Aaron Freeman (born March 17, 1970), better known by his stage name Gene Ween, is an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

group

Ween Ween is an American Rock music, rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Gene Ween, Aaron Freeman and Dean Ween, Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an al ...

. Freeman, along with childhood friend

Dean Ween Michael Melchiondo Jr. (born September 25, 1970), better known by his stage name Dean Ween, is an American guitarist, singer and a founding member of the alternative rock group Ween. He is currently active in the groups Ween, Moistboyz and The ...

(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 Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

. In 2015, Freeman returned to using the Gene Ween name for his "Gene Ween Does

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

" concerts, saying it was a positive thing: In November 2015, Ween announced a February 2016 reunion for three shows in Colorado, with later dates subsequently announced.

Career

Freeman and Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class in 1984, in New Hope,

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, 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 John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

. Around 2008, Freeman launched the Gene Ween Band, where he plays alongside Ween bassist

Dave Dreiwitz Dave Dreiwitz (born January 2, 1966) is a multi-instrumentalist, best known as the bassist for the band Ween since 1997. Biography Dave Dreiwitz was born on January 2, 1966, in New York City, New York to traditional jazz musician parents, Richa ...

, and with guitarist

Scott Metzger Scott Metzger (born October 12, 1977) is an American guitarist. His work touches on many styles including psychedelic rock, soul, country, jazz, and surf rock. His collaborations with other artists include Phil Lesh, John Scofield, Joe Russo, Joh ...

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 Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

songs. In 2014, Freeman formed a new full band called Freeman and released an eponymous album of original material with them in August of that year. He continues to tour with Freeman, as well as perform acoustic shows accompanied by Freeman bassist Joe Young. In 2015, Freeman announced he would be fronting a

tribute band that would feature, among others Paul Green and Dan Hickey. Two shows under the banner "Gene Ween Does Billy Joel" are scheduled for Woodstock and Brooklyn. On May 22, 2015, Freeman joined

Umphrey's McGee Umphrey's McGee is an American jam band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and folk. They have toured regularl ...

onstage at the Summer Camp Music Festival under the name 'Godboner' for a set of Ween covers. Freeman was billed as 'Gene Ween' for this appearance. On November 16, 2015, Ween announced that they would reunite for three concerts at the

1stBank Center The 1stBank Center (originally the Broomfield Event Center and formerly the Odeum Colorado) is a multi-purpose arena located 15 miles northwest of Downtown Denver, in the city of Broomfield. It is located near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Air ...

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

in February 2016. Ween has continued to play and tour since.

Personal life

Aaron Freeman lives with his wife Leah Ben-Ari and their son. Freeman has another child from a previous relationship
Ashton Freeman
born in 1998. Freeman has talked about drug use, but does not often divulge specifics. He spoke openly and in detail about his personal life, drug use, and time spent in Ween on the ''WTF with Marc Maron'' podcast (episode 309).

Selected discography

;With Ween *'' GodWeenSatan: The Oneness'' (1990) *''

The Pod ''The Pod'' is the second studio album by American rock band Ween. It was released on September 20, 1991, by Shimmy-Disc. Production The album was recorded from January to October 1990, at the Pod on Van Sant Road in Solebury Township, Pennsylva ...

'' (1991) *'' Pure Guava'' (1992) *''

Chocolate and Cheese ''Chocolate and Cheese'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Ween, originally released by Elektra Records in 1994. It was the first Ween album to be recorded in a professional studio, in contrast to the crude four-track home reco ...

'' (1994) *'' 12 Golden Country Greats'' (1996) *''

The Mollusk ''The Mollusk'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Ween, released by Elektra Records on June 24, 1997. It is a multi-genre concept album with a dark nautical theme, with most songs incorporating elements from psychedelia and/or sea ...

'' (1997) *'' White Pepper'' (2000) *''

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

'' (2003) *'' Shinola, Vol. 1'' (2005) *''

La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ("The Cockroach") is a popular Mexican folk song about a cockroach who cannot walk. The song's origins are unclear, but it dates back at least to the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. The song belongs to the Mexican genre. The s ...

'' (2007) ;With Z-Rock Hawaii *''

Z-Rock Hawaii ''Z-Rock Hawaii'' is the name of the debut (and only) self-titled album by Z-Rock Hawaii, released in 1996. The supergroup features Gene Ween, Dean Ween and Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween collaborating with Yamantaka Eye, Seiichi Yamamoto, Yosh ...

'' (1997) ;With Freeman * ''

'' (2014) ;Solo work *'' Synthetic Socks'' (1987) *''Marvelous Clouds'' (2012) (released as Aaron Freeman) *''Gener's Gone: The Final Demo Recordings of Gene Ween'' (2013) (released as Aaron Freeman)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ween, Gene 1970 births Living people Musicians from Philadelphia Place of birth missing (living people) People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Jewish American musicians Ween members People from Lambertville, New Jersey People from Woodstock, New York Jewish rock musicians