Claude Coleman

Claude Coleman in 2017

Claude Coleman, Jr. is the long-time drummer for Ween, having officially joined the band during the final two legs of the Pure Guava Tour, and has played on every studio album since Chocolate and Cheese with the exception of Quebec.

Coleman is primarily the band's drummer and percussionist, though he occasionally sings lead vocals both live and in the studio, and has played lead guitar on at least one outtake. Outside of Ween, he also plays bass.

Early Life

Coleman is originally from Newark, New Jersey, and started playing guitar, bass and drums at the age of 9.

At the age of 15, Coleman started writing his own songs, and in college he would begin to record those songs on a tape deck.

Career

Before joining Ween, Coleman was the drummer for the grunge band Skunk, among several other projects. He would go on to play on both of Skunk's albums, released on Twin/Tone Records.

Joining Ween

Coleman was introduced to Ween through producer Andrew Weiss, who produced Skunk's debut album. At the time, Ween were still releasing cassettes through Jeff Rusnak and Weiss' Bird o' Pray Records. Coleman later recalled that when Skunk was signed to Twin/Tone, they hosted a showcase party in bassist Matt Quigly's basement where Ween opened for them, with Twin/Tone signing Ween as well "pretty much on the spot".

When Skunk broke up in 1991, Coleman found himself spending increasing amounts of time with Gene and Dean Ween. By then, Ween had moved to Shimmy-Disc to release The Pod, where label owner Mark Kramer first suggested Ween expand into a proper band, with Coleman being their pick for drummer.

Coleman first played with Ween as a guest, alongside Kramer on bass, at a show at City Gardens on October 4th, 1991, during the Pod tour. This lineup also appeared on UK dates of the second leg of that tour. Coleman officially joined the group on March 4th, 1994, playing drums on the final two legs of the Pure Guava tour and appearing on Chocolate and Cheese.

Injury

Coleman was seriously injured in a car accident in 2002, suffering several pelvic fractures and brain injuries. For a period of several months, Coleman was in the hospital, with session drummer Josh Freese filling in for both the recording of Quebec and a series of benefit shows for Coleman's recovery. Coleman would rejoin the band around December 2002.

During a later Reddit AMA, he recalled:

Living with brain injuries is a silent torment. I appear to be fine, but I live with chronic, at times debilitating pain that hasn't left in 12 years. The entire left side of my body is numb with affected sensation; in cooler weather it's always freezing, and warmer temperatures that side sweats constantly, and I have about 13% paralysis along the left side. So with that, my spacial relationship to the drumkit is really challenged. Until I acclimated to the loss of sensation and the paralysis, for several years I would routinely smash the living shit out of my l left hand, just about everywhere on the kit, from mis-judging distances. My body would cramp up horribly, I'd walk off a gig limping like I fell from a plane with no parachute.

I've learned to work through it all - I have to warm up now to get the brain connections strong, and to loosen the paralysis a bit. I've learned to use my eyes a bit more with playing rather than with a feeling that isn't really there. And I've moving things closer in to my body. I do yoga, and get massages frequently.

Drumming became very second nature to me, now it's more like third nature - it's still natural to a degree, but I do have to put a little more thought into it. The best approach to it I've found, is to not even think about it, and just play, play, play.

Solo and other activities

In 2001, Coleman would release his first solo album, Falling Alone, under the name Amandla. In addition to drums, Coleman sang and played guitar and bass for the project. In 2006, he released his second album, The Full Catastrophe, recorded while he was still recovering from the accident.

When Ween initially broke up in 2012, Coleman joined the Dean Ween Group, again on drums. In 2017, after Ween had been reformed for a year, he released a third solo album, Laughing Hearts.

Since 2017, Coleman has co-owned SoundSpace@Rabbit's with fellow musician Brett Spivey, having started the studio after the duo discovered a historic segregation-era motel named Rabbit's Motel. The studio's founding was spurred by both a lack of affordable production spaces in the area and a desire to preserve the history of the historically African-American community of Southside, Asheville, NC.

Equipment

In 2013, Coleman stated that he used Bosphorus cymbals and Vater 5B wood tip drumsticks. When it comes to guitars, Coleman is most often photographed with Gibson hollow body electrics.

Musical Influences

Coleman has named Stevie Wonder as one of his biggest influences. He has named Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac as his favorite guitarist, and Mick Fleetwood as one of his favorite drummers. Coleman has mentioned that Stewart Copeland was the reason he started playing drums.

Some of Coleman's favorite albums include Cheap Trick's self-titled debut, Van Morrison's Veedon Fleece, and "any early Fleetwood Mac". Coleman has also mentioned that it might surprise people to learn he likes the music of Cyndi Lauper, TLC, and Kate Bush.

Other

When asked about his favorite music venues to play in, Coleman named the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado; the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington; the Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas; McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York; and the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City.