Ween Shares Unreleased Demo of “Voodoo Lady” From “Chocolate And Cheese” Reissue (Listen)

It’s a year of celebration for the iconic alt-rock weirdos of Weenwho in 2024 celebrate their 40th anniversary as the savior of pot smokers around the world and their 30th anniversary since the release of Chocolate and cheese. To mark the latter occasion, the group led by brothers from Boognish Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman And Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo are reissuing their landmark fourth album with a treasure trove of previously unreleased tracks, including a demo of “Voodoo Lady” that the band released Friday. The demo marks the band’s second single in 14 years and follows last month’s previously unreleased “Junkie Boy.”

One of Ween’s signature songs, “Voodoo Lady,” captures many of Ween’s unique style. Musical omnivores and genre chameleons, the band embraces a bayou-style blues sound that’s perfectly suited to this ode to a Caribbean religious enchantress. Of course, Ween doesn’t shy away from diving right into stereotypes and taboos, another calling card of the band’s music that was only possible for two white dudes from New Hope, Pennsylvania, in the pre-social media era.

All of these elements from the final version are still present in the recently released demo. The main difference is that the new (old) recording is much less produced than the finished product, a much more pre-Chocolate and cheese “Voodoo Lady (Demo)” is certainly not on Brown’s level as a four-track band. GodWeenSatan: The Unit, PlatformOr Pure Guavabut it is not as refined as The Mollusk Or White pepper—The closest disc to a “normal” Ween disc.

This stylistic middle ground is emblematic of Ween as a whole in 1994. Chocolate and cheeseas Dean and Gene finally recorded in a professional studio for the first time and brought in a drummer Claude Coleman Jr.who is still part of the group to this day. Although Ween’s commitment to a raw, hard-edged tone earned the group a cult following in its early days, Chocolate and cheese I heard the band emerge from the basement and take their seats at the table – perhaps still a little glassy-eyed – as one of the most quietly influential alt-rock bands of the ’90s.

Listen to Ween’s new demo of “Voodoo Lady” below or on your preferred platform. Chocolate and cheese The 30th anniversary reissue will be released on August 2, but vinyl copies are currently sold out on the band’s website. Ween is set to return to the stage the same day for a sold-out show in Bonner, Montana. The band previously canceled a multi-state tour in April so Dean Ween could focus on his “mental and spiritual well-being.” Tickets for Ween’s 40th anniversary summer tour are on sale here. Get well soon, Deaner.

Ween — “Voodoo Lady (Demo)”