Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Nearly 1,000 turn out for Tool singer wine event at Whole Foods Market in Plano, Texas

By Teresa Gubbins

PLANO — Shoppers at the Whole Foods Market in Plano got a rock 'n' roll jolt on Monday afternoon when the store was overtaken by a three-hour bottle-signing event featuring Maynard James Keenan, reclusive singer from rock band Tool and, more recently, winemaker.

It was part of a tour by Keenan and his vintner-partner Eric Glomski of Whole Foods stores through California and the Southwest, to sell and sign bottles of the debut 2007 releases from their Arizona Stronghold Vineyard label.

In Plano, nearly 1,000 fans wound around the store for a chance to buy a bottle, then line up again to get the bottle signed by the singer, who was tucked away behind closed doors in the secluded room ordinarily used for cooking classes.

Staffers handed out entry tickets, warning attendees that only the first 550 would be guaranteed an audience with Keenan who, at some prior events, had called it quits after signing 500 bottles.

The tickets were numbered to establish priority, so that attendees could get their tickets and leave, then return in time for the 4:30 p.m. opening. The tickets also served as "menus" which attendees were required to fill out, indicating which wine they wanted. No one was allowed through the line without making a purchase, and the only thing Keenan was signing was bottles -- no CDs, photos, or other memorabilia. The cheapest wine on the list was $24.99, for the Arizona Stronghold Nachise ("Good fruit expression in the 2007 vintage, ample spice and great body"); most expensive was the Caduceus Nagual del Seinsei ("Divine mouth feel"), at $99.99.

Keenan is not the first celebrity, or even the first musician, to dabble in food and spirits. Sammy Hagar is famous for his Cabo Wabo tequila, Marilyn Manson launched an absinthe liqueur in 2007, and Doobie Brothers manager Bruce Cohn has a well-regarded line of wines under the B.R. Cohn label.

But Keenan has an edge over other celebrity dabblers and even traditional winemakers thanks to the devoted following his intense music and persona have spawned.

Zach Abernathy, 23, of Midlothian, skipped out on his job of delivering pizzas and drove up for the opportunity to see Keenan up close. Layla Mainini, 28, of Carrollton, arrived at noon and admitted that, while she doesn't usually drink wine, she viewed the event as "the chance of a lifetime".

Tickets No. 1 and 2 went to friends Kevin O'Connor, 32, of Arlington, and Brian Koppa, 26, of Fort Worth, who skipped sleep entirely, arriving at 3:30 a.m. to be first in line at 10 a.m. when staffers began handing tickets out.

Keenan is notoriously photo-phobic, so no purses, bags, or large coats that could conceal a camera were allowed.

Some attendees such as Shawn Saumell, 32, of Frisco, were interested in the wine; Saumell said he'd been following Keenan's venture for two years and admired his experimental foray into winemaking in Arizona. One fellow in a crisp white business shirt loitered at the exit, waiting for an acquaintance he'd paid to get the bottle signed so he could sell it on e-bay.

"You can't find this stuff anywhere," he said, before hustling away when asked to identify himself.

Given the wait, the encounter sounded anticlimactic. Harold Hansen, 31, of Plano, and Danielle Moncaux, 24, of Dallas, described Keenan as keeping his head down and signing bottle after bottle, offering only the occasional "thank you".

"I'm sure he has a lot on his mind," Hansen said, sympathetically.

Related stories

• Tool coming to Nokia Theater July 25 (May 11, 2009)
• Pegasus News week in view: Gonna put me in the movies edition (March 26, 2009)

See more stories in:

• Retail
• Arts > Popular Music > Rock
• Food and Drink > Wine

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