In July 2016, Atheist frontman Kelly Shaefer opened Kellys Live, an unapologetic dive, blues rock, metal bar in the spirit of CBGB’s, located in the tropical paradise of Sarasota, Florida. 

According to Shaefer, Kellys Live has been “unjustly ousted” without any notice.

Shaefer says, “Friday we were wrongly shutdown; we were met at our club by police and the property owner who is as snake in the grass as they come, to remove us from the bar, 2 hours before a big punk rock show Yes we have paperwork, and yes we paid all monies we were responsible for, directly to said owner. We did not however have a lease, we had a management agreement. So we can fight it, but it takes time, time we don’t have.”

A GoFundMe page has been setup to help the venue relocate with a goal of reopening on July 1st.

Shaefer explains the reasoning for the crowdfunding campaign, saying “We want to reopen as soon as possible but it will take all of your help to do so, in return we will bring this town something to be excited about and proud of. We have some great locations scoped out, we just need your help to get us to 20k to get rolling, to build a stage, PA etc. and get open by July 1st for our big Independence Day Massacre. Clearly every four quarters is appreciated and 20k is a lot to ask, but a fraction of what would be a comfy relaunch. Thank you in advance, every single one of you who have been to Kellys Live and helped us build this exciting new place for the underbelly artists and underground music lovers , as well as an uppity snoot, we have love for everyone, being yourself is mandatory at Kellys Live; help us turn this around.”