Audio By Carbonatix
Last April, former Phoenix cop George Contreras resigned from the force and opened a guitar shop in South Phoenix. Why give up a cushy city gig? “It’s cooler in here and I’m not getting shot at. At least, not yet,” he quips. These days, Contreras sports a cool Corvette, a rock band, and a dozen personalized pics of celebrities like Alice Cooper and KISS. Not too shabby.
Check out SoPo’s finest (guitar shop) at the Raptor Guitars One-Year Anniversary Party. The free event will feature gratis pizza, raffle prizes, and live music on a tiered stage in the store’s parking lot. Raptor’s made such inroads into the Valley’s music consciousness that Contreras was overwhelmed by grateful local bands begging to play. He signed up 12 in a hurry — including Abraham Drinkin’, Dinonicus, and Reign Down — and was forced to turn away the rest.
So how does he know his picks won’t turn out to be guitar zeroes? It’s a crapshoot. “They all have MySpace pages, but I haven’t sat and listened to them,” he admits. “I probably should have, but I wanted to be surprised.”
Sat., June 28, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., 2008
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
