Ween broke up in 2012, but former frontman Aaron Freeman has revived his Gene Ween alias for one last release. As Stereogum notes, the alt-rock goofball has shared a new collection of tunes titled Gener’s Gone: The Final Demo Recordings of Gene Ween (2009-2011). Available now on Bandcamp, the six-track set features a handful of songs Freeman recorded between 2009 and 2011 (just as the title suggests) that never made it onto an official Ween record and were also left off of Freeman’s 2012 solo debut, Marvelous Clouds.
According to a message posted on Bandcamp, Freeman, now 43, is selling the mini-album to remedy some money troubles. “After 20+ years of near-fatal drug & alcohol abuse (thankfully culminating with intensive but successful rehab), Aaron Freeman (a.k.a. Geen Ween) was left in a dire financial situation,” the announcement reads. “All proceeds will go directly to Aaron, as he continues down the path toward creative freedom and personal health. These demos represent the final writings and music of Geen Ween, before he departed and the inner Freeman emerged. On that note, we have received a two word personal statement from Aaron: ‘stay tuned.'”
On the whole, Gener’s Gone is an intimate, low-key affair, with the exception of frazzled electronic opener “The Champion.” Stream the project below, and purchase it over at Bandcamp for a reasonable $6. And be sure to read SPIN’s post-mortem on Ween, A Song for Gene and Dean: A Ween Appreciation.
