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 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 Popular culture, mainstre ...

group

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

. He is currently active in the groups Ween,

Moistboyz Moistboyz is an American hard rock band formed in New Hope, Pennsylvania in 1991 by Guy Heller and Mickey Melchiondo. Moistboyz music is typically fast-paced punk/metal, combining stream-of-consciousness lyrics with aggressive rock guitar riffs ...

and The Dean Ween Group.

Biography

In 1984, Melchiondo met Aaron Freeman in a junior high school typing class, in their hometown of

New Hope, Pennsylvania New Hope is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,612 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. New Hope is located approximately north of Philadelphia, and lies on the west bank of the Delaw ...

. The two adopted the fictitious surname Ween after the demon-god Boognish appeared to them, with Melchiondo taking up the name Dean Ween and Freeman the name

Gene Ween 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 alternative rock group Ween. Freeman, along with childhood friend Dean Ween (Mickey Melch ...

. In 1991, Melchiondo formed the punk rock duo

with Guy Heller. Moistboyz have released five eponymous studio recordings. Melchiondo made contributions to two projects by his friend

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he form ...

The Desert Sessions The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Twiggy Ramirez, Dave Catching, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, John McBain, Ben Shepherd, Josh Freese, Chris Goss, Alain ...

and

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...

. On the 2002 Queens of the Stone Age album ''

Songs for the Deaf ''Songs for the Deaf'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 27, 2002 by Interscope Records. It features guest musicians including drummer Dave Grohl, and was the last Queens of the Stone ...

'', Melchiondo played guitar on "Mosquito Song", "Gonna Leave You", and "Six Shooter". In 2009 Melchiondo received his captain's license and regularly leads fishing trips off the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

as Mickey's Guide Service. In 2012, in the wake of Ween's breakup, Melchiondo formed The Dean Ween Group. In August 2016 the Dean Ween Group's debut album, ''The Deaner Album'', was announced with the release of the first track entitled "Mercedes Benz". On October 7, 2016 Melchiondo's first-ever solo music video was released for the song "Exercise Man", the music video was directed by

Monica Hampton Monica Hampton is a New York-based narrative and documentary filmmaker. Her documentary film credits include Michael Moore's '' Fahrenheit 9/11'', ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'', the 2008 documentary on Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda and the 2 ...

. "The Deaner Album" was subsequently released on October 21, 2016 through ATO Records. Melchiondo's second solo album under The Dean Ween Group moniker, ''rock2'', was released on March 16, 2018.

Projects and appearances outside Ween

References

External links

The Dean Ween Group
official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ween, Dean 1970 births American alternative rock musicians American fishers American people of Italian descent American rock guitarists Living people People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Pigface members Ween members Alternative rock guitarists American male guitarists