Ween

{{Short description|American rock band}} {{Other uses}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = group_or_band | name = Ween | image = Ween at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville 10.16.2018.jpg | landscape = yes | caption = Ween performing at Ryman Auditorium in 2018 | years_active = {{hlist|1984–2012|2015–present (hiatus since 2024)}} | genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|experimental rock}} | origin = New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S. | label = {{hlist|Chocodog|Elektra|Sanctuary|Rounder|Schnitzel|Twin Tone|Shimmy Disc|Bird O' Pray}} | spinoffs = {{hlist|Moistboyz|The Dean Ween Group|Gene Ween Band|Z-Rock Hawaii}} | current_members = * Gene Ween * Dean Ween * Dave Dreiwitz * Claude Coleman Jr. * Glenn McClelland | past_members = * Andrew Weiss | website = {{URL|https://ween.com/}} }}

'''Ween''' is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene Ween and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band are known for their irreverent, highly eclectic catalog of songs inspired by funk, psychedelia, soul, country, gospel, prog, R&B, heavy metal, and punk rock.

Ween self-released several cassette albums from their formation until 1989. Afterward, they put out three officially-released lo-fi albums: ''GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'' (1990); ''The Pod'' (1991); and ''Pure Guava'' (1992). For ''Pure Guava'', the band signed with major label Elektra Records. The album spawned the single "Push th' Little Daisies", which was a chart hit in Australia and the United States. Under Elektra, the band released four professionally-recorded albums: ''Chocolate and Cheese'' (1994); ''12 Golden Country Greats'' (1996); ''The Mollusk'' (1997); and ''White Pepper'' (2000). They later returned to independent labels for their albums ''Quebec'' (2003) and ''La Cucaracha'' (2007). Freeman quit the band in 2012 citing a need to treat his alcohol and drug abuse. Ween reformed in late 2015 and toured extensively without plans to record new material,<ref>{{Citation |title=Ween Tour Dates |publisher=Ween.com |url=http://ween.com |access-date=December 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wbur.org">{{cite web|last1=Sullivan|first1=Jim|title=With The Dean Ween Group, Mickey Melchiondo Continues Creating Jarring Quilts Of Sound|url=http://www.wbur.org/artery/2017/01/10/dean-ween-group|website=Wbur.org|date=January 10, 2017 |access-date=September 25, 2018}}</ref> but later entered an indefinite hiatus in 2024 citing Melchiondo's mental health as a reason.<ref name="ween2024">{{cite tweet |user=weeninfo |number=1829157067166453931 |title=It is with sincere regret and heavy hearts that Ween must make the decision to step away from the stage for the foreseeable future. |date=August 29, 2024}}</ref>

For their first decade, Ween performed live as a duo backed by a Digital Audio Tape with pre-recorded drum machine patterns. Chris Williams, better known by his stage name Mean Ween, occasionally joined on bass guitar. With the release of ''Chocolate and Cheese'', they stopped playing with Williams, and expanded to a four-piece for live performances and later added a fifth member. Their live members include drummer Claude Coleman Jr., bassist Dave Dreiwitz, and keyboardist Glenn McClelland. Ween also collaborated extensively with Andrew Weiss, who joined the band as a bassist in 1989 and also produced five of their nine studio albums. Despite never receiving much mainstream recognition, Ween developed a large, devoted cult following and garnered critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Laynce|title=Band Ween and its cult-like following to The Lyric Theatre provide an insider's look at who a musician's true fans are|url=http://archive.thedmonline.com/article/band-ween-and-its-cult-following-lyric-theatre-provide-insider%E2%80%99s-look-who-musician%E2%80%99s-true-fa|website=The DM Online|access-date=January 1, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102081735/http://archive.thedmonline.com/article/band-ween-and-its-cult-following-lyric-theatre-provide-insider%E2%80%99s-look-who-musician%E2%80%99s-true-fa|archive-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

==History== ===Early years (1984–1989)=== Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in a junior high school typing class in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween FAQ|url=http://www.ween.net/ween-faq.html|website=Ween.net}}</ref> Freeman recalled, "We didn't like each other. He was a jock, and I was more of a trench-coat guy. But we sat next to each other in typing class and both realized we were into music."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Shteamer|first1=Hank|title=Laughs Last|url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/laughs-last|access-date=January 1, 2015|publisher=Time Out New York|date=November 29, 2007|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830210147/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/laughs-last|url-status=dead}}</ref> The name Ween was a word made up by the duo, a combination of the words wuss and penis.<ref name="Ween Documentary">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6L2YKqtyDA#t=304s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/H6L2YKqtyDA| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Ween Documentary |date=August 11, 2011 |via=YouTube |access-date=October 19, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Their earliest home recordings were drug-fueled and free-spirited; Melchiondo would later say about this era, "the music was designed to be obnoxious".<ref name="Ween Documentary"/>

From 1984 until 1994, Ween's live lineup consisted of Freeman on lead vocals and occasional rhythm guitar, Melchiondo on lead guitar and backing vocals, and a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) machine providing the pre-recorded backing tracks. They self-released several cassettes in the late eighties including ''Mrs. Slack'' (1984), ''Erica Peterson's Flaming Crib Death'' (1986), ''The Crucial Squeegie Lip'' (1987), ''Axis: Bold as Boognish'' (1988), ''The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD'' (1988), and ''Prime 5'' (1988). In 1987, Freeman also released his own tape, ''Synthetic Socks'', which featured Melchiondo on a few tracks. Ween's public debut was at the New Hope-Solebury High School talent show in 1986, where they performed a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" with Chris Williams (a.k.a. Mean Ween) on bass and Karl Weimer on drums. Although this era was mostly just Freeman, Melchiondo and the DAT machine, they did play a few shows in the '80s as "The Ween" backed by the Rollins Band rhythm section, Andrew Weiss and Sim Cain.<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|title=Ween Live at VPRO Radio Show on 1990-04-18|url=https://archive.org/details/ween1990-04-18|website=Archive.org|date=April 18, 1990|access-date=January 8, 2015}}</ref>

By 1988, Ween had become regulars at John and Peter's in New Hope and City Gardens in Trenton, New Jersey. At City Gardens, they opened for acts such as They Might Be Giants, Butthole Surfers, and Henry Rollins. Following a February 1990 City Gardens performance where Ween's reception was lukewarm, Rollins got on stage and warned the crowd to "start liking them now", for one day, "you will get down on your filthy knees and crawl to the altar that is Ween".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween - Trenton City Gardens - 2/2/90 - Fights with crowd - Henry Rollins rant - Full Set| date=October 23, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7uNs1JeNRc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/L7uNs1JeNRc| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=TubbsTheCat|access-date=January 5, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Lo-fi period (1990–1993)=== left|thumb|Ween in 1993 Dave Ayers, working in A&R for Minneapolis-based record label Twin/Tone, went to see a live performance by alt-rock band Skunk in the late '80s in Maplewood, New Jersey in anticipation of signing them to a record deal. Ween, friends of Skunk, were the opening act that night. Ayers signed Ween to Twin/Tone that night, and would soon become the band's manager. Skunk would break up in 1991 and their drummer, Claude Coleman, Jr., would play a few shows with Ween in 1992 before joining the band full-time in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Coleman|first1=Claude Jr.|title=Claude Coleman Jr. Reddit AMA|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1gz17c/hi_i_am_claude_coleman_jr_the_drummer_for_ween/|website=Reddit|date=June 24, 2013 |access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

Ween's debut album for Twin/Tone, ''GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'', was released on November 16, 1990. It consisted of 26 tracks that were written during their first six years, and can be thought of as a "best of" this era. Some of the songs, such as "You Fucked Up" and "Bumblebee", had already appeared on various Ween cassettes from the late '80s. "You Fucked Up", "Fat Lenny", "Nan", and the retitled Prince cover "L.M.L.Y.P." would become staples of the band's live show for years to come. Ween played their first overseas shows in support of the album, with a series of dates in the Netherlands in December/January 1990–91.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brownbase: Ween setlists|url=http://brownbase.org/show_filter.php?all=1|website=Brownbase|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref>

The band released their second full-length album, ''The Pod'', in 1991 on the Shimmy-Disc label. It was recorded on a four-track cassette recorder from January to October 1990. The album borrows its title from the Solebury Township, Pennsylvania apartment in which it was recorded. The duo's use of drum machines, pitch-shifted guitars/vocals and drug-laced humor became a trademark part of their sound. The cover of ''The Pod'' was a parody of the cover of the 1975 Leonard Cohen album, ''The Best of Leonard Cohen'', but with the head of Chris "Mean Ween" Williams (who played bass on the ''Pod'' track "Alone") in place of Cohen's. Although the liner notes claim the album was recorded under the influence of scotchgard, Freeman would later say that this was tongue-in-cheek.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween Interview|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/ween-13827|website=AV Club|date=August 6, 2003 |access-date=December 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506125602/http://www.avclub.com/article/ween-13827|archive-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> Following the release of ''The Pod'', Ween embarked on their first extensive U.S. tour, as well as a week-long U.K. tour that included a recording with John Peel in the BBC studio. The February 1992 U.K. tour would be Ween's first performances with Claude Coleman Jr., and also featured Shimmy-Disc founder Kramer on bass.

Ween signed with Elektra Records and released their major label debut ''Pure Guava'' on November 10, 1992. Pure Guava featured their highest charting single, "Push th' Little Daisies" which gained them media and MTV attention, as the video was a highlighted target on MTV's ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. The song was also a hit in Australia, reaching number 18 on the singles chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Ween&titel=Push+Th%27+Little+Daisies&cat=s|title=Ween - Push th' Little Dasies (Song)|website=Australian-Charts.com|access-date=December 29, 2014}}</ref> The track "Flies on My Dick" featured lead vocals by Guy Heller, singer of Melchiondo's other band, Moistboyz. Heller would occasionally perform the song live with Ween.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween - Tour Guava - Flies on My Dick| date=December 16, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvdiYe1IiJE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/xvdiYe1IiJE| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=BoognishBrown27|access-date=January 2, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Ween toured the U.S. in support of the album, and the show of December 9 in Chapel Hill, NC would later be released as the CD/DVD package ''At the Cat's Cradle, 1992'' in 2008. Also in support of ''Pure Guava'', Ween performed at ''MTV Spring Break'' in Daytona Beach, FL as well as on ''The Jane Pratt Show''.

===Signing with Elektra Records (1994–1996)===

Following the release of ''Pure Guava'', Ween began to expand their live and studio lineup, providing both a crisper production sound in the studio and an easier live setup. Claude Coleman Jr. officially joined the band as drummer in March 1994, while Ween's long-time producer Andrew Weiss picked up the bass duties. The Weiss-produced ''Chocolate and Cheese'' was released in 1994, featuring tracks influenced by '70s pop/rock and soul, such as "Freedom of '76" and "Voodoo Lady", the latter of which appeared on the ''Road Trip'' and ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' soundtracks. The "Freedom of '76" music video was directed by Spike Jonze and the video for "I Can't Put My Finger On It" was filmed at a Middle Eastern restaurant and featured actual employees of the restaurant. Both videos would be shown on season 5 of ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' in 1995. Ween performed "I Can't Put My Finger On It" on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in January 1995. The ''Chocolate and Cheese'' track "Roses Are Free" began being covered by Phish regularly in concert in 1997. Freeman would later comment: "I like Trey Anastasio as a person, but as far as the music goes, all that jam band shit makes me want to puke".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keller|first1=Jason|title=Q&A: Gene Ween of Ween|url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/q-and-a-gene-ween-of-ween/|website=Now Toronto|date=August 12, 2009|access-date=January 1, 2015|archive-date=November 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118192559/https://nowtoronto.com/music/q-and-a-gene-ween-of-ween/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, ''Chocolate and Cheese'' would have a book written about it by Hank Shteamer, as a part of the 33⅓ book series about music albums. Of recording the album, Dean Ween said, "I saw someone wrote a book about Chocolate and Cheese, and my son put it in the bathroom. I was reading through it. What people were saying about me and Aaron [Freeman, aka Gene Ween] was that there was all this thought that went into this shit. It's total bullshit. We wrote a lot of material—it was good, we knew it was good—we picked our favorite songs and we put them out on the record. That was it. [Laughter.] And that's been true of every record I've made, from the first Ween record to the second Dean Ween record."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Greenhaus|first=Mike|url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/the_core_dean_ween_on_solo_work_album_construction_phish_and_more/|title=The Core: Dean Ween on Solo Work, Album Construction, Phish and More|website=Relix|date=May 24, 2018}}</ref>

One month prior to the release of ''Chocolate and Cheese'', Ween appeared in the Saturday Night Live film ''It's Pat'', starring Julia Sweeney. The band (which in the film consisted of Freeman, Melchiondo, Weiss, and Weiss' brother John Weiss as the drummer) was featured in a supporting role and performed the ''Pod'' track "Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese" and the ''Pure Guava'' track "Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)". The film was both a critical and box office failure, and was subsequently pulled from theaters one week after its opening weekend.<ref>{{cite web|title=It's Pat (1994) Trivia|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110169/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2|publisher=IMDb|access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref>

Also in 1994, Freeman, Melchiondo and Coleman collaborated with Japanese noise rock band Boredoms on a project released two years later as ''Z-Rock Hawaii''. Melchiondo became a big fan of Boredoms upon seeing them live in Philadelphia in 1993, calling them "the heaviest band [he] had ever seen since the Butthole Surfers".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melchiondo |first1=Mickey |title=Boredoms/Z-Rock Hawaii |url=http://www.askdeaner.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120195659/http://askdeaner.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |website=Ask Deaner |access-date=January 1, 2015 }}</ref> Boredoms frontman Yamantaka Eye had previously released an album that heavily sampled Ween's ''Pod'' album. These recording sessions took place in a Pennington, New Jersey studio during the recording of ''Chocolate and Cheese''.

Ween turned to Nashville studio musicians and producer Ben Vaughn for the November 1995 recording of ''12 Golden Country Greats'' (1996) which contained only ten tracks. There are two theories regarding the title of the album.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} The first claim is that it refers to the dozen veteran musicians, known as The Shit Creek Boys, who played on the album. The second claim refers to the fact that the band did indeed record twelve songs during the demo sessions for the album. When it came time to record the actual album, the band chose not to use the songs "I Got No Darkside" and "So Long, Jerry" but kept the album title. "So Long, Jerry", a tribute to the then recently deceased Jerry Garcia, was featured as a B-Side on the "Piss Up a Rope" single. Sticking to Nashville tradition, Freeman and Melchiondo provided only vocals, allowing The Shit Creek Boys to play all the instruments. Elvis Presley's former backing vocal quartet The Jordanaires appeared on the tracks "I'm Holding You" and "Powder Blue".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween Interview - Austin, Texas| date=December 6, 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-XBwKMHgyU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/q-XBwKMHgyU| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=OneFiveDoor|access-date=January 2, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

After a brief return to the original lineup of Freeman, Melchiondo and the DAT machine for a series of dates opening for the Foo Fighters, Ween toured with the Shit Creek Boys in October 1996. This lineup performed not only ''12 Golden Country Greats'' material, but also played Ween songs from previous eras with added country instrumentation, including the ''Pure Guava'' tracks "Pumpin' 4 the Man" and "Push th' Little Daisies" and the ''Chocolate and Cheese'' tracks "What Deaner Was Talkin' About" and "Buenas Tardes Amigo". Parts of the show of October 23 at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre would later be released as the album, ''Live in Toronto Canada'' (2001).

===Commercial breakthrough (1997–2001)=== [[File:Ween.jpg|thumb|right|Founding members Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) and Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween), pictured in 1997]] The nautically themed album ''The Mollusk'' followed in 1997. The album was another eclectic set showing Ween's penchant for satire, deconstruction, and pastiche, including 1960s Brit-pop, sea shanties, Broadway show tunes, and especially progressive rock. Months prior to its release, Freeman would describe the album as "our dark, acid rock record".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween Public Access TV 5-27-97 Buckingham Green, She Wanted to Leave *LIVE*+ Interview| date=February 21, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoAJFohUSt0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/JoAJFohUSt0| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=gummybearcavity|access-date=January 1, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2007, Melchiondo himself named ''The Mollusk'' his favorite among Ween's oeuvre.<ref>{{cite web|last=Usinger |first=Mike |url=https://www.straight.com/article-117368/dean-ween-picks-his-favourite-ween-disc-gives-the-back-story-on-la-cucaracha |title=Dean Ween picks his favourite Ween disc, gives the back story on La Cucaracha |publisher=Straight.com |date=November 8, 2007 |access-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref> ''The Mollusk'' was the album to finally feature studio recordings of "Buckingham Green" and "The Blarney Stone", both of which had been performed regularly in concert for years. Although they did not play on the album, bassist Dave Dreiwitz and keyboardist Glenn McClelland joined the band in April 1997; their debut was a performance of the ''Mollusk'' track "The Golden Eel" on an episode of the Comedy Central show ''Viva Variety''. The lineup of Freeman-Melchiondo-McClelland-Dreiwitz-Coleman would remain the same until Ween's hiatus in 2012.

Following the release of ''The Mollusk'', Ween contributed two songs to two different Trey Parker/Matt Stone projects. The song "Love" appeared in the film ''Orgazmo'' in September 1997. The song "The Rainbow", as well as Freeman and Melchiondo themselves, appeared in a season 2 episode of ''South Park'', titled "Chef Aid" in October 1998. It was later released on the compilation ''Chef Aid: The South Park Album''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=May 30, 2018 |title=How Music Supervisors for 'Armageddon,' 'Can't Hardly Wait' & More Kept Soundtracks Weird & Wonderful in 1998 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/movies/8457073/1998-movie-soundtracks-bulworth-armageddon-interviews |magazine=Billboard |location=New York |access-date=December 10, 2018 }}</ref> Parker & Stone later directed the music video for the ''White Pepper'' track "Even If You Don't". The band's desire to pursue alternate forms of media led to the MP3-only release ''Craters of the Sac'' (1999), presented by Melchiondo for online download and free trade. Elektra Records released a live compilation titled ''Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live 1990-1998'' in 1999.

Ween's sixth studio album, ''White Pepper'', was the band's final studio release for Elektra and was released May 2, 2000. The pop-themed, Lennon-McCartney–inspired album produced two singles: "Even If You Don't", which was made into a music video directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and "Stay Forever". Shortly before the release of ''White Pepper'', Ween started the Internet radio station WeenRadio, which was awarded third best Internet music site by ''Rolling Stone''.<ref name="rollingstone1">David Kushner, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071014121741/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ween/articles/story/5919334/the_top_ten_best_digital_music_entities_of_2000 The Top Ten Best Digital Music Entities of 2000], ''Rolling Stone'', December 28, 2000. Retrieved October 2, 2007.</ref> In July 2000, Ween performed the ''White Pepper'' track "Exactly Where I'm At" on the ''Late Show with David Letterman''.

In November 2000, Ween contributed the song "Loop de Loop" for the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' episode "Your Shoe's Untied".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jQ5AQAAIAAJ&q=loop+de+loop+ween+spongebob |title=The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album That Made the Billboard 200 Chart - Google Books |isbn=9780898201666 |access-date=May 14, 2014|last1=Whitburn |first1=Joel |year=2006 |publisher=Record Research Incorporated }}</ref> SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg had contacted Ween and told them that ''The Mollusk'' was one of the show's biggest inspirations. Many future episodes of SpongeBob would also contain subtle references to Ween.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melchiondo |first1=Mickey |title=One of our proudest achievements |url=http://036271e.netsolhost.com/WordPress/2012/10/18/one-of-our-proudest-achievements/ |website=Ask Deaner |access-date=January 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101100800/http://036271e.netsolhost.com/WordPress/2012/10/18/one-of-our-proudest-achievements/ |archive-date=November 1, 2013 }}</ref> Additionally, the ''Mollusk'' track "Ocean Man" was featured in the closing credits of ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' in 2004.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nRMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=October 23, 2004 |access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> Ween also teamed up with Ben Vaughn to compose and perform the theme song and the interstitial music for the sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' which aired from 2001 to 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecapitoltheatre.com/2016/09/25/5-fun-and-fascinating-facts-about-dean-ween/ |title=5 Fun and Fascinating Facts About Dean Ween |author= |date=September 26, 2016 |website=Thecapitoltheater.com|publisher=The Capitol Theater |access-date=December 10, 2018 }}</ref>

Ween formed their own label in 2001, Chocodog Records, which oversaw the release of several self-produced live sets. ''Paintin' the Town Brown'', which was compiled and mastered by the band, was meant to be the first Chocodog release. According to Melchiondo, once the album was completed, Elektra realized the sales potential of the CD and denied Ween the right to release it through Chocodog. Later, Ween released the first official Chocodog album, ''Live in Toronto''. The limited-pressing CD, available exclusively through the band website, became an instant collector's item. Subsequent Chocodog releases were produced in higher volumes to meet demand. To celebrate the re-release of the band's debut album ''GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'', Ween returned to the original lineup of Freeman, Melchiondo, and the DAT to perform the album in its entirety on September 14, 2001, at John and Peter's in New Hope. Taping was not permitted at this show; not for long was it "the ultimate unreleased bootleg" as Melchiondo called it; it was released in 2016 as ''GodWeenSatan Live''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melchiondo|first1=Mickey|title=The Dean Ween Group|url=https://www.facebook.com/deanweengroup?ref=br_tf|website=Facebook.com|access-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=April 2019}}

===Return to independent labels, live albums (2002–2007)===

[[File:Ween in Edmonton Alberta.jpg|alt=|thumb|Ween performing in Edmonton in 2007]] On August 7, 2002, Claude Coleman Jr. was seriously injured in a car accident on Route 78 near Newark, New Jersey, suffering a broken back and pelvis. Ween quickly organized a couple of benefit shows at New York City's Bowery Ballroom in October to help cover his medical bills.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Caffrey|first1=Scott|title=Ween Drummer Injured in Auto Accident|url=http://www.jambase.com/Articles/2832/WEEN-DRUMMER-INJURED-IN-AUTO-ACCIDENT|website=JamBase|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> Ween recruited Vandals drummer Josh Freese to perform at these gigs as well as on the band's next album, ''Quebec''. Coleman would make his comeback in December, backing up Freeman at an acoustic show in Brooklyn. Also in December, Ween would release the three-disc ''Live at Stubb's'', which contained parts of two performances in Austin, Texas from July 2000 during the ''White Pepper'' tour.

Ween signed to Sanctuary Records and released ''Quebec'', their first studio release in three years, on August 5, 2003. ''Quebec'' was noticeably darker in tone than much of Ween's work; according to Freeman, many of the songs were written as he was going through a divorce: "I wrote most of these songs right before the end [of the relationship]. A lot of these songs are about that. Even if it's not direct, you can feel the beginning of the end of the breakup in these songs."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gonzales|first1=Matt|title=Taste the Waste: A Conversation With Gene Ween|url=http://www.popmatters.com/feature/ween-030819/|website=PopMatters|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> Melchiondo would add, "I like it as a record, but it's very negative. It's one of our darker records, I think. I don't listen to any of our records, but I have ''never'' listened to that one."<ref name="Dean Ween of Ween">{{cite web|last1=Hyden|first1=Steven|title=Dean Ween of Ween|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/dean-ween-of-ween-2073|website=AV Club|date=October 31, 2007 |access-date=January 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204456/http://www.avclub.com/article/dean-ween-of-ween-2073|archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref> On September 3, Ween performed the ''Quebec'' track "Happy Colored Marbles" on ''Last Call with Carson Daly''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween live on TV 'Happy Colored Marbles'| date=September 14, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnoNuWRDGRs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/wnoNuWRDGRs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=BTFishing|access-date=January 5, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Later that year, the band held a poll on their official message boards to select songs for the band to play on their forthcoming live-in-studio album ''All Request Live''. Released on November 22, the album would feature a performance of all five parts of "The Stallion" (Parts 1 & 2 from ''The Pod'', Part 3 from ''Pure Guava'', the unreleased Part 4 from the demos for ''Chocolate and Cheese'', and Part 5 from ''Craters of the Sac''). On November 3, 2017, they would perform "The Stallion Suite" live at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, TX. All Request Live also included rarely played early Ween tracks such as "Pollo Asado", "Mononucleosis", and "Cover it with Gas and Set it on Fire", and Ween's rejected Pizza Hut jingle, "Where'd the Cheese Go?".

In 2004, Ween released ''Live in Chicago'', a DVD and CD set that compiled tracks from two live performances from the ''Quebec'' tour at Chicago's Vic Theatre in November 2003. After playing the festival circuit in the summer, Ween hit the road for a West Coast tour in October. Following the show of October 17 in San Diego, Ween's manager Greg Frey announced that the upcoming Midwest tour would be canceled so Freeman could enter alcohol rehab. In the statement, Frey wrote: "There is a problem within the band, that requires immediate intervention, for the health, welfare, and safety of one of its members. For this member, years of touring have taken their toll."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Flakey|title=Ween tour canceled|url=http://weenery.tribe.net/thread/f695772d-f350-49aa-8085-f3039b9b5c36|website=Tribe.net|access-date=January 12, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009034603/http://weenery.tribe.net/thread/f695772d-f350-49aa-8085-f3039b9b5c36|archive-date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> Ween would take a year-long hiatus from touring before hitting the road again in October 2005.

In 2005, Ween hit the studio to record better quality versions of previously unreleased songs for the compilation ''Shinola, Vol. 1''. The twelve tracks were all, according to Melchiondo, "songs we regretted not putting on other records". The tracks spanned the band's career, from "Tastes Good on th' Bun", a ''Pod'' outtake, to "Someday", a ''Quebec'' outtake. Different versions of three of the songs, "Big Fat Fuck", "How High Can You Fly?" and "Monique the Freak" had previously appeared on ''Craters of the Sac''. Melchiondo would later comment, "We called it Volume 1, but I don't know if I want to go through that again anytime soon".<ref name="Dean Ween of Ween"/>

In February 2006, Ween rented an old farmhouse and converted it into a working studio. After writing over 50 songs and recording rough versions through 2006, they picked through them and, with Andrew Weiss as a producer, re-recorded album versions for what would become ''The Friends EP'' and the full-length ''La Cucaracha'' which was released October 23, 2007, on Rounder Records. ''La Cucaracha'', which would prove to be Ween's final album, would later be called a "big piece of shit" by Freeman, adding, "I think the songs on it were good, or a bunch of songs, but overall that was a big clue Mickey and I were finito".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rutledge|first1=Chris|title=Q&A: Shooting The Breeze With Aaron Freeman|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2014/07/qa-shooting-the-breeze-with-aaron-freeman-aaron-freeman/|website=American Songwriter|date=July 25, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2015}}</ref>

===Side projects and Vancouver incident (2008–2011)===

[[File:Flickr - moses namkung - Ween 1.jpg|alt=|thumb|left|Ween performing at the Outside Lands Music Festival in 2009]] On September 21, 2008, Melchiondo announced on the official Ween website that they planned to release a CD-DVD combo before Christmas of that year. He stated, "This time we're going to be going all the way back to the days when we were still a duo with a cassette deck in the early 90s. It's probably the brownest CD on the Chocodog label yet." That CD was titled ''At the Cat's Cradle'' and was recorded live at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina on December 9, 1992. The package also included a DVD featuring some video of performances from the same era.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chocodog.com/chocodog/ween/ween_new/news_fr.html |title=Ween |publisher=Chocodog.com |access-date=July 7, 2011 |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724105800/http://www.chocodog.com/chocodog/ween/ween_new/news_fr.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Although Freeman had occasionally played solo acoustic shows before 2008, he turned his focus towards these shows—billed as "Gene Ween"—following the ''La Cucaracha'' tour. In December 2008, he began performing with "The Gene Ween Band", which featured Dreiwitz on bass along with Joe Russo on drums and Scott Metzger on guitar. The set-lists of these shows featured more obscure Ween songs rarely played at Ween shows, a few covers, as well as numerous Freeman-penned songs being performed for the first time. Freeman would perform dozens of shows both solo and with the Gene Ween Band from 2008 to 2011. His first solo record, ''Marvelous Clouds'', an album of Rod McKuen covers, would be released three weeks before Ween's breakup.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Jarnow|first1=Jesse|title=Aaron Freeman, a.k.a. Gene Ween, Releases Solo Debut|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/aaron-freeman-a-k-a-gene-ween-releases-solo-debut-20120508|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 8, 2012|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

While Freeman was working on non-Ween musical projects, Melchiondo turned his focus to fishing. Melchiondo, who spent a lot of time in his youth at his parents' beach house in Beach Haven, New Jersey, became a licensed fishing boat captain and hosted a web series, "Brownie Troop Fishing Show", from 2008 to 2011. As of 2015, he still offers trips on his website, "Mickey's Guide Service", running them out of New Hope as well as Belmar, NJ. In 2013, it was announced that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would be producing a pilot for a reality television show about fishing, starring Melchiondo and Les Claypool.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rayner|first1=Caroline|title=Dean Ween and Les Claypool will soon have their own fishing show, because what the hell else are they going to do?|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/dean-ween-and-les-claypool-will-soon-have-their-own-fishing-show-because-what-the-hell-else-are|website=Tiny Mix Tapes|access-date=January 11, 2015}}</ref>

During this period, Ween began scaling back their international touring. In an interview with Bizarre Magazine in 2007, Dean stated that the band hated doing international tours, saying "It's bad enough to have to sit in a hotel room in the middle of Iowa, where at least a dollar is worth a dollar and you can take care of your own transportation and food. Being overseas always makes me wanna kill myself. The band has come close to breaking up after each and every European tour we've ever done, going all the way back to 1990."<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Hodges|first1=Katie|date= May 2007|title=Ween: On the road with the dopey duo |magazine= Bizarre Magazine|location= United Kingdom| publisher= Dennis Publishing}}</ref>

On February 3, 2010, Ween released a new song, "DC Won't Do You No Good", that became available through a Target Cancer website. On July 28, 2010, the ''National Post'' featured an article,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/Ween+band+that+doesn+suck/3333531/story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100731175855/http://www.nationalpost.com/Ween+band+that+doesn+suck/3333531/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |title=Ween: A band that doesn't suck |access-date=August 27, 2010 }}</ref> with an interview with Melchiondo, in which it was stated that the band was due in the studio the following winter to start work on their tenth album. However, that album never came out.

Ween embarked on a brief West Coast tour at the beginning of 2011. The first show of the tour, January 24 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a turning point in Ween's history.{{who|date=February 2025}} Freeman played the tambourine off-beat on the first song, "Fiesta". His vocals were off-key throughout the night, and he appeared to be heavily intoxicated. Eventually, Freeman lay down on stage while the rest of the band played an instrumental, jam version of the Carpenters song "Superstar". As Freeman began tuning his guitar in preparation for "Birthday Boy", Melchiondo and Dreiwitz walked off the stage, while Coleman and McClelland switched instruments. After "Birthday Boy" was finished, Coleman and McClelland left Freeman to play the final four songs by himself off-key.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Usinger|first1=Mike|title=Ween completely blows it with a bizarre Vancouver show|url=https://www.straight.com/music/ween-completely-blows-it-bizarre-vancouver-show|access-date=December 31, 2014|publisher=Straight.com|date=January 25, 2011}}</ref> The band performed in Seattle, Washington,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bandsintown.com/Ween/past_events |title=Ween Tour History from 2007 - 2016 - Ween Past Tour Dates |website=Bandsintown.com |access-date=October 19, 2016 |archive-date=August 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801112221/http://www.bandsintown.com/Ween/past_events |url-status=dead }}</ref> the following night with no issues. Freeman later wrote a song about the Vancouver incident, "Covert Discretion", which appeared as the opening track to the self-titled debut album by his new band, called Freeman, in 2014. That same year, he commented, "You don't blow it on stage, lying on your back, screaming nonsense in front of 5,000 people and not try to change something. Chances are when you're doing something like that, you've got to do something differently."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Moffitt|first1=Casey|title=Interview: Aaron Freeman Moves On From Gene Ween|url=http://chicagoist.com/2014/09/23/there_was_a_time_when.php|website=Chicagoist|access-date=February 6, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215151108/http://chicagoist.com/2014/09/23/there_was_a_time_when.php|archive-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref>

===Breakup (2011–2015)=== On August 11, 2011, Melchiondo quietly released an MP3-only collection of songs called ''The Caesar Demos'', named after the band's original working title for ''Quebec'', to friends on his Facebook page. In his comment, he stated the songs were all recorded between 2001 and 2003 while Claude Coleman was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, and that many of the tracks featured only himself and Freeman. In addition to a handful of tracks that eventually made ''Quebec'', ''Caesar Demos'' would also feature several previously unreleased tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ween.net/ |title=Ween . Net | Dean Ween |publisher=Ween.net |access-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Krinkle |first=Henry |url=http://henrykrinkle.blogspot.com/2011/08/ween-caesar-quebec-demos-unreleased.html |title=Henry Krinkle's House of Sound: Ween: Caesar ("Quebec" demos & unreleased tracks) |publisher=Henrykrinkle.blogspot.com |date=August 15, 2011 |access-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref>

Freeman announced to ''Rolling Stone'' on May 29, 2012, that he was "retiring Gene Ween",<ref name="RollingStoneCloses">{{cite magazine |title=Aaron Freeman Closes the Book on Ween |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/aaron-freeman-closes-the-book-on-ween-20120529|magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 29, 2012 |author = Darrin Levin|date=May 29, 2012}}</ref> and a few days later, Ween's manager, Greg Frey, told fans on Facebook that Freeman had decided to "end his musical relationship with Ween", in order to "more fully explore and pursue his solo career".<ref name="AaronFreemanFacebook">{{cite web|last=Frey|first=Greg|title=Aaron Freeman Ends Musical Relationship With Ween|url=https://www.facebook.com/theaaronfreeman|publisher=Official Aaron Freeman Facebook Page|access-date=May 31, 2012}}</ref> Melchiondo appeared to be unaware of this, stating, "This is news to me, all I can say for now I guess".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/ween/posts/10150851696028564 |title=This is news to me, all I can say for... - Mickey Melchiondo |publisher=Facebook |date=May 29, 2012 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref> On July 20, Melchiondo addressed the supposed "breakup" and stated "I can only speak for myself, but as far as I'm concerned, as long as Aaron and I are both alive on this planet, Ween is still together. We've never broken up. The idea of quitting is just laughable. This isn't something you can quit. This is a life sentence."<ref>{{cite web|title=Dean Ween on Ween: "We've Never Broken Up" - MTV|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2696560/ween-dean-ween-interview/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129002352/http://www.mtv.com/news/2696560/ween-dean-ween-interview/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2016|date=July 20, 2012|website=Mtvhive.com|access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref>

Although no one knew it at the time, Ween's final performances for more than four years were a three-night run at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium December 29–31, 2011, with "The Blarney Stone" being the final song performed by the band until their 2016 reunion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brownbase.org/setlist.php?show_id=12 |title=Ween Setlists and Statistics | 12/31/2011 Denver |website=Brownbase.org|date=December 31, 2011 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref> Melchiondo quickly re-formed Moistboyz, which had been on a six-year hiatus, and also started a new band, The Dean Ween Group. Freeman played solo shows until 2014, when he began touring and recording with his new band, "Freeman". In 2015, Freeman began using the Gene Ween moniker again for live performances.

===Reunion (2015–2024)=== On November 16, 2015, Ween announced that they would reunite for two concerts at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on February 12 and 13, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween|url=http://ween.com/index.php|website=Ween.com|access-date=November 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117123340/http://ween.com/index.php|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref> During ticket presale, a third show was added on February 14, 2016 due to demand. Throughout 2016, Ween played sporadic reunion shows in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, and San Francisco. The band also made festival appearances in Toronto, Chicago, Portland, Arrington, Virginia, Okeechobee, Florida, and Manchester, Tennessee, for Bonnaroo, which was streamed online via Red Bull TV. The band was also due to appear in April at Levitation Festival in Austin, which was canceled the day before the weekend began.

A sequel to the first outtakes collection, ''Shinola vol. 1'', was confirmed to be in the works by Dean Ween on Facebook in January 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/nRhcEkJ.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629130435/http://i.imgur.com/nRhcEkJ.jpg |archive-date=June 29, 2016 }}</ref> However, as of 2025 there have been no updates on this. On October 19, 2016 the band announced the release of the live album ''GodWeenSatan Live'', which was recorded on September 14, 2001, and features the band performing its debut album in its entirety. It was released on November 16, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jambands.com/news/2016/10/19/ween-detail-new-live-release-godweensatan-live/|title=Ween Detail New Live Release _GodWeenSatan: Live_|date=October 19, 2016|website=Jambands}}</ref> On June 1, 2018, Warner Brothers released a compilation album titled ''Bananas and Blow''; according to Melchiondo, the band had no knowledge of the compilation until it was released. Melchiondo noted that the song choice for the compilation felt "random".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoognishWillRise/permalink/1141420039330645/|title=WEEN™ Appreciation Society (Rise of the Boognish™)|website=Facebook.com|access-date=June 24, 2025}}</ref>

While no new recordings have been made by Ween since their reunion, several of its members have done side projects or collaborated with other artists since 2015. Claude Coleman's side project Amandla released their third album ''Laughing Heart'' in 2017 and toured behind the record through that year and into 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.musoscribe.com/index.php/2017/05/30/album-review-amandla-laughing-hearts/|title=Album Review: Amandla — Laughing Hearts|website=musoscribe.com|last=Kopp|first=Bill|date=May 30, 2017|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/weens-claude-coleman-jr-and-amandla-announce-february-tour-mike-dillon-band|title=Ween's Claude Coleman jr. and Amandla announce February tour with Mike Dillon Band|website=gratefulweb.com|last=Media|first=Autonomic|date=January 24, 2018|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref> In 2018, Dean Ween released the second studio album by The Dean Ween Group, "rock2", and toured solo behind it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/02/12/dean-ween-group-readies-rock-2-album-and-tour/320224002/|title=Dean Ween Group readies rock2 album and tour|website=Asbury Park Press|last=Biese|first=Alex|date=February 12, 2018|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref> In 2019, both Dean and Glenn McClelland assisted with the making of funk band Solid Bronze's debut album ''The Fruit Basket''. Dean co-produced the album along with Chris Harford, the album was recorded in his personal studio, and both Dean and McClelland appeared on several tracks as performers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/solid-bronze-fruit-basket-review-2640067572.html|title=Solid Bronze's Debut 'The Fruit Basket' is a Worthy Addition to the '70s Funk and Soul it Emulates|website=Popmatters.com|last=Bains|first=Callum|date=September 10, 2019|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://schnitzel.co.uk/product/solid-bronze-the-fruit-basket/|title=Solid Bronze "The Fruit Basket"|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref>

Like most concert tours by music artists in 2020, Ween's touring was disrupted by COVID-19; dates for June and July were postponed into 2021.

On August 9 and 10, 2022, Ween played the ''South Park'' 25th Anniversary Concert alongside Primus and ''South Park'' creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. It was broadcast on Comedy Central on August 13 and on Paramount+ on August 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/08/12/south-park-25th-anniversary-concert-red-rocks-denver/|title=If you missed the epic 'South Park' concert at Red Rocks, stream in on Aug. 13-14|website=The Denver Post|last=Ricciardi|first=Tiney|date=August 12, 2022|access-date=August 1, 2022}}</ref>

===Canceled 40th anniversary show and hiatus (2024–present)=== 2024 marked 40 years since the band as a whole formed, and 30 years since their fourth album ''Chocolate and Cheese'' was released. The band was initially planning to celebrate these milestones in two major forms: a reissue of ''Chocolate and Cheese'', featuring the original tracks remastered by Bernie Grundman and 15 outtakes and demos,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2266938/ween-announce-chocolate-and-cheese-deluxe-reissue-with-previously-unreleased-tracks/news/|title=Ween Announce Chocolate And Cheese Deluxe Reissue With Previously Unreleased Tracks|website=Stereogum|last=Deville|first=Chris|date=June 7, 2024|access-date=June 12, 2024}}</ref> and a tour that would cap off with a concert at Philadelphia's Mann Center where they would play ''Chocolate and Cheese'' in full.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/ween-2024-chocolate-and-cheese-anniversary-concert/|title=Ween Confirms 2024 'Chocolate And Cheese' Anniversary Concert In Philadelphia|website=Live for Live Music|last=Broerman|first=Michael|date=December 5, 2023|access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref> The reissue of ''Chocolate and Cheese'' ended up being fairly successful, with the vinyl selling more than 5000 units in its first week, enough for it to hit number 15 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart and number 3 on the magazine's Vinyl Albums chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/08/19/weens-albums-sales-grow-by-a-staggering-100000/|title=Ween's Album's Sales Grow By A Staggering 100,000%|website=Forbes|last=McIntyre|first=Hugh|date=August 19, 2024|access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref> The tour, however, would not go as well. In March, the first few dates of the tour, which would've seen the band play across the Southeastern United States, ended up being canceled, with the band saying this was to preserve Dean Ween's "mental and spiritual wellbeing".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ween-cancel-anniversary-tour-dates-1234983283/|title=Ween Cancel April Tour Dates as Dean Tends to 'Mental and Spiritual Wellbeing'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=March 7, 2024|access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref> The band proceeded on in August, playing a couple shows in Missoula and Spokane. However, on August 6, just hours before they were supposed to take the stage in Seattle, they canceled the remaining dates in the northwest, leaving only the Mann Center show on their schedule.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/ween-cancels-pacific-northwest-tour-after-returning-to-stage/|title=Ween Cancels Pacific Northwest Tour Dates Days After Returning To The Stage|website=Live for Live Music|last=Broerman|first=Michael|date=August 6, 2024|access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref> Three weeks later, on August 29, 2024, that show was canceled as well, with the band announcing via their social media that they would be ceasing live performances "for the foreseeable future," citing Melchiondo's ongoing mental health issues related to the stress of touring.<ref name="ween2024" />

As of 2025, there have been no updates on Ween returning to touring or recording, but during a July interview that year, drummer Claude Coleman stated "I think everyone is still kind of in a holding pattern, and everyone is hoping for the best for everybody involved, including the sort of primary person, which is the attention focus of everything, you know, Big Deaner.".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/claude-coleman-jr-current-state-ween-interview/|title=Claude Coleman Jr. On The Current State Of Ween: "It's Just A Flick Of The Switch And We're Back On" [Video]|website=Live for Live Music|last=Broerman|first=Michael|date=August 3, 2025|access-date=September 22, 2025}}</ref>

With the band not releasing new music or touring, coupled with the success of the ''Chocolate and Cheese'' deluxe edition, starting in the mid-2020s, Ween began to focus more on reissues and archival releases. For the Black Friday Record Store Day of 2025, Ween reissued Shinola.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/record-store-day-black-friday-best-bets-2025-vinyl-exclusive/bob-dylan-the-original-freewheelin-bob-dylan/|title=Record Store Day Black Friday’s Most Wanted, 2025: Bob Dylan, Chappell Roan, Fleetwood Mac, ‘Wicked,’ Warren Zevon, Talking Heads, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Prince and More|website=Variety (magazine)|last=William|first=Chris|date=November 28, 2025|access-date=February 16, 2026}}</ref> On February 4, 2026, Ween announced a new compilation album, ''Europe "90"'', as a Record Store Day exclusive, to be released via Rhino Records. The compilation consists of two parts: the first is a studio session recorded on Christmas Day 1990, featuring an early version of "Push th’ Little Daisies" along with three songs that never appeared on a studio album (but have been performed live by the band many times); the second is a live album documenting a performance in Basel, Switzerland from around the same period, which Dean described as "the best Ween show of all time."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/ween-hints-possible-activity-cryptic-social-post/|title=No Reunion (Yet): Ween Details ‘Europe “90”‘ Set Of Unreleased Studio & Live Recordings [Update]|website=Live for Live Music|last=Broerman|first=Michael|date=February 4, 2026|access-date=February 5, 2026}}</ref>. A week later, the band announced a new live album covering their time opening for the Foo Fighters in 1996, along with vinyl reissues of White Pepper and Quebec, as well as a CD box set containing all of their studio albums and Shinola.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/87585/ween-release-new-live-lp-re-release-two-lps-and-box-set|title=Ween release new live LP, re-release two LPs, and box set|website=punknews.org|last=Gentile|first=John|date=February 13, 2026|access-date=February 16, 2026}}</ref>

==Style and influences== Ween is known for its far-reaching musical approach, which is influenced by many different genres of music. This style has been termed alternative rock<ref name=pa662>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA662 |title=Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door |author=Nick Talevski |page=662 |date= April 7, 2010|publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857121172 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name=pa6>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywSpAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 |title=Moonshine: A Cultural History of America's Infamous Liquor |author=Jaime Joyce |page=6 |date= June 10, 2014|publisher=MBI Publishing Company |isbn=9780760345849 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name=pa97>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xgsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA97 |title=Billboard |page=97 |date=August 19, 1995 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref> and experimental rock<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bz5XSRV50fgC&pg=PA211 |title=Redefining Mainstream Popular Music |author=Sarah Baker |year=2013 |page=211 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415807807 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref> by critics and journalists. Melchiondo once stated, "Each of us had different things in our record collections that the other one didn't have. Aaron's dad had a lot of psychedelic records, I was really into punk rock, and we would just turn each other on to music."<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween Interview| date=January 7, 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ChVoziIzk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/O1ChVoziIzk| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=January 1, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Freeman remarked in 2011, "I think when Ween formed I was really into the synthesizer new wave thing of the mid-'80s and Mickey was more into the punk rock thing".<ref name="Lollapalooza 2011: Q&A with Ween">{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Brandon James|title=Lollapalooza 2011: Q&A with Ween|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2011-07-28-lollapalooza-2011-ween_n.htm|website=USA Today News|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref>

Both Freeman and Melchiondo have stated several times that one of the band's biggest influences was Prince.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fortune |first=Drew |date=May 6, 2016 |title=Dean Ween Remembers Prince: 'He Was My John Lennon' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dean-ween-remembers-prince-he-was-my-john-lennon-38445/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |location= New York|access-date=December 10, 2018 }}</ref> The ''GodWeenSatan'' track "L.M.L.Y.P." borrows lyrics from two Prince songs, "Alphabet St." and "Shockadelica". Additionally, on rare occasions, Ween has jammed on Prince's "Kiss", placing it in the middle of "Voodoo Lady" during live performances. Other Prince songs covered in concert by Ween include "1999", "Housequake", and "Purple Rain".<ref>{{cite web|title=Brownbase: Ween setlists|url=http://brownbase.org/song_list.php?all=1&sort=2&ascDesc=ASC|website=Brownbase|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> In 2012, Melchiondo remarked on his website that "by far, hands down the greatest living guitarist in any genre is Prince Rogers Nelson. Prince does so many things well that it's easy to forget that he is also a world class shredder."<ref>{{cite web|title=More Prince love from Dean Ween|url=http://prince.org/msg/7/386829|website=Prince.org Online Fan Community|access-date=January 1, 2015|archive-date=January 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102044316/http://prince.org/msg/7/386829|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Other stated influences include The Beatles,<ref name="gummybearcavity">{{cite web|title=Ween 1997 MTV Indie Outing Interview with Janeane Garofalo| date=July 30, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejq23a5ray8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Ejq23a5ray8| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=gummybearcavity|access-date=January 1, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Parliament-Funkadelic,<ref name="dangerousminds.net">{{cite web|last1=Schneider|first1=Martin|title=Dean Ween reveals the two guitar solos he's been ripping off for years|url=http://dangerousminds.net/comments/dean_ween_reveals_the_two_guitar_solos_hes_been_ripping_off_for_years|website=Dangerous Minds.net|date=August 20, 2013|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> the Butthole Surfers,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wuelfing|first1=Amy Yates|title=How Did it Come to This?|url=http://therumpus.net/2009/03/how-did-it-comes-to-this/|website=The Rumpus|date=March 6, 2009|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> Pink Floyd,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Berman|first1=Stuart|title=Pipers at the Gates of Punk|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/9543-pipers-at-the-gates-of-punk/|website=Pitchfork|access-date=January 1, 2015|archive-date=January 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101001218/http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/9543-pipers-at-the-gates-of-punk/|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Dead Kennedys,<ref name="gummybearcavity"/> Laurie Anderson,<ref name="gummybearcavity"/> The Allman Brothers Band,<ref name="dangerousminds.net"/> James Brown,<ref name="archive.org"/> Devo,<ref>{{cite web|title=WTF Podcast - Aaron Freeman| date=December 9, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkNpY9k3IPk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/GkNpY9k3IPk| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=thebrownnoises|access-date=January 4, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Residents and Earth, Wind and Fire.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hightower|first1=Laura|title=Ween - FREE Ween information|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3494800084.html|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> In concert, Ween has frequently covered songs by David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Motörhead, Van Halen, The Doors, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Joel.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ween - All Songs|url=http://brownbase.org/song_list.php|website=BrownBase|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref> Dean has stated that his favorite album of all time is ''There's a Riot Goin' On'' by Sly and The Family Stone.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Starkey|first1=Arun|title=The two "safety records" that Dean Ween can always count on|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/two-safety-records-dean-ween-can-count-on/|website=Popmatters.com|date=December 25, 2022|access-date=July 24, 2024}}</ref>

Because of Ween's wide variety of styles and humorous lyrics, they have often been compared to Frank Zappa. Both members have denied Zappa's influence, and in a 2011 interview, Freeman stated that although he was influenced by The Mothers of Invention, he was never a fan of Zappa's post-Mothers work.<ref name="Lollapalooza 2011: Q&A with Ween"/> Melchiondo says he is not a fan of Zappa because Zappa's take on different genres of music seems sarcastic and insincere.<ref name="wbur.org"/> Freeman performed the Mothers-era Zappa song "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" at the Frank Zappa Day Festival in Baltimore in September 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gene Ween @ the Manifesto/Zappa Day Festival in Baltimore, MD.| date=September 22, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q14glGVEkWg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Q14glGVEkWg| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=Billy Loverocket|access-date=January 5, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Themes and mythology== From Ween's earliest days, they claimed to be "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish". The image of the Boognish is the band's logo. Boognish is also featured in the lyrics of several Ween songs, including "Up on th' Hill", "Young Chou Lin", and "The Stallion, pt. 4". The band coined their own term "brown", which is used to describe performances, songs, etc. that are "fucked up, in a good way".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Harvey|first1=Eric|title=Freeman: Freeman|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19506-freeman-freeman/|website=Pitchfork|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> The word "brown" is also featured in the lyrics of the songs "Can't Put My Finger on It", "Mutilated Lips", "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)", and "Chocolate Town", as well as the title of the band's live album ''Paintin' the Town Brown''. Another commonly used word is "waste" ("Can U Taste the Waste?", "Tender Situation", "Chocolate Town", and "Back to Basom").

The band's lyrics also commonly contain references to the band's members, frequent collaborators, and friends, including Freeman ("I Saw Gener Cryin' In His Sleep", "Up on th' Hill", and "Puffy Cloud"), Melchiondo ("What Deaner Was Talkin' About", "The Goin' Gets Tough From The Getgo", "Puffy Cloud", "The Stallion, pt. 2", and "Leave Deaner Alone"), Williams ("Booze Me Up and Get Me High" and "Sketches of Winkle"), and Weiss ("Young Chou Lin" and "Booze Me Up and Get Me High"). Coleman states that the song "I Don't Wanna Leave You on the Farm" was written about him not wanting to leave his then-girlfriend to go on tour, but denied that "Waving My Dick In the Wind" was about him, calling the idea "complete nonsense".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/claude_coleman_jr_of_ween/|title=Claude Coleman, Jr. of Ween|website=Songfacts.com|access-date=October 2, 2016}}</ref>

Ween has also been known for countless references to food, most notably the New Jersey regional favorite "pork roll" (the term generally used in South Jersey) found in the lyrics to four ''Pod'' tracks: "Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese", "Frank", "Awesome Sound", and "She Fucks Me". The ''Pod'' track "Pollo Asado" features Freeman giving a rendition of a conversation he had with a customer while he worked at New Hope's El Taco Loco. The liner notes of ''GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'' instructed Ween fans to bring food for the band to their concerts, with the request updated in the liner notes of ''Pure Guava'' to "bring us hot meals. No more junk food, thanks".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Snope |first=Matthew |date=January 29, 2015 |title=Ween Cuisine: Classic Food Moments in Ween Songs |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/01/ween-cuisine-classic-food-moments-in-ween-songs.html |magazine=Paste Magazine |location=Decatur, Georgia |publisher=Wolfgang's Vault |access-date=November 30, 2018 }}</ref>

==Band members== '''Current members''' * Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) – lead and rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals, etc. (1984–2012, 2015–present) * Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) – lead and backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, etc. (1984–2012, 2015–present) * Claude Coleman Jr. – drums, backing vocals (1994–2012, 2015–present) * Dave Dreiwitz – bass, backing vocals (1997–2012, 2015–present) * Glenn McClelland – keyboards, backing vocals (1997–2000, 2002–2012, 2015–present)

'''Former members''' * Mean Ween (Chris Williams) – bass, backing vocals (occasional throughout 1986–2000) * Andrew Weiss – bass (1989–1997), production (1989–2007)

===Timeline=== {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:80 top:05 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1984 till:08/29/2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1984 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1984

Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_and_backing_vocals id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:prod value:yellow legend:Production id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95)

LineData= layer:back at:11/16/1990 color:black at:09/20/1991 color:black at:11/10/1992 color:black at:09/27/1994 color:black at:07/16/1996 color:black at:06/24/1997 color:black at:05/02/2000 color:black at:08/05/2003 color:black at:10/23/2007 color:black

BarData = bar:Gene text:"Gene Ween" bar:Dean text:"Dean Ween" bar:Glenn text:"Glenn McClelland" bar:Mean text:"Mean Ween" bar:Dave text:"Dave Dreiwitz" bar:Claude text:"Claude Coleman Jr." bar:Andrew text:"Andrew Weiss"

PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Gene from:01/01/1984 till:05/29/2012 color:vocals bar:Gene from:01/01/1984 till:03/04/1997 color:keys width:7 bar:Gene from:11/16/2015 till:end color:vocals bar:Gene from:01/01/1984 till:05/29/2012 color:guitar width:3 bar:Gene from:11/16/2015 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Dean from:01/01/1984 till:05/29/2012 color:guitar bar:Dean from:01/01/1984 till:05/29/2012 color:vocals width:3 bar:Dean from:01/01/1984 till:04/12/1994 color:drums width:7 bar:Dean from:11/16/2015 till:end color:guitar bar:Dean from:11/16/2015 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Andrew from:03/04/1989 till:04/12/1997 color:bass width:3 bar:Andrew from:03/04/1989 till:12/23/2007 color:prod bar:Mean from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/2000 color:bass width:7 bar:Mean from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/2000 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Dave from:04/12/1997 till:05/29/2012 color:bass bar:Dave from:04/12/1997 till:05/29/2012 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Claude from:03/04/1994 till:05/29/2012 color:drums bar:Claude from:03/04/1994 till:05/29/2012 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Glenn from:03/04/1997 till:05/29/2012 color:keys bar:Glenn from:03/04/1997 till:05/29/2012 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Dave from:11/16/2015 till:end color:bass bar:Dave from:11/16/2015 till:end color:bvocals width:3 bar:Claude from:11/16/2015 till:end color:drums bar:Claude from:11/16/2015 till:end color:bvocals width:3 bar:Glenn from:11/16/2015 till:end color:keys bar:Glenn from:11/16/2015 till:end color:bvocals width:3

width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) }}

==Discography== {{main|Ween discography}}

'''Studio albums''' * ''GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'' (1990) * ''The Pod'' (1991) * ''Pure Guava'' (1992) * ''Chocolate and Cheese'' (1994) * ''12 Golden Country Greats'' (1996) * ''The Mollusk'' (1997) * ''White Pepper'' (2000) * ''Quebec'' (2003) * ''La Cucaracha'' (2007)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Portal|Philadelphia}} * {{Official website}} * {{discogs artist}} * {{IMDb name|1033581}} * [https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ween Ween] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116081432/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ween |date=January 16, 2009 }} at ''Rolling Stone''

Category:Ween Category:Alternative rock groups from Pennsylvania Category:Musical groups established in 1984 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Category:Rock music groups from Philadelphia Category:American rock music duos Category:Flying Nun Records artists Category:Elektra Records artists Category:Mushroom Records UK artists Category:Shimmy Disc artists Category:Sanctuary Records artists Category:Rounder Records artists Category:Sire Records artists Category:Restless Records artists Category:1984 establishments in Pennsylvania

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