I was a skeptic. I’m used to buying my wine in the froo froo grocery stores (hello AJ’s) or in the world market where the selection seems endless. I think it’s perfectly normal to purchase my hard liquors through a drive through window and take a gamble on getting a fair price. But a new BevMo! has opened in my neighborhood, and being the lush that I am, I had to inspect. I was a little put off by their costco meets indoor swapmart layout and lighting. It seemed there were people everywhere and it was a boozer’s labyrinth. I price-checked a few of my favorite liquors and found they were anywhere from $3 to $8 less that my normal punishment for the habit. Next thing you know I’ve got an armload of whiskey, gin and beer. To further bring the greatness home, I stopped to ask about some wines, and actually got a kid who knew what they were talking about on the first try! So add a few muscats and a red and I’m ready to check out. Somehow with chambord, gin, jim beam, stella, grand marnier, bailey’s, some ketel one, 3 wines, a few bar accessories, I got through the checkout at JUST over $100! (Of course I hadn’t PLANNED on spending a dime, but when it’s a deal you have to take it!) Overall, BevMo! is a keeper.

~WC~

Band: Headroom
Homebase: Phoenix, AZ
Sounds like: 90’s alt-rock with a Molly Hatchet style voice.

Here’s an example of everything that is both right AND wrong with the Phoenix music scene. Headroom has a clean driving rhythm, steady guitars, and a vocalist that is in tune. Their songs are catchy and their image is marketable. The problem is that there is nothing outstanding about them. There is nothing that would cause me to look up from my overpriced cocktail in a trendy Scottsdale bar and say “wow, these guys are really great!”. Their brief bio on myspace totes that they have 3 full albums and no two songs are alike. That’s an admirable accomplishment for any musician. However, it’s tough to build a solid fanbase if you don’t have a recognizable sound. When the only way people can describe your music is to say you sound like someone else, then how are you any better than the next cover band?

Overall, I say they’re good background music while I’m out drinking, but I wouldn’t go out just for the purpose of catching their show.

~WC~