Actually, they are not Zappa fans. They find him "mean spirited", but everyone assumes they are because they are "weird".
When Ween is hitting on all cylinders live... it doesn't get much better. People who are turned off by their eccentricities don't like to admit this, but it's true.
I need to see them again, soon. I was concerned that the reunion gigs (limited as they are to irregular residencies and festival shows) would be pedestrian money-grabs, but everything I’ve seen and heard suggests they absolutely still dig it. Just goes to show you can get paid well AND still put on a good show.
I also enjoy "The Argus" from that one, which is like a progressive opus. You get a grab-bag of different styles on that album.
Two stunning setlists from their Stubb's gigs this week. 2nd November: Ween Setlist at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Austin 3rd November: Ween Setlist at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Austin
Dean's announced his second solo album "Deaner Rock 2", which will be out March 9th on Schnitzel Records. https://www.jambase.com/article/dean-ween-group-announces-deaner-rock-2-album
...great news! Thank you. His first one is a blast. ...so Gene is back for touring, but not recording?? Seems odd. If it is a partying/drug issue I would think it would be the other way around as the road seems to be the place where all the debauchery happens. Hoping one day we get a new Ween album.
Saw them at the Astoria in London back in the early 00's (or late 90's - can't quite remember). Great live. I think they played for about 3 hours.
We need a new album. I know there is a new Deaner album coming in the new year... but now that Gene is functioning again... they should get back to the studio....
Ween just announced a Red Rocks show for June 5th. If you can make it -GO! I traveled from Australia to see them there last year and it was out of this world.
I reeeeeeaaalllyyyy want to go. Sadly it's at a time when I'm too busy to make it. Hoping they'll announce a few more shows this year. If there's some sort of residency a la Stubb's, I'll be making the trip for sure.
I'm a fan of Ween. I only discovered them in the last month or so but have listened to a lot of their early albums as well as their latest one. They really are a versatile and funny duo that makes great music.
On a side note, the 2014 Freeman s/t album is a nice Ween-esque thing, if not quite as gonzo as the real deal. It has plenty of examples of Aaron's 4oofy humour, and the odd bit of overblown rock, but it's also pretty confessional and heartfelt in places (the opener 'Covert Discretion' is about his last days of Ween before he split). In place of a new album from both of them, this is a decent substitute.
I just bought the vinyl reissue of Quebec. It’s great to have on vinyl, but could sound better. Some tracks sound pretty good but it shows the potential quality of the source material whenever things get a bit heavier or complex. Sounds like a DAT source or something.
Kurt Vile has posted a couple pictures on Instagram of him and Deaner in the studio. That has all kinds of potential!