Things have been quiet on the Ween front since the band announced an indefinite touring hiatus last summer for the good of Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo‘s mental health. While Deaner and Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman may not be playing together, that hasn’t stopped their kids from jamming.
On Saturday, March 29th, Michael Melchiondo and Ashton Freeman will join forces for a collaborative set at The Soupcon Gallery (in the back of Bucks on Bridge coffee shop) at 25 Bridge St. in Lambertville, NJ. In a post announcing the gig, Michael wrote, “My good friend Ashton Freeman has asked me to join them in playing a show this Saturday in Lambertville. We’ve come up with a very unique collaborative set. So come and witness the genetic duo merge our sounds… We are Not Ween.” In a post to their Facebook page, Ashton (who uses they/them pronouns) emphasized, “WE ARE NOT MEN, WE ARE NOT WEEN”.
Though they are not Ween—as the posts state—Michael and Ashton are both musicians in their own right. After releasing the lone album Oddball by his GodWeenSatan-reminiscent lo-fi band Veal Marsala, Michael launched a unique endeavor dubbed Bugger. The solo noise project consists of the Bard College graduate strapped with a homemade “jammy pac” (if you will) of pedals, mixers, and various knobs to make a haphazard racket that is, one must say, pretty Brown. Earlier this month, he posted a picture from the studio with his dear old dad, Deaner.
Ashton Freeman studied music at Goucher College and has released a couple solo singles and the 2016 EP, You Make Me Happy. Their music has a decidedly softer bent than Michael’s, emphasizing soothing ukulele, their tranquil voice, and introspective lyrics. The difference between Michael and Ashton’s projects could be compared to The Deaner Album vs. FREEMAN, so seeing the two artists collaborate is bound to be exciting. Maybe their parents will even come out to support them…
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Ween — “I Like You” — 1988
[Video: ChrisB]