LACEY, Wash. – The state Liquor Control Board has voted to raise the markup on alcohol by about a third. t Wednesday's meeting in Lacey the board approved a 32 percent increase in the amount the state charges over costs.
Spokesman Brian E. Smith says final prices will be affected by suppliers and taxes. For an example, Monarch vodka, the most popular product in state liquor stores, will go from about $9.95 to $10.75 a bottle.
The increase will take effect Aug. 1 and raise about $80 million in the next two-year budget cycle. The action will offset $79 million the Legislature removed from a liquor fund.
A vice president of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, David Wojnar, told The News Tribune of Tacoma the price hike is a stealth tax.
After the cigarette tax, having a good time is going to be quite a penny pincher eh?
Ben Kweller's Changing Horses is a breath of fresh air for the young artist who has already released two albums so far: On My Way and Sha Sha. Kweller explains Changing Horses by saying “After the Beatles and before Nirvana, country music was the soundtrack of my life, the music that shaped who I am… this album focuses in on that one side of me.” And while the record is not bursting at the seems with spurs and prairie references, Kweller remains poignant and true to the genre. Kweller, while a pop master hands down, has no problem translating his craft to the bluegrass mode in the vein of Paul Roberts. Kweller is an old soul to say the least as his songs weave imagery that he could not possibly have experienced, but does it believably.
From the peaceful meditation of “Gypsy Rose” and “Old Hat,” both of which remind one of a Bob Dylan-esque Blood on the Tracks, to the truck stop ballad of “Fight” and the diner side rhapsody of “Sawdust Man”, Kweller keeps his truck a' driving by constantly changing pace. Even with the intra-album evolution, he never strays from his sentiments:
“I’m like my grandma Short, but I stand tall Playing every single card that’s dealt to me Well, some days are aces And some days are faces Some days are twos and threes!”
In Changing Horses Ben Kweller has slipped smoothly into another philosophy of songwriting. Kweller has not strayed so far from his comfort zone that he cannot safely return to his pop-laden past making him more flexible than ever.
Well what do you know! It's only been three days live and Mr. A has already decided to diversify! Even a complete site name change! We are no longer the book review, but now SeattleBlotter@home! Instead of books I'm covering video games, music, movies! Books! All manner of devilry for anyone to read! Come on guys! Make my site more popular...if its POSSIBLE. Cheers.
