Gene Ween (706 views)

[Goober]

Aaron Freeman
Also Known As: Gene Ween, Gener
Years Active: 1987 - Present
Associated Acts: Ween, Freeman, Z-Rock Hawaii
Recorded Range: C2 - C6
Voice Type: Pisces

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Summary}During Ween’s early years, punk legend Henry Rollins described the group as the "one ray of light" that shone through an ongoing "total musical vacuum" at the time. Whether or not Ween is someone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to overlook how this eccentric alt-rock group can elicit such strong enthusiasm from its fans. Ween is a band that never takes themselves too seriously, yet always puts their all into their music. They can write about virtually any topic through any style, and they will sell it passionately as their own. As the voice of this group, Aaron Freeman (better known as Gene Ween, or Gener) does it all: he can belt, wail, scream, croon, growl, get thin and nasal, get thicc and chesty, do (admittedly questionable) accents… And in the context of eclectic Ween, he does this all without seeming like he’s just showing off. Although many might see Ween first as a comedic band, their music is undoubtedly quite versatile, and Gener's skill and character as a vocalist help to take this to its full potential.


Also, yes, he's a baritone, but I don't think anyone here would contest that.
Written By Anacrusis

Special Note: A lot of Ween songs (eg. "Don’t Laugh (I Love You)", "Pork Roll Egg and Cheese", "Ocean Man", etc.) are entirely pitch-shifted. For these, I tried to notewatch a live version instead, generally as close to the time the song was released as I could find it.

Significant High Notes:

C6 ("Opus 51 Fugue Trilogy in A")
B5 ("Freedom of ‘76" live New Brunswick, NJ 1993)
B♭5 ("Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire" Paintin’ the Town Brown, "Freedom of ‘76" live Jane Pratt Show 1993)
A5 ("Bumblebee", "Freedom of ‘76", "Vallejo", "Yolk")
G♯5 ("Up on the Hill" demo version)
G5 ("Feed the Fire", "Flies on My Dick" live Tempe, AZ 1994, "Nicole" demo version, "Old Queen Cole", "School Days", "We Seen Ween Bean")
F♯5 ("Albino Sunburn Girl", "Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire", "Dr. Rock", "Stacey" live New York 1991, "Tastes Good on th’ Bun" live New Brunswick 1991, "Tick", "Wish You Were Here")
F5 ("Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)" Live Memphis 2003, "Feed the Fire", "Love", "Papa Zit", "Poop Ship Destroyer" Live 1996, "Take Me Away", "Up on the Hill")
E5 ("Big Jilm" live at The Vic Theater 2003, "Boing" live at The Wetlands 1991, "Buenas Tardes Amigo" Live Trenton 2004, "Common Bitch", "Don’t Laugh (I Love You)" live Chicago 2003, "Freedom of ‘76", "I Can't Put My Finger on It" live Austin, TX 1996, "Marble Tulip Juicy Tree" live at Cat’s Cradle 1992, "Monique the Freak" Shinola, "Pork Roll Egg and Cheese" live Chicago 2004, "Sky Cruiser", "Vallejo", "You Fucked Up")
E♭5 ("Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)", "Nicole" demo version, "Roses Are Free" demo version, "That Man (from the Flatland)", "Touch My Tooter", "Wish You Were Here")
D5 ("Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire", "Don’t Laugh (I Love You)" live Chicago 2003, "Fool to Cry","L.M.L.Y.P.", "Papa Zit", "Piss up a Rope", "Push th’ Little Daisies" live on MTV Spring Break 1993, "Right to the Ways and the Rules of the World", "The Stranger" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Stroker Ace" live at Terminal 5 2007)
C♯5 ("Captain Fantasy" Peel Session 1992, "El Camino", "Hippy Smell", "I Can’t Put My Finger on It", "I'm So Tired", "L.M.L.Y.P.", "Tastes Good on th’ Bun" live New Brunswick 1991)
C5 ("Band on The Run" live The Chilli Pepper 2000, "Bumblebee", "Demon Sweat" All Request Live, "Even If You Don’t", "Push th’ Little Daisies" live MTV Spring Break 1993, "School Days", "Sky Cruiser", "Sweetheart")
B4 ("Bag of Fat", "Belgian Stew", "Booze Me Up And Get Me High", "Buenas Tardes Amigo" live at The Library 2003, "El Camino", "Even If You Don’t", "Falling Out", "Freedom of ‘76", "Hey Fat Boy (Asshole)", "I Can't Put My Finger on It" live Austin, TX 1996, "I'm So Tired", "Love", "Nicole", "Oh My Dear (Falling in Love)" live Fort Worth 2011, "Ooh Va La", "Right to the Ways and the Rules of the World", "Sasha", "Sweetheart", "Take Me Away", "Touch My Tooter", "Warm Socks", "Wayne’s Pet Youngin’", "Woman and Man", "Zoloft")
B♭4 ("Ambrosia Parsley", "Bumblebee", "Captain Jack" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Feed the Fire", "Flies on My Dick" live Tempe, AZ 1994, "Happy Colored Marbles", "Hippy Smell", "Ho Ho Ho", "If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All)", "I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight" live at the Brighton Bar 1997, "It’s Gonna Be (Alright)", "Learnin’ to Love", "Ohio" live New Haven, CT 2022, "Papa Zit", "The Rift" Shinola, "Warm Socks")
A4 ("Alcan Road", "All of My Love" live Chicago 2003, "Band on The Run" live The Chilli Pepper 2000, "Beacon Light", "Booze Me Up And Get Me High", "Buenas Tardes Amigo" live at Masquerade Music Park 1999, "Cold and Wet", "Common Bitch", "Doesn't Anybody Know My Name?", "Demon Sweat", "Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)", "El Camino", "The English and Western Stallion", "Even If You Don’t", "Falling Out", "Happy Colored Marbles", "I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight" live at the Brighton Bar 1997, "Junkie Boy", "Marble Tulip Juicy Tree" live at Cat’s Cradle 1992, "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Mushroom Festival in Hell", "Oh My Little Country Cottage", "Only the Good Die Young" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Pork Roll Egg and Cheese" live Chicago 2004, "Push th’ Little Daisies" live on MTV Spring Break 1993, "Sketches of Winkle" live Houston 1992, "Someday" Shinola, "Springtheme" live at Rutgers University 2000, "Stacey" live New York 1991, "The Stallion (Pt. 2)" All Request Live, "Stay Forever", "Stop, Look, Listen (And Learn)", "Transdermal Celebration", "Vallejo", "Waving My Dick in the Wind" live at the Bizarre Festival 2000, "You Fucked Up", "You May Be Right" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015)
G♯4 ("Bumblebee Part 2", "Captain Fantasy" Peel Session 1992, "Champion", "Delicate Green", "Dirty Money", "Fat Lenny", "The H.I.V. Song" live at Stubb’s 2000, "I Can't Put My Finger on It" live at Stubb's 2000, "It’s Gonna Be (Alright)", "I've Got No Darkside", "Kim Smoltz", "L.M.L.Y.P.", "Mister Richard Smoker", "Nippy Wiffle", "Once I Lived", "Piledriver", "Pressure" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Roses Are Free" demo version, "She's Always a Woman" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Stella Blue" live at the Roxy Theater, 2000, "Stroker Ace", "Things You Already Know", "Tick", "Transdermal Celebration" live Chicago 2004, "Tried and True", "Up on the Hill", "Zoloft")
G4 ("All of My Love" live Chicago 2003, "The Argus", "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Bananas and Blow", "Be My Wife", "Big Shot" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Blackjack", "Cold and Wet", "Cold Blows the Wind", "D.C. Won’t Do You No Good", "Demon Sweat" All Request Live, "Don’t Shit Where You Eat", "El Camino", "Eye In The Sky" live Teaneck, NJ, 2008, "Flies on My Dick" live Tempe, AZ 1994, "Golden Monkey", "Hey There Fancypants", "Ho Ho Ho", "I Don't Want It", "I Gots a Weasel", "I’m Wide Open", "Light Me Up", "L.M.L.Y.P.", "Loop de Loop", "Marble Tulip Juicy Tree" live at Cat’s Cradle 1992, "Monique the Freak" Shinola, "More Than the World", "Nature Man", "Object", "Ohio" live New Haven, CT 2022, "Old Man Thunder", "Old Queen Cole", "Once I Lived", "Only the Good Die Young" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Opus 51 Fugue Trilogy in A", "Piano Man" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Poop Ship Destroyer", "Pork Roll Egg and Cheese" live Chicago 2004, "Prelude/Angry Young Man" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "The Rainbow", "Sarah" live at the Mercury Lounge 1995, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Sometimes a Fantasy" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Sketches of Winkle" live Houston 1992, "Slow Down Boy", "Squelch the Weasel", "The Stallion (Pt. 3)" All Request Live, "Sweetheart", "Take Me Away", "Tastes Good on th’ Bun" live New Brunswick 1991, "There is a Form", "Up on the Hill", "What Deaner Was Talkin’ About")
F♯4 ("Ambrosia Parsley", "Baby, Don’t Be Afraid", "Bag of Fat", "Beacon Light", "Birthday Boy", "Blue Balloon", "Boing" live at The Wetlands 1991, "Boys Club" Shinola, "Buckingham Green", "Champion", "Chocolate Town", "Cold and Wet", "Deep Calm", "Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)", "Don’t Laugh (I Love You)" live Chicago 2003, "Don’t Let the Moon Catch You Cryin’", "Don't Sweat It", "Dr. Rock", "El Shaddai", "The English and Western Stallion", "Eye In The Sky" live Teaneck, NJ, 2008, "Falling Out", "[a style="text-decoration:none;" Fat Lenny", "Flutes of Chi", "Gabrielle" Shinola, "The Goin’ Gets Tough from the Getgo" live Holland 1991, "Hey Fat Boy (Asshole)", "I Fell in Love Today", "Joppa Road", "Junkie Boy", "Just the Way You Are" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Licking the Palm for Guava", "Molly" live Portland 2014, "Mononucleosis", "Mountains and Buffalo", "Moving Away", "My Life" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Ocean Man" live Zurich 1997, "Pretty Girl", "Pumpin’ 4 the Man" live Toronto 2001, "Right to the Ways and the Rules of the World", "Sasha", "She's Your Baby", "The Stallion (Pt. 1)" All Request Live, "The Stallion (Pt. 3)" All Request Live, "Stella Blue" live at the Roxy Theater, 2000, "Stop, Look, Listen (And Learn)", "Tried and True", "You May Be Right" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015)
F4 ("The Beautiful Strangers", "Black Bush", "Booze Me Up And Get Me High", "Captain Jack" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Chocolate Town", "Deep Calm", "Dirty Money", "Don't Ask Me Why" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Fool to Cry", "(For a While) I Couldn't Play My Guitar Like a Man", "Gimme One More", "The Grobe" live Chicago 2003, "I Don’t Wanna Leave You on the Farm", "If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All)", "I'm So Tired", "It’s Gonna Be (Alright)", "I’ve Got No Darkside", "Mister Richard Smoker", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Mutilated Lips", "Nature Man", "One by One", "Pot Luck", "Pressure" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Roses Are Free" live Chicago 2003, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Smooth Mover", "So Long Jerry" live Philadelphia, PA, 2007, "Sometimes a Fantasy" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Stroker Ace", "Transdermal Celebration", "Who Dat?")

Significant Low Notes:

D3 ("Among His Tribe", "As I Love My Own", "Baby Bitch" live Chicago 2003, "Bad to the Bone", "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Bananas and Blow", "Birthday Boy" live New Hope 2001, "Cold Blows the Wind", "Doesn’t Anybody Know My Name?", "Don’t Laugh (I Love You)" live Chicago 2003, "Don’t Sweat It", "El Shaddai", "The English and Western Stallion", "Fat Lenny", "Flutes of Chi", "Fool to Cry", "(For a While) I Couldn’t Play My Guitar Like a Man", "Gener’s Gone", "Happy Colored Marbles" most live performances, "Hey There Fancypants", "I Don’t Want It" live at The Conduit 2004, "If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All)", "Light Me Up", "Linda (the Sexy Dancer)", "Loop de Loop", "Love’s Been Good to Me", "The Mollusk", "More Than the World", "My Life" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Once I Lived", "Pandy Fackler", "Pretty Girl", "Right to the Ways and the Rules of the World", "Sarah" live at the Mercury Lounge 1995, "Shamemaker", "She Wanted to Leave" live on Wah Wah (German TV show) 1997, "She’s Your Baby", "Slow Down Boy", "Spirit Walker", "Squelch the Weasel", "The Stallion (Pt. 3)" All Request Live, "The Stranger" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Transitions" Shinola, "Tried and True" live Terminal 5 2007, "What Deaner Was Talkin’ About", "Zoloft")
C♯3 ("Back to Basom", "Boing" live at The Wetlands 1991, "Friends", "Hippy Smell", "I'm So Tired", "It’s Gonna Be (Alright)", "Nicole", "One By One", "Polka Dot Tail", "The Stallion (Pt. 2)" All Request Live, "Wish You Were Here")
C3 ("The Argus", "Baby Bitch" live Chicago 2003, "Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire", "Fluffy", "Happy Family", "I Can't Put My Finger On It", "I Don’t Wanna Leave You on the Farm", "I Get a Little Taste of You", "I Really Miss You (And I'm All Alone)", "It's Still Rock N Roll To Me" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Japanese Cowboy", "Love’s Been Good to Me", "Lullaby", "Mister Richard Smoker", "Mr. Kelly", "Mutilated Lips", "Nature Man", "Object", "Oh My Little Country Cottage", "Piano Man" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "School Days", "Sweetheart", "There is a Form", "Touch My Tooter", "Transdermal Celebration", "Voodoo Lady", "The World I Used to Know")
B2 ("The Argus (Part 2)", "Boys Club" Shinola, "Cheese Fries", "Cold Blows the Wind", "Covert Discretion", "Frank" live Philadelphia 2016, "Gener’s Gone", "I Don’t Wanna Leave You on the Farm", "I’m Holding You", "Jean", "L.M.L.Y.P.", "The Lovers", "The Mollusk", "Molly" live Portland 2014, "Monique the Freak", "Powder Blue", "Someday" Shinola, "Stay with Me, Daddy", "The Stranger" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Today It Is My Birthday", "Up on the Hill", "Warm Socks", "You Were the Fool")
B♭2 ("Alone" live Hopewell, NJ, 2007, "Don't Ask Me Why" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "I Get a Little Taste of You", "I’m Wide Open", "It’s Gonna Be (Alright)", "Object", "The Rift" Shinola)
A2 ("Albino Sunburn Girl", "The Argus", "The Beautiful Strangers", "Blue Balloon", "Buenas Tardes Amigo", "Candi", "Doesn’t Anybody Know My Name?", "Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)", "Don't Sweat It", "Eye In The Sky" live Teaneck, NJ, 2008, "Fluffy", "Frank", "Golden Monkey", "Just the Way You Are" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Lady Rachel", "Loving U Thru It All" live Chapel Hill, NC, 1994, "A Man Alone", "Marvelous Clouds", "Never Squeal", "Nicole", "Ode To René", "Piano Man" live Philadelphia, PA, 2015, "Pretty Girl", "Someday" Shinola, "Strap on That Jammy Pac", "The Stallion (Pt. 2)" All Request Live, "Stop, Look, Listen (And Learn)", "Take Me Away", "Waving My Dick in the Wind" live at the Bizarre Festival 2000, "Woman and Man")
G♯2 ("Church Fire", "The Golden Eel", "I Play It Off Legit", "In the Garden", "Joppa Road", "Moving Away", "Puffy Cloud", "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)", "Stella Blue" live at the Roxy Theater, 2000, "Up on the Hill")
G2 ("Alcan Road", "Belgian Stew", "Buenas Tardes Amigo", "Don’t Shit Where You Eat", "Exactly Where I’m At", "Gimme One More", "Hey There Fancypants", "Loving U Thru It All" live Chapel Hill, NC, 1994, "Pork Roll Egg and Cheese" live Chicago 2004, "Powder Blue", "The Stallion (Pt. 1)" All Request Live, "There’s a Pig", "Voodoo Lady" demo version, "Zoloft")
F♯2 ("Baby, Don’t Be Afraid", "Blue Balloon", "Candi", "Drifter in the Dark", "The Mollusk", "Monique the Freak" Shinola, "You Can Go Shit in Your Hat (Matt)")
F2 ("Alone" live Hopewell, NJ, 2007, "Candi" demo version, "Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)", "Don’t Shit Where You Eat", "Flies on My Dick" live Tempe, AZ 1994, "If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All)", "Zoloft")
E2 ("Black Bush", "Jean" WTF Podcast, "Lady Rachel", "Nicole", "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)", "The Stallion (Pt. 1)" All Request Live, "The Stallion (Pt. 2)" All Request Live, "Warm Socks")
E♭2 ("Asphalt Lullaby", "The Golden Eel", "She Caught My Fancy", "Up on the Hill")
D2 ("The English and Western Stallion", "Happy Colored Marbles", "L.M.L.Y.P.", "Pink Eye (On My Leg)", "Someday" Shinola, "Up on the Hill" demo version)
C♯2 ("Sasha")
C2 ("The Argus")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}E6 ("Yolk" Live [2, 3, 5] ... Here's the video. It's at 0:30. Likely not countable due to (1) inhale and (2) the fact that Gener appears to be shouting other stuff while this note is going on (at 0:30), so it's possibly Deaner.
C♯6 ("Chuggin’" [2] All the screams on this album are probably Yamantaka Eye, the other singer, "Tick" [1,3])
C6 ("Common Bitch" [1,3])
B5 ("Wayne’s Pet Youngin’" [1,3])
B♭5 ("Fat Lenny" [1])
A5 ("Among His Tribe" [2], "Mushroom Festival in Hell" [4])
G5 ("Bumblebee" [1], "Papa Zit" [1])
E5 ("L.M.L.Y.P." [4])
C♯5 ("Blackjack" [2])
C5 ("Alcan Road" [2, 5])
A4 ("Golden Monkey" [2])
G4 ("Spirit Walker" [4] This is very heavily auto-tuned)

B♭2 ("Ambrosia Parsley" [1])
A2 ("I’ll Be Your Jonny on the Spot" [2]
G2 ("Cold Blows the Wind" [1], "Licking the Palm for Guava" [2, 4], "Old Queen Cole" [2, 4], "Pandy Fackler" [2])
F♯2 ("I’m Holding You" [1])
F2 ("Never Squeal" Focus demo [2])
E2 ("Belgian Stew" [1], "God in My Bed" [4], "Never Squeal" [1], "Take Me Away" [1, 3])
E♭2 ("Big Jilm" [4])
D2 ("Hey There Fancypants" [4])
C2 ("Pink Eye (On My Leg)" [1])
B1 ("Drifter in the Dark" WNEW Radio Sessions 1995 [1])
A1 ("Black Bush" [1], "Love Like Cement" [5])
F♯1 ("Among His Tribe" [4])
..................................................

1. Brief jumps into high or low range (eg. Yelps, trills, anacrusis, etc.).

2. Notes whose singer is unclear.

3. Non-melodic notes (e.g. Spoken, or sung but off-key).

4. Possibly pitch-shifted notes.

5. Notes that do not fit the labels above but whose quality is still unrepresentative of the singer's usual work.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Range Timeline}With Ween:

GodWeenSatan: The Oneness (1990): E♭2 - C5 - A5

The Pod (1991): E♭2 - D5 - F♯5

Pure Guava (1992): F2 - C5 - F5

Chocolate and Cheese (1994): E2 - B4 - A5

Chocolate and Cheese Deluxe (1990's): C♯2 - A4 - E♭5

12 Golden Country Greats (1996): G2 - D5

The Mollusk (1997): D2 - B♭4

White Pepper (2000): G2 - B4 - C5

Quebec (2003): C2 - B♭4 - B4

Shinola, Vol. 1 (2005): D2 - B♭4 - E5

La Cucaracha (2007): F♯2 - G4 - B4

With Z-Rock Hawaii:

Z-Rock Hawaii (1996): G♯2 - G♯4

Solo work:

Synthetic Socks (1987): B2 - B4 - G5

Marvelous Clouds (2012): A2 - F♯4 - A4

Gener’s Gone: The Final Demo Recordings of Gene Ween (2013): F♯2 - G♯4 

Freeman (2014): D2 - G4 - A4
..................................................

• Blue: Falsetto, head voice, and/or whistle register (projected mixed voice is kept in black).

• Green: Distorted screams.

• Bold: Some of the singer's arguably most impressive notes within a given register. Click on a bolded song title to hear audio of that note.

• Italics: Non-melodic notes (ie. Spoken or off-key).

• Underlines: Notes that are buried in the song's mix or which blend together with the other voice(s) in a harmony.

[Bink]

ALCAN ROAD A4s (he might actually get up to something like C5 after it, although it sounds very squeezed)



Edit: there ain't no timestamps for the links

[Homelander]

Great thread! I think E4 would have been a good place to start though.

[Goober]

E4 doesn't really sound that high for him but if the other Weeners here think so then i'll add it

[Bink]

F4.

[VocalDudeGuy]

One semitone above E4 seems good

[Anacrusis]

For the record, we had highs at E4 on the old thread, but community opinion was to take it out. He doesn't tend to put much "oomph" into highs until F/F#.

My personal vote is F4.

[Yojojo]

gener is beautiful just the way he is. F4