said, in addition to cold drinks in a smoke-free atmosphere, experienced bartenders serving shots, lights, sound and a friendly staff. The venue will host its annual Metal Bday Bash on Sept. 15. Additional events include Giving Hunger the Blues Rocks! on Oct. 20, The Dood Halloween Bash on Oct. 28, the Geniroturers on Nov. 10, and the return of D.R.I. on Dec. 7.

For more information, visit Kelly's on Facebook.