Dean Ween, aka Mickey Melchiondo, is one half of the surreal, eastern Pennsylvania spoof duo Ween, which is now on hiatus. Ween was something like a blend of Frank Zappa, Tenacious D, the Butthole Surfers and Weird Al. The duo had a strange taste for the syrupy soft pop of bands like Bread. But they also did delirious riffs on country, metal, dub and prog. They could successfully mimic and ridicule (and tip their hats to) almost any genre.
Dean Ween’s solo project stays in that same vein. The Dean Ween Group’s recent record opens with a tune called “Dickie Betts,” which is a dual-guitar southern rock homage to Betts, of the Allman Brothers.
Dean Ween’s guitar playing is bluesy and soulful and glimmering. If he wants to, he can sound a little like Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour or shift into fuzzed-out garage-rock mode. Dean Ween has always taken the idea of rock ‘n’ roll excess to comic pathological extremes; listen to the Motorhead-ish “Bundle of Joy,” which brags of acts of indecency in a J.C. Penney fitting room. “You Were There” sounds like it might be emulating Doug Sahm or the Silver Jews — either way, it draws on inspired, beer-soaked source material. Unlike a lot of parodists, Ween was often able to write good songs that transcend their gag status.
The Dean Ween Group performs at Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven, Friday, Jan. 20, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25. toadsplace.com, 203-624-8623.
