Megadeth cofounder opening coffee shop and ‘Museum of Deth’ in Jackson, Minnesota (pop. 3,299)
by Jay Gabler
January 05, 2017
Props to Ross Raihala at the Pioneer Press for spotting this news item: bassist David Ellefson, a founding member of Megadeth, is going to start selling coffee and exhibiting his memorabilia in his home town of Jackson, Minnesota. The town of 3,299 is two-and-a-half hours southwest of the Twin Cities.
The "Museum of Deth" will be part of the rebranded Ellefson Coffee Co., a shop formerly known as Coffee Choices. The shop sells Ellefson's signature blend ("Urban Legend") and relaunches under its new name on Monday. Ellefson now resides in Arizona, but according to a press release, he decided to collaborate with Coffee Choices owner Susan Reiter on a relaunching of her shop as the home base of his coffee company and a satellite location for sales of music and merch from Ellefson's record label.
Memorabilia from Ellefson and other artists will be displayed in the coffee shop's Museum of Deth, and while they're in town, Megadeth fans can cue up songs inspired by Jackson. "The connections to this small Midwest town run deep in Megadeth lore," reads the press release. "Loon Lake Cemetary, that spawned the legend of 'Mary Jane,' immortalized on So Far, So Good, So What is a few miles down the street, while the Ellefson family farm that inspired Megadeth hit 'Foreclosure of a Dream' is also a stone’s throw" from the coffee shop.
In addition to Urban Legend, Ellefson Coffee will also sell "Roast in Peace," "Kenya Thrash," and "She Wolf" ("Nicaraguan light roast designed to offer maximum flavor with high caffeine to keep you light on your feet and ready for action"). If you don't have plans to be in Jackson any time soon, you can order the coffee from Ellefson's website, which also sells copies of his memoir Life with Deth.
"I’ve been blessed to travel the world year after year as a musician but my roots have always stayed in Jackson," says Ellefson in the press release. "So, it’s a true honor for our coffee brand to have a retail shop on the main street USA I grew up on, and to serve the very community I was born and raised in. Aside from some great coffee and a fun Rock N’ Roll atmosphere, our store is a go-to destination for coffee that also tells my story of heavy metal and global music history. I look forward to seeing you there!"
