Article by: Melanie Allen

Mickey Melchiondo of the famous ’90s-’00s duo Ween released The Deaner Album late last year, which serves as a sufficient Ween fix for any fan who’s missed the pair’s music since their La Cucaracha album was released in 2007.

The Dean Ween Group esteems many genres, as does the duo he co-founded along with Aaron Freeman. The absurdist, explicit, and heavily guitar focused tracks on The Deaner Album separate the band from other current acts. Many of the tracks showcase each member’s refined musical talent, specifically the opening track “Dickie Beckett,” which is exclusively instrumental. Other songs such as, “Charlie Brown” and “Burn” exhibit Melchiondo’s harder, grungier side of writing. Throughout the album are (possibly unintentional) insinuations of specific Ween songs, e.g., one layer of “Gum” seems to mirror Ween’s “Spinal Meningitis.” Both halves of Ween are astonishingly talented, and The Dean Ween Group is Melchiondo’s independent corroborating project.

The Dean Ween Group will be playing Emo’s in Austin this Friday, February 3rd.