Ween Cast

Once upon a time the demon god boognish predicted that in the Christmas season of 2022 Ween would play their 1,000th show.  With a little help from Brownbase, the brown crowd spent the last few months making 1,000th show stickers, pins, shirts, and just about anything else they could think of to celebrate.  Shortly after everyone got all of their stuff ready for a Brown Christmas Brownbase added some old shows to the overall show count making the technical 1,000th show already to have happened...oh well, its still fun that the band hit the milestone!  Even if it wasn't the 1,000th show, the band took care of us for sure!  This marks the second time that Ween lands at The Fillmore in Silver Spring Maryland, a small city suburb of Baltimore.  The crowd nestled in nicely for a long winters show at this club for the last Ween show of the year.  The band blazed through the set with just about perfect sound and banged out zingers like "Sweet Texas Fire", "Mononucleosis", "Vallejo", and after someone asked for a basket of chips, and for the first time in four years; "Polo Asado".  Join us as we talk about the final Ween show of the year, the perfect precursor to the holiday season, and the "1,000th Show" celebration.  Enjoy!

Welcome, Weencast listeners, to this year’s contest results show! This is our third annual summer contest, and we got tons of great entries. The contest this year was simple: tell us which Ween album is your favorite and why. It turns out there was quite a bit of dissension when it comes to choosing your favorite Ween album! Some contestants went with The Pod, others Quebec. The Mollusk got some love, as did All Request Live. We even had a shout out for Live in Chicago. All great albums of course, and all great entries; but there can be only one winner!

Big thank you to all our contestants: Deana, Cody, Eli, Helen, Steven, Ernie, Adam, Joe, and Todd, Echo, and Ed. You guys all rock, and we wouldn’t have a podcast without fans like you!

The winner gets some beautiful Boognish wood art from West Brandywine Woodworks. WBWW does some truly awesome work with wood, and you won’t be disappointed.

We won’t spill the tea, so check out the episode to see who wins!

New Jersey has a special place in the history of Ween. Hailing from just across the Delaware River, Ween basically got their start in Jersey, in now defunct but once iconic venues such as City Gardens in Trenton, and Court Tavern in New Brunswick. Before they were big, there was Jersey! Given this rich history, it might be surprising to learn that they hadn’t played in Jersey in 12 years.  Damn, that’s a long time without Taylor Ham! But that all changed last month when Ween descended upon The Borgata in Atlantic City. Playing like they had house money, Ween rocked out yet another epic two-night stand. Weencast was there and we lived to tell the tale!

The second night started off loud and proud with a rock block that included You Fucked Up, Nan, and The Grobe. Nothing too rare here, but it was pretty cool because this was only the eighth time You Fucked Up was used as a set opener. After a hard rocking opening, they eased into the show with some jammed out commons from Chocolate and Cheese like Can’t Put My Finger On It and Roses are Free. Nothing too fancy, but some sweet bait for the less initiated fans among us.

Things started to really get brown when Ween laid out a trifecta of rarities: Oh My Dear (I Must Be Falling In Love), Stay Forever, and I Wuz Nuthin’.  I think I’ve seen those live a grand total of 7 times, and in particular, Oh My Dear was played live for only the seventh time ever. It also featured Aaron with some superior solos on the guitar, and that is always a pleasure for sure!

Much like the previous night, Ween played music from all across their discography. Unlike the previous night, this night featured two songs from the Friends EP. Classic tunes that just don’t get too much airtime, if you ask me. Light Me Up, and then a little bit later Got To Put The Hammer Down, showed that the Friends EP is a force to be reckoned with.  And I can’t be stopped when I break out my dueling hammers dance for Got To Put The Hammer Down! It’s smashing to say the least!

It was still early in the evening, after they finished off a slow and sombrous Albino Sunburned Girl, when they laid down one of the absolute highlights of the evening: Beacon Light with a ferocious 3-minute Deaner solo. Jammy pacs were strapped on and we were gone!

The evening was beginning to get a little late, when they once again blew our brains away with a trifecta of rarities: this time El Camino, Put The Coke On My Dick, and The Enabler. El Camino included some spontaneous Borgata related lyrics as well as a White Rabbit tease. Put The Coke On My Dick was hilarious, as you’ll hear about on our episode, because Claude had tons of family at the show and his moment to shine was all about coke and dicks and cocks. As he said, “It’s a living!” The Enabler is probably my favorite Ween cover and it is such an amazing and epic tune.  I also love me some Dave, so it was a delight when he got to come up to mic.

In the lead up to the end of the main set, we were then treated to another amazing highlight: Claude on an epic 7-minute drum interlude for Never Squeal on the Pusher. At one point, he even dropped his stick, but just kept going bongo style. Rock on Claude, you legend!

Well, I don’t want to spill all the tea here because you should check out our episode! Saturday night was another big time throw down from Ween. Enjoy the episode and stay brown my friends!

Hey everyone, we want you to tell us your stories! Tell us your favorite Ween album and why, and you can win a beautiful piece of Boognish emblazoned wood art by West Brandywine Woodworks.

Drop us a message right here on Anchor, message us on Facebook or email us at [email protected] with an audio file. 

The deadline is September 22nd. Can't wait to hear from you!

New Jersey has a special place in the history of Ween. Hailing from just across the Delaware River, Ween basically got their start in Jersey, in now defunct but once iconic venues such as City Gardens in Trenton, and Court Tavern in New Brunswick. Before they were big, there was Jersey! Given this rich history, it might be surprising to learn that they hadn’t played in Jersey in 12 years.  Damn, that’s a long time without Taylor Ham! But that all changed last month when Ween descended upon The Borgata in Atlantic City. Playing like they had house money, Ween rocked out yet another epic two-night stand. Weencast was there and we lived to tell the tale!

The first night started off a little slow, but next thing I knew, I was blasted off to space with rarities such as Get A Little Taste of You, Now I’m Freaking Out, and The Argus. With Z-Rock Hawaii in the house this early, I just knew shit was going to get even browner. And it did.

Deaner shredded an absolutely intense Johnny on the Spot, and then I was treated to the double country delight of Japanese Cowboy followed by I Don’t Want To Leave You on the Farm. Gener, who was en fuego all weekend, then broke out the acoustic for a quartet of rarities, including my first ever Hey There Fancy Pants, and my second ever I’ll Miss You. My mind was basically already blown, and the show was only half over.

Aaron put away the acoustic and after jamming out the fan favorite but common, Voodoo Lady, they proceeded to one of the top highlights of the evening, Bumblebee.  This hard-rocking rarity has only been played 12 times, it was my first time hearing it live, and it hadn’t been played at all since 2001, when it was brought out one time only, for the live performance of God Ween Satan at John and Peter’s. Talk about Boognish bliss!

A short while later, they raised the stakes once again, breaking out the ultra-rare, The Rift. The Rift has only been played live six times. Not only that, but Mickey invited guitar monster, The Reverend B’ill, to sit in on the song. Bill Fowler has been sitting in and otherwise jamming with Ween here and there since the early 90’s, and when he’s up there with Deaner, there’s some serious guitar god synergy going on. So this is a fantastic version of The Rift, and also the only time B’ill ever sat in on it live.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any browner, Deaner launched the band into Suckin The Blood From The Devil’s Dick. It was my virgin experience with the song, and it left me…shook.  After a little Big Jilm, they then launched into the sweet one-two punch of Laura followed by Demon Sweat. Aaron really shined here, on Laura he did a little dueling guitars with Mickey, and then for Demon Sweat he plopped himself down on the piano. Both songs were awesome and rare, but it was especially freaking cool to see Gener taking things to another level and being totally in his element.  Viva la Ween!

Friday night was one for the record books. Enjoy the episode and stay brown my friends!

There’s so much more to the Ween world than just Ween, and this episode is the first in a new series about all the various Ween side gigs and solo projects.  To kick things off, we’re diving deep into Claude Coleman’s solo project Amandla.

Claude got his start in music as a teenager back in the 80’s with a band called Skunk, and has played in a myriad of bands and projects, most famously as the drummer for Ween, but also in Eagles of Death Metal, Chocolate Genius, with Angelo Moore in Brand New Step, just to name a few.  His drumming skills are near mythical, but what many don’t realize is that Claude is a multi-instrumentalist, and is nearly as comfortable on a guitar or bass as he is on his kit. He also is one helluva songwriter, and this is where this episode comes in! You see, Claude also has his own solo project, Amandla, where he literally IS the band.  For Amandla, Claude does it all, with just a smattering of help from various musicians.

For this episode, we talk about how Amandla got started, with songs written as far back as the late 80’s, to the “formation” of the band in ‘99, when Claude finally got access to a quality studio, as well as the impact his accident had on his solo work. We then talk about each of his three solo albums, Falling Along (2001), Full Catastrophe (2006), and the more recent Laughing Hearts (2018). Yes, there’s been some time between each one, but Claude puts a lot of work into Amandla, and the results are definitely worth listening to!

I don’t want to say too much here because you really should listen to the episode! Enjoy!

PS: We did a lot of research for this episode, and didn’t come up with all this shit on our own.  Here are links to check out if you want to learn more:

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/rocking-on-two-fronts-after-a-nearfatal-crash.html

https://www.denverpost.com/2005/11/02/a-body-broken-a-spirit-intact/

https://www.ween.net/claude-coleman-jr.html

http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/story_detail.php?id=757

https://www.drummersresource.com/claude-coleman-interview/

https://glidemagazine.com/110989/ween-drummer-claude-coleman-talks-breakup-more-in-ama/

https://glidemagazine.com/11714/amandla-the-songs-of-claude-coleman-jr/

https://www.whereyat.com/claude-coleman-jr-breaks-down-his-new-album

Join us as we go back to 2002 once again, this time dropping in on the bucolic scene of Southern Illinois University for an evening at the Shryock Auditorium. Carbondale, Illinois, bitches! Ween had played eight shows in nine days across the South and Midwest, and this was the finale, yet another tour de force from this era!

Sometimes the trip can loom almost as large as the show itself. This was one of those times. The drive out was 13.5 hours for me, and more than 15.5 for Shane; a true overnighter complete with a sleep rotation. To this day, it remains our longest Ween road trip. Infamously, on the drive home, at our hotel, we got caught up in a massive tornado outbreak. We were fine, but nothing like the power going out mid-tornado warning, and not knowing what county you’re in. It really hit home the next day, when we found out that actual tornadoes had, in fact, torn through the area just miles from our hotel. But I digress: we’re here to talk about a show, aren’t we?

And Ween came to rock. Despite a Chocolate and Cheese heavy evening with commons aplenty, the band’s musicianship was impeccable, and they dug into the vault just enough to content any true-hearted fan. Some highlights include a talk box infused jam in Voodoo Lady followed up immediately with Spring Theme, and Deez Nutz, which was the absolute highlight of the evening. For the uninitiated, Deez Nutz is a parody of the Guess Who’s hit These Eyes, where every mention of “eyes” is replaced with “nutz.” It features Claude’s falsetto on vocals, and has only been played live fifteen times, just once since 2003. They then brought the first set to a close with the super rare If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All). The night closed with an epic encore that featured six songs, among them a cover of CSNY's Ohio, and a Tender Situation with Papa Gener taking a turn at guitar hero. The night had plenty of brown for sure!

Check out the episode, yo!

Night #2. Our pandemic wait was finally over as Ween descended upon Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House for a two night stint. The first night was truly a night to remember, and we were doubly psyched for what might await us for night #2. Join us as we relive the second night of Ween’s two night stint at the Philly Met. The second night was yet another freaking fantastic evening by Ween.

When Ween comes to Philly, you know it’s going to be great.  Hailing from New Hope, PA, Ween has always made Philadelphia it’s big city home.  The crowd’s are usually full of fans who know the words, and if you know anything about Philly, it’s that when it comes to partying hard, these Jawns don’t play. Add on top of that, Ween’s infatuation with the recently reopened historic Philly Met, and you not only have a hometown crowd ready to burn the place down (relax people, it’s a metaphor!) but also a beautiful venue as the backdrop of your dreams.

The theme of the weekend was two-fold: rarities galore and variety of the source material. Both of these were present in spades for the second night! You want wild source material? How about Z Rock Hawaii’s Get A Little Taste Of You? We got more than a little taste of Ween, and it was fabulous!

The second night featured plenty of old school rarities like Can You Taste The Waste?, and Boing, which hadn’t been played live since 1994, before most young Ween fans were born. Springtheme was a delightfully mellow funk jam, and put me in a groove for the rest of the night.

Ween gave us a little bit of everything night #2, from the wild, raunchy and exceptionally rare Sweet Texas Fire, to the philosophical Argus, and onward to the speed metal jam in I’ll Be Your Johnny on the Spot.  Deaner game to rock, and as a rock god, he walked among us that night!

Night #2 wrapped up with a couple country tunes to end both sets: Fluffy and then I’m Holding You. It was a great, mellow, way to end two long nights of rock. Fluffy featured an amazingly epic riff that you have to hear to believe, and I’m Holding You, was a call back to the country tour for me, and took me home with sweet songs for dreams.

Thanks for listening. Merry Christmas and may the brown be with you!

Night #1. Our pandemic wait was finally over as Ween descended upon Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House for a two-night stint. Join us as we relive two of the greatest Ween shows ever to grace this green Earth. It was amazeballs, so listen in for all the highlights of these two great evenings.

When Ween comes to Philly, you know it’s going to be great.  Hailing from New Hope, PA, Ween has always made Philadelphia its big city home.  The crowds are usually full of fans who know the words, and if you know anything about Philly, it’s that when it comes to partying hard, these Jawns don’t play. Add on top of that, Ween’s infatuation with the recently reopened historic Philly Met, and you not only have a hometown crowd ready to burn the place down (relax people, it’s a metaphor!) but also a beautiful venue as the backdrop of your dreams.

The theme of the weekend was two-fold: rarities galore and variety of the source material. Both of these were present in spades for the first night! I Wuz Nothin was about as rare as it got, and I barely even recognized it.  But it was a sign of what was to come, as the rarities kept piling up. Mononucleosis, Stallion Part 1, I’ve Got To Put The Hammer Down, I Don’t Want To Leave You On The Farm, and Cornbread Red, to name just a few!

Slather on top of that some absolutely shredded jams in songs like Frank and Pandy Fackler, and you really got a freakin’ fantastic night.  In particular Frank was a pleasure because it featured Aaron pulling off a rare but beautiful solo of his own. It’s not often that Aaron truly jams on the guitar but he did that night, and he did on Frank.  Beautiful!

Night #1 was full of rarities, and Deaner and the rest of the band was in classic form. But little did we know they were just getting started, and that the second night would equal if not exceed the amazingness that was night #1. Stay tuned for our next episode as it covers the second night.

Thanks for listening. Merry Christmas and may the brown be with you!

Dearest Listeners,

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Happy Solstice and Happy New Year!

To celebrate this festive season, we'll be dropping all kinds of content as part of a Christmas Eve gift release! We're talking two full length episodes for our Podcast, covering the recent Philly Met Shows, as well as tons more stuff landing exclusively on Patreon.com. Tune in for the details and keep an eye on Anchor and Facebook for news.