Second Season of “Live at The Belly Up” to air on KPBS

New Announcements from our friends at Belly Up!

Solana Beach, CA   The world famous Belly Up nightclub, founded in 1974 and renowned for bringing artists as diverse as Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg to Solana Beach, will start off 2014 in “live” fashion with the return of its successful television show, “Live At the Belly Up,” and the launch of it’s new download-only label “Belly Up Live.”

The second season of “Live at the Belly Up” will air Fridays at 10pm, starting January 24th.  The season premiere will feature two internationally known San Diego performers, the energetic Drowning Men and blues singer Candye Kane in collaboration with San Diego State University’s Television, Film and New Media department and KPBS-TV.  “We couldn’t be more excited to start season two with such notable local talent,” says KPBS program director John Decker.  “Both of these acts have strong San Diego roots but also tour nationally and internationally so it made perfect sense to use them to launch this season.”

Each episode of Live at the Belly Up will feature two locally based bands, as well as behind the scenes commentary and interviews.  “It’s like a San Diego version of “Austin City Limits”, except it’s more fun because it’s in a nightclub instead of a theater and the energy is palpable,” says executive producer Tim Powell.  Subsequent episodes continue to showcase the Belly Up’s musical diversity, including sets from songwriter Steve Poltz, reggae favorites Common Sense and Stranger, and bands like funk band, The Earful, Americana/Adult Contemporary artists Sara Petite and Paul Cannon, blues singer Earl Thomas, and alternative/rock bands Trouble in the Wind and The Heavy Guilt.

That same week, the Belly Up will also launch its brand-new recording label, Belly Up Live, which will feature new downloads every week from artists that have recently played the venue, including all the artists from the TV program as well as such notable artists as Donovan Frankenreiter, Matthew Sweet, Keller Williams, Rusted Root, Groundation, and Chali 2na.

Spearheaded by Grammy Award-winning producer Chris Goldsmith, the label aims to convey the Belly Up concert experience to people around the world via downloads.  “Many live recordings that you find out there are either terrible sounding bootlegs, or they are over-mixed by the artist or their labels,” says Goldsmith.  “Our goal is to create a world-class listening experience for fans of The Belly Up, and live music in general, by providing recordings that are professionally mixed, edited, and mastered, and, most important, are affordable and easy to access.”

Belly Up Live recordings are available only on the Belly Up website (www.bellyup.com) for $5.99 (album) and 99¢ (single).