How Maynard James Keenan’s Queen B Vinyl Cafe is amping up Cottonwood’s culture

Maynard James Keenan and his wife Jennifer are the definition of multi-hyphenates. He’s a winemaker, writer, artist and the voice behind such legendary bands as Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle. She’s a photographer, designer, entrepreneur and die-hard music lover. So it only fitting their Queen B Vinyl Cafe in Cottonwood buzzes with the same restless energy.

The 2,800-square-foot space functions as a record shop, wine bar, coffeehouse, eatery and merch hub for Maynard’s projects. You’ll also find a seamstress and a barbershop called “Barbifer” that occasionally doubles as a tattoo parlor.

Jennifer Keenan calls Queen B, which opened in 2024, an “immersive experience” that hits multiple senses.

“When you walk in, there’s so much to experience. You’re tasting the food, hearing the music or smelling the coffee in the air,” she says. “Even with the barbershop, they’re touching your hair and (inking) tattoos, so its also tactile.”

Queen B Vinyl Cafe is also a feast for the eyes. Tool and A Perfect Circle posters decorate the walls. A statue of Puscifer’s alien-esque mascot rendered like the Hindu deity Shiva perches on a table. Merch enough to stock a tour bus fills rows of bins and tables.

The property, once a Baptist church, isn’t just a temple for Maynard worship, though. Jennifer Keenan says Queen B’s multifaceted approach has a higher purpose for Cottonwood and the surrounding Verde Valley.

“We’re really kind of trying to bring something to the community and help enhance it,” she says.

‘This is our new home’

Queen B traces its roots to Puscifer the Store, Maynard’s former retail shop located a few miles west in the quaint mining town of Jerome. The two-story spot, which opened in 2008, stocked merch and ephemera for the band and the Keenans’ other creative pursuits.

It was one of many Maynard-owned businesses the rocker’s launched in the Verde Valley since moving to Arizona in 2025. Cottonwood also hosts his long-running Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, two tasting rooms, and a pair of Brazilian jiu-jitsu dojos.

Puscifer the Store was one of Maynard’s most popular spots, as it was a Mecca for Maynard fans locally and worldwide. Patrons could do more than buy shirts and posters, as the shop also featured a hair salon downstairs and a small wine bar.

Since the couple was only renting the space, Jennifer Keenan says they were looking for a permanent home for the business.

“We didn’t own the building, so we knew eventually we’d have to find somewhere new,” she says. “When the place we’re at now (became) available, we walked in and it was like, ‘Oh, this is our new home.’”

The multifaceted vibe moved with them to the new location. Jennifer Keenan says the couple wanted to do more with the location beyond selling wine and Tool t-shirts. One goal was to help liven up the normally sleepy town of Cottonwood.

“When I moved here almost 20 years ago, there really wasn’t much to do,” she says. “So we just wanted to build a space that the whole community feels a part of that has things you can’t find.”

Namely, a record store.

‘I really like music that’s harder to find’

Jennifer Keenan recalls spending countless hours in record stores in her hometown of Oklahoma City. She’d dig for albums from Butthole Surfers, They Might Be Giants and other artists she’d see on MTV’s “120 Minutes.”

“I would hang out at all the time just looking for all this cool music,” Keenan says.

She wanted to provide similar record store experiences to Verde valley residents, who’d have to drive to Prescott or Flagstaff.

“Having a record store here made sense since there’s not one in the area,” she says. “Plus, music just brings people together. And there’s something cool about the physical aspect of music that I think really resonates with a lot of people.”

Jennifer curates the store’s and its nothing if not diverse. Besides every album from Tool and Puscifer’s discograpies, Queen B’s shelves contain hundreds of rock, punk, indie and hip-hop records. There are also local artists like Arizona-by-way-of-Minnesota rap act Moodie Black. Anyone looking for the latest releases from high-profile artists will have to drive to Prescott or Flagstaff, since Jennifer says they focus on “unique, strange things.”

“I really like things that are harder to find. Nothing against Taylor Swift or U2, but you can go to Walmart and get that,” she says. “I like to find stuff that’s unusual, especially. We have a great world section, but we also have K-Pop or other interesting things. There’s a Belgian label that carries all kinds of metal, like experimental and doom stuff, and French and Irish hip-hop.”

In April, Queen B participated in Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independently owned vinyl emporiums worldwide. Jennifer Keenan says they’ve been a part of the event since 2017, when Puscifer the Store was a part of RSD.

“It was an even bigger success than the (Record Store Days) at Puscifer the Store,” she says. “We did a thing where when you show up, you could sign up and didn’t have to wait in line. I was surprised to find out that some people were like, ‘No, waiting in line is part of it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, then.’”

‘We’re really trying to build a music scene here’

Queen B’s philosophy of catering to “unique, strange things” carries over to the who’s performing at its 100-person venue.

Over the past year, its stage has hosted a diverse lineup of indie, unsigned and experimental artists. Performers like Swaza6, Poxsey, Tsaffire and DJ Kip Killagain have blasted genres such as darkwave, drum & bass, and goth to the stage. Other acts featured include Malcriada, The Axxident, Cosmic Kitten, and Valgur, showcasing a mix of Latin, synthpop and grunge influences.

“So we want to help other bands, smaller bands, and just bring bands here and music here that would not normally come to this area. And I mean, we get international acts, we get everything from book signings and poetry to metal, gospel and even puppetry,” Jennifer Keenan says. “We want to present every type of art so that hopefully no matter who the person is, they will find something that interests them.”

Local bands like Moodie Black and There Is No Us have also played Queen B, which Jennifer says is part of a larger goal of helping foster local talents.

“We’re really trying to build a music scene here,” she says.

On Saturday, Queen B will celebrate its first anniversary. True to form, the musical lineup will be diverse with sets by Pentagram String Band, punk act Gutter and jazz/Western swing artist Joe Baker. Jennifer Keenan says while the evening show, which starts at 7 p.m., is ticketed, a free event will be offered earlier in the day. And its suitably macabre with a “casket crate dig.”

“We’ll have a casket with a hearse that’s parked outside,” she says. “We’re going to fill it with used records and some new markdown stuff, and we’ll have that on the patio so you can crate dig while you listen to DJs.”

Here’s a look at every show taking place at Queen B Vinyl Cafe in 2025:

Pendemonium: Night of the Living Poets!
Thursday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.
with Dan Seaman, Matti Amato, Roxy Runyan, Michelle Barry and Chris Cipollini

Queen B Vinyl Cafe’s One-Year Anniversary
Saturday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
With Pentagram String Band, Guttertown, Joe Baker, DJ JasperPunk and DJ Vic

Manaical Madcaps from The Void Above: QBVC Movie Night
Sunday, Oct. 26, 3 p.m.

Throatpiss
Thursday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.
With Böndbreakr and From Waste

Alma Sangre
Friday, Oct. 31, 9 p.m.

Queen B Brunch Club
Sunday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.

Obi “Obisoulstar” Uwakwe artist talk and book signing
Saturday, Nov. 8, 4 p.m.

Valgur
Sunday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.
with 55CASTLES

The Discussion
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Cosmic Kitten
Thursday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.
with Death Ode and Scrunge

Matteo Amaretto album release show
Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m.
Touch Album Release Show
with Chris Cipolini

Miles to Nowhere
Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.
with KnarlyWorld, Standing at the Back and Sick in the Head