Life has a funny way of placing you right where you need to be. The journey could be a long and confusing one, but it ultimately lands you in your own corner of the universe, a customizable reality all of your own. For Jen Keenan, head honcho at the soon-to-be iconic Queen B Vinyl Cafe, life led her to the quaint town of Cottonwood, Arizona, to bring a slice of culture to the desert.
In conjunction with her well-recognized husband, Maynard James Keenan, Jen has turned an old church and restaurant into a multi-purpose, multi-building space that welcomes music fanatics and art consumers of all ages and generations. After officially opening their doors only a short few years ago, Queen B has exploded into a tourist destination, but the Kennans have bigger plans for the space. The all-ages venue/vinyl shop is a cultural hub for Cottonwood and visitors alike. Housing a coffee shop, record store, concert/event space, and retail shop, Queen B is a dream destination, and they’re just getting started.
Glide had the joy of speaking with Jen Keenan about how Queen B came to be, where she sees the venue going, and the importance of community. You can read our whole conversation below.
First, I wanted to touch base on your own musical tastes. I read in the New Times article that you spent countless hours in record stores in your hometown of Oklahoma City. What record stores did you frequent back then, and is there anything from any record stores you’ve visited since then, or in OKC, that had an influence on your store?
I don’t remember the names of the smaller record stores, unfortunately. One was in Norman, Oklahoma, which was the college town. Hastings was big back then. I ended up gravitating more toward the one in Norman; that’s where I found the more interesting stuff. I really liked the aesthetic of the smaller stores; they have free posters and stickers everywhere. It was things you couldn’t hear on the radio, and that was what I wanted; things that were a little more interesting and not just readily available everywhere you looked. Even if you weren’t into it, it was in your face.
The article also said you’d dig for albums from Butthole Surfers, They Might Be Giants, and other artists you’d see on MTV’s 120 Minutes – what were some of your other favorite bands from that era?
Those were definitely some of the memorable ones, along with Bob Mould and Big Pig, which is really dating myself, but I loved Big Pig. Then I got into Faith No More and Duran Duran. Duran Duran was a huge influence because I grew up listening to country music, and I really thought that was the only kind of music that existed until I found Duran Duran. Then MTV came along, and that’s when I got stuck on 120 Minutes, so I would stay up late to see what they played.
How many of those records from the 90s do you still have in your collection, and how do you separate your personal collection from what you want to put out in Queen B?
I don’t have any of the original records from when I first started collecting because I moved so much and went through a hippie phase in a van and all this sort of stuff. But when I started recollecting, I found those copies again and added them back. So even if I don’t really listen to them as much now, they’re just a nostalgic feeling.
I really don’t have much separation between what we carry here and my personal taste. I do expand it a little bit here, but I definitely want all the strange and unusual things in here, and then we will also carry a little more mainstream, more common stuff that maybe isn’t necessarily my taste, but I know other people are looking for it. It’s also good for me to expand my taste, keep my mind open to new music, and discover things I might not normally listen to.
Can you tell me about the curation process you use for records, and are there any labels or genres you go to for new releases? What type of records would people be surprised to hear you stock at Queen B?
Oh, absolutely yes. I love Relapse Records, Consoling Sounds out of Belgium, and Sacred Bones. And then there are a lot of smaller ones. We also just started carrying Folkways Records, which is a lot of times only found in the Smithsonian or other museums. So I really love that one, that one’s been very fun for us.
I think people would be surprised that we do have a lot of abstract experimental work, but I love Calypso and Cajun Music, so we have a huge world section.
How was your record store day last year, and has it been difficult to score releases for the store that might otherwise go to more veteran stores that have been doing it longer? How exactly does that process work to see who gets what?
We definitely hand-select, and I feel like it’s not as hard for us. We’ve been Record Store Day-affiliated for eight years now, and so they know that we’re serious and we have a good track record, but also we’re not going for the big titles like the Taylor Swift or the Foo Fighters and things like that that are really, really allocated. Those aren’t the ones that we usually bring in, so we usually get what we want.
What drew you to Cottonwood to open up shop, rather than other, more highly trafficked areas? What about the town of Cottonwood specifically makes it feel like home for Queen B, and being able to be weird in the best way possible, but also serve the community?
No, everything just really came together. We were looking for a building just for our offices, and this location became available. And when we walked in to look at it, it was like, “No, this is it. This is our home.” It just felt right for Queen B. We didn’t own the building in Jerome that was the Puscifer store, and we knew at some point we would need to move. And when we walked in here, it was just like, “nope. This is the spot.”
The building used to be an old church, right?
Yes, the vinyl side, so it’s actually two buildings. The vinyl side is the church, an old Episcopalian Church from the 50s. And then they were joined by a courtyard, and the cafe, coffee roaster, and barber shop are in the next-door building, and it was a restaurant before.
Were you a part of converting the old church? What is it like getting a building like that ready to be a record store?
We wanted to make the acoustics very good. It was a big open building, and the sound would bounce everywhere because of the cement floors. We put in really good acoustics because we have live events in here, so even though we’re a small space, we have top-of-the-line sound and lighting equipment. We still want to be competitive with the larger venues, but provide a more, almost, I don’t say a total house show feel, but more intimate setting for shows where you can see your favorite artist, one that probably wouldn’t normally come up to this area, but you get to see them up close.
What are some of your favorite live music moments at Queen B? Do you have a bucket list of acts you hope to host one day?
Absolutely. Some of the more memorable ones in the past have been Cavalera Conspiracy and Luicidal; they both played here. Even Max Cavalera was like, “This place reminds me of when I first started in Brazil, the small clubs,” it was just a very energetic and great feeling for him. We also do Metalesque shows, which is metal and burlesque; those are really fun.
We also did a goth prom, which was great for the community, because we have, like, a lot of homeschool students that don’t get to go to a dance, so their parents brought them. And that was just a really fun time. And then we actually have some big shows coming up this year that have been on my list for a long time, like Ghost Bath, which hasn’t been announced yet. We also have Evicshen coming; she’s an experimental noise artist, and I have been wanting her to play our spot for a couple of years now, so I’m very excited about that.
You mentioned wanting to compete with larger venues. What is the live music scene like in Cottonwood? What is your ideal vision for Queen B?
My ideal venue is like, right now, we keep it a good mix, so we’ll have country swing brunch. We’ve had gospel brunch, but then we have metal shows, and I have book signings. I want to keep it a good mix so that we don’t just get into one section of, “oh, you’re just a metal venue.” I like to keep it mixed up so that anyone in the community, or anyone traveling through, will hopefully find something they like here and are interested in. I just want to foster a culture in general, because there isn’t much up here. And so we would always have to drive to Phoenix or Flagstaff, which is an hour and a half or more, so it’s nice actually to bring stuff here.
So would you say Queen B is sort of curating the local music scene there? Was there any sort of scene when you guys showed up, and are there any local acts you want to shout out?
Matteo Armaretto, they’re a great local band, and they always bring such a great crowd here and a great vibe. The Brain Worms is another great band that brings a great vibe. And then, no, there really wasn’t much happening. So we’re really trying to curate it. Just get other people involved. There are some smaller bars that host local bands.
This is already kind of a crossroads between Phoenix and Vegas, or if you’re going to the Grand Canyon, so there are a lot of people coming through here. So if we can just get the bands to realize that it’s a little out of the way, but really it’s not. If you go to Phoenix, you can stop here and then go to Vegas. So it’s not so much out of the way. And if we actually have people who want to see stuff like it, it will get there.
Similar to the record store question, were there any venues that inspired how you curate and run Queen B as an event space?
No, not really. I always liked the idea of multi-purpose, so I can’t name a venue that was like ours. I do really like the Valley Bar down in Phoenix. They don’t have a record store or anything, but I really like how that feels. It’s small, but they do have the cafe on one side and the venue on the other. The Nile has also started a record store, but they were a venue first. I just like the idea of multi-purpose; it becomes more of a hangout spot, not just a retail shop where I’m just going to spend my money. It’s like, No, you’re actually making friends and cultivating this community, along with some culture and things happening.
Was it always your vision for Queen B to be this huge, multi-purpose venue? How did it come to have a barber/tattoo parlor attached to it?
The barber shop was Maynard’s idea. I’m not really sure why, I guess with the record store, we were going for a nostalgic, kind of retro feel. It’s also become a very immersive, interactive experience with all those things. I believe that’s a unique and memorable thing. Maybe there’s a teenager whose parents wanted to see the Grand Canyon, and maybe that visit wasn’t so memorable for the teen. But they could come into this strange store and find an album they can’t believe they’ve found, and all of a sudden that vacation becomes a core moment for them.
Queen B is also a Puscifer song. How did you land on the name of the space?
My husband actually chose the name. We were Puscifer the Store in Jerome for 16 years. We decided we wanted a little bit of separation from the band. Still the same concept, plus we added the coffee and the cafe, the coffee roasting and cafe. But so it’s just kind of an evolution on its own. But he wanted to call it Queen B.
Can you tell me about the different wines Queen B offers and Caduceus Cellars as a whole?
We have four different wine labels; Caduceus is separate, and the tasting room is in Jerome. Merkin is another label, and it’s down the street. We don’t try to keep the Queen B and Merkin world separate, but we don’t serve all of our wines at the same spot. We want you to explore the different places because each has its own aesthetic. We do have the Four 8 and Puscifer wine here at Queen B.
Along with selling merch for a wide variety of musicians, Queen B has some incredible merch of its own. Who designed your logo, and what is the story behind it?
That was all, Maynard. He likes to come up with the logos and the names, and I find the fun merch to go with it. Maynard had the idea for the logo, but he used some graphic designers to create it.
The venue has a capacity of 100. Does that come with any limitations, and how do you guys work around them? Are there plans to move to a bigger space?
If we’re doing seated events, like a poetry night or a comedy show, we do have to limit them to 60 or 80 people for space. It’s not a separate venue of its own; it’s all in one space. Everything has wheels, so we just push it out of the way, so the seats will take up some space. For the most part, if we get to capacity, that’s what makes it special. Don’t wait to buy tickets to a show, because you might miss out.
As for expansion, I really like the space, but you never know what the future holds. I have thought about building a second level so we can have more vinyl space up there and not have to move everything out of the way constantly, but we’ll see.
Queen B prides itself on being a safe space for younger music fans. Has this always been your vision? Why is it important to create this space, and what steps have you taken to ensure this?
It’s very important for us. It’s something I always wanted, especially since our daughter is getting to an age where she wants to hang out and go out on her own a little bit more. When I first came to Cottonwood, there was nothing to do, so we created this space where people can actually hang out, not just a parking lot somewhere. If parents still need to be with their kid but want to give them a little independence, they can get a coffee next door without having to be right next to their child.
A lot of venues, because of alcohol, have to have everything separate, or they have to be 21-plus venues. We’re not a bar, we’re a store, and we happen to sell wine. We don’t have hard liquor or beer, so that guideline means we don’t have to separate anything. It’s important that kids have a place to go where they can find cool things to do.
It seems like people from all over the world come to visit you all. Who has traveled the furthest to visit your shop?
We have people from all over the world. We just had a family from New Zealand; we get people from Australia quite often. We’ve had people from Afghanistan, a ton of people from Europe, and all over the States. We have a listening party coming up for the Puscifer album release, capped at 60 to make sure everyone is comfortable, but we have a waitlist so long that we could do multiple listening parties. The people on that list are coming from everywhere, including Costa Rica.
That’s part of the fun, meeting these people who have traveled so far. It’s like a pilgrimage, almost, just getting to listen to their story and share in their excitement about being in the store.
What does Queen B have in store for the future? Are there any other show ideas you hope to get off the ground in 2026?
I’m in a tough spot right now because we’re getting so many requests from smaller bands, and we aren’t really a venue. We are, but we aren’t; live music isn’t our only focus, the record store is. Maybe we can expand it to accommodate more bands. This year, I’ve tried to scale it back to once-a-week shows, but if we decide to be a full-on venue after a certain point each night, I can accommodate more bands. I just want to keep the good music and great food coming.
