Gene Ween Band
| Gene Ween | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Freeman |
| Also known as | Gene Ween, Gener, Papa |
| Born | March 17, 1970 |
| Genres | Alternative rock, experimental rock, psychedelic rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, mandolin, percussion |
| Associated acts |
Ween Gene Ween Band Freeman |
Gene Ween (born March 17, 1970) is the stage name of Aaron Freeman, an American musician and a founding member of the experimental alternative rock group Ween. Freeman, along with childhood friend Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo), started the group in the mid-1980s. Freeman announced his departure from Ween in 2012, shortly after releasing Marvelous Clouds, his first solo album. After leaving Ween, he stopped using the name Gene Ween and performed under his birth name Aaron Freeman. In 2014 he formed a new five-piece band called Freeman.
However, in 2015, Aaron brought back the Gene Ween name for his "Gene Ween Does Billy Joel" concerts, saying it was a positive thing:
"At the end of the day, people know Gene Ween. It’s not anything I should be ashamed of," Freeman said before adding, "I was really having an identity crisis and that happens – just what you said – so it’s important to separate those things. You get lost in who you are. As I grow and get more confident in who I am and my sobriety it’s like, 'Oh yeah, Gene Ween.' It’s a positive thing and it represents the work I did since I was 16."
In November 2015, Ween announced a February 2016 reunion for three shows in Colorado, with later dates subsequently announced.
Freeman and Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class in 1984, in New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they both grew up. Both of them talked about bands they liked and playing their own music. Soon, they hung out and began jamming, recording most of what they put together. Ween's music slowly progressed from a bedroom-style recording project, eventually signing to a major record label and transforming into a full live band.
In May 2012, Freeman suddenly announced his departure from Ween, as an attempt to rehabilitate himself after years of drug and alcohol abuse, which peaked during Ween's 2011 tour.
Even before his departure from Ween, Freeman had maintained a solo career. He has performed solo concerts with artists such as Jon Anderson of Yes. Around 2008, Freeman launched the Gene Ween Band, where he plays alongside Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz, and with guitarist Scott Metzger and drummer Joe Russo. In 2012, he released Marvelous Clouds, his first solo album under the name Aaron Freeman. The album consisted entirely of cover versions of Rod McKuen songs.
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