Ep. 47: Amandla, The Claude Coleman Jr. Solo Project.

Ween Cast

There’s so much more to the Ween world than just Ween, and this episode is the first in a new series about all the various Ween side gigs and solo projects. To kick things off, we’re diving deep into Claude Coleman’s solo project Amandla.

Claude got his start in music as a teenager back in the 80’s with a band called Skunk, and has played in a myriad of bands and projects, most famously as the drummer for Ween, but also in Eagles of Death Metal, Chocolate Genius, with Angelo Moore in Brand New Step, just to name a few. His drumming skills are near mythical, but what many don’t realize is that Claude is a multi-instrumentalist, and is nearly as comfortable on a guitar or bass as he is on his kit. He also is one helluva songwriter, and this is where this episode comes in! You see, Claude also has his own solo project, Amandla, where he literally IS the band. For Amandla, Claude does it all, with just a smattering of help from various musicians.

For this episode, we talk about how Amandla got started, with songs written as far back as the late 80’s, to the “formation” of the band in ‘99, when Claude finally got access to a quality studio, as well as the impact his accident had on his solo work. We then talk about each of his three solo albums, Falling Along (2001), Full Catastrophe (2006), and the more recent Laughing Hearts (2018). Yes, there’s been some time between each one, but Claude puts a lot of work into Amandla, and the results are definitely worth listening to!

I don’t want to say too much here because you really should listen to the episode! Enjoy!

PS: We did a lot of research for this episode, and didn’t come up with all this shit on our own. Here are links to check out if you want to learn more:

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/rocking-on-two-fronts-after-a-nearfatal-crash.html

https://www.denverpost.com/2005/11/02/a-body-broken-a-spirit-intact/

https://www.ween.net/claude-coleman-jr.html

http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/story_detail.php?id=757

https://www.drummersresource.com/claude-coleman-interview/

https://glidemagazine.com/110989/ween-drummer-claude-coleman-talks-breakup-more-in-ama/

https://glidemagazine.com/11714/amandla-the-songs-of-claude-coleman-jr/

https://www.whereyat.com/claude-coleman-jr-breaks-down-his-new-album

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