For almost three decades, Trenton-born Ween has been an active part of the alternative rock scene, performing on a local and national scale.
The Dean Ween Group will headline the final free concert of the Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Capital Green, 201 Barrack St.
"Dean Ween attended our August fifteenth show in support of his friends in our headliner, Low Cut Connie. Once he saw the beautiful setting and great crowd at Capital Green, he was very eager to get on the bill for our final show," said Christian Martin, Executive Director of The Trenton Downtown Association. "We're thrilled to welcome him and his band, made of all Trenton natives, as we celebrate not only the culmination of this incredible series, but also Dean's birthday. Attendees are in for a great show."
For almost three decades, Trenton-born Ween has been an active part of the alternative rock scene, performing on a local and national scale. As one-half of the New Hope-based alt-rock band Ween, Ween helped cultivate a devoted fan base that followed the band's mixture of experimental sounds and absurdist humor through a number of tours punctuated by commercial successes over the years.
Ween officially called it quits in 2012, but he has continued to make music, reactivating his long-dormant punk band Moistboyz, playing guitar on tracks for bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Low Cut Connie as well as performing under The Dean Ween Group.
On Saturday, The Dean Ween Group will perform with all Trenton-based musicians, featuring Simeon Cain on drums, Bill Fowler on guitar, Dave Dreiwitz on bass, and of course Ween himself.
"I'm really looking forward to this. Every opportunity to play in Trenton is exciting for me," said Ween. "I am a proud Trenton born native. Ween's roots were always in Trenton, in addition to being the place of my birth, Ween would never have reached any level of success without the help of Randy Now and City Gardens in the 80s and 90s.
"A steady venue post City Gardens has been a hard thing to come by for a band that loves to play Trenton as much as I do. Since the closing of the Conduit we haven't had many long term options, that's why I jumped at the chance to play this concert series, and on the day after my birthday no less."
Supporting act Good Graeff, made of twin sisters Brooke and Brit, creates powerful folk-charged indie pop that centers on Brooke's dynamic and original vocals and upbeat acoustic chord progressions, which are finessed into creative and memorable pop songs by Brit's melodic, classically influenced cello riffs.
Trenton-based opener Molly Rhythm is an eclectic, eccentric, theatrical, kicking and screaming music machine. Band members collaborate to create music that spans alternative rock, blues, reggae, classical, punk, classic rock, hip-hop and metal. Molly Rhythm is marked by its distinct harmonies and an insatiable drive to create and perform.
This show is last in a series of 10 free family-friendly Saturday concerts at Capital Green, made possible thanks to a grant awarded by Levitt Pavilions, a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of America through the power of free, live music.
The diverse series lineup has featured high caliber talent spanning genres like salsa, jazz, classical, soul, indie rock, electronic and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and their favorite foods to dine under the stars on the open-lawn setting.
The Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series is presented by NJM Insurance Group of West Trenton, and is also supported in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Trenton Downtown Association, the Times of Trenton, the County of Mercer, the City of Trenton, Wells Fargo, Capital Health, Thomas Edison State College, Amerigroup and New Jersey Natural Gas.
For more information, visit concerts.levittamp.org/trenton and follow the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/levittamptrenton.