Newark, NJ native Claude Coleman Jr. is the singer-songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist , engineer/producer for his group Amandla, but is perhaps best known as the perversely versatile live/studio drummer for cult-rock gods Ween. For nearly 20 years his dynamic playing has served to embellish Ween’s mad scope of musical references as well help to elevate Ween’s worldwide status as a renowned live band, now in the Silver Anniversary of its career.
Coleman’s discography stretches over a 20 - year history highlighting drumming, songwriting, recording and producing collaborations throughout the NJ/NY area, with studio/performing credits including Eagles of Death Metal, MoistBoyz, Marco Benevento, Chocolate Genius, Elysian Fields, Lenny Kaye, Toshi Reagon, Marc Ribot, Michelle Ndegeocello, Kramer, Steven Bernstein, John Medeski, John Popper, Art Baron, Bob Russo’s Transonic Jazz Band and saxophonist/flutist Eliot Levin.
His career as a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist began most notably with the band Skunk, signed to TwinTone Records( The Replacements, Husker Du, Babes in Toyland) featuring producer/guitarist Matt Sweeney(Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Chavez, Zwan, Neil Diamond), produced by Andrew Weiss(Rollins Band, Regressive Aid, Babasónicos) and managed by Janet Billig (Immortal Entertainment, Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins,Hole) On Skunk's second and last album for TwinTone, Laid, three Coleman songs were installed including the killer, slow burning, falsetto-fused track I think I Don’t Mind, which would be reclaimed on his debut Amandla record Falling Alone, where Coleman shined as a naturally gifted songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, performing on everything as well as taking on the engineering and producing.
His 2nd record and current release was The Full Catastrophe. It features the likes of NYC slide trombonist great, Art Baron(Stevie Wonder’s Music of my Mind) and is the product of a 4 year journey back from the point of death, in which he had to reclaim control of his body and life well enough to finish the record.
Midway in production for the record Coleman survived a near-fatal car accident in which he was hospitalized for 35 days, sustaining severe physical and head trauma that included a pelvis fractured in six places and brain injuries resulting in complete paralysis of the left side of his body from head to toe. He was wheelchair bound for two months.
Coleman was committed to full-time cognitive, occupational and physical therapy at The Kessler Institute relearning memory, language and speech skills and combined with a tireless and dedicated approach he was in less than one year back on the bus with Ween. After four years of reclaiming enough of the finer motor skills needed to play once-effortless parts with once dexterous hands, The Full Catastrophe was finished.
The title is inspired by both the words of Zorba the Greek and the meditation teachings of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Catastrophe honors its namesake by relishing in the emotional complexities that is the Living Experience and is created as a gesture of reverence to the divinity of life done with creative grace, passion and jubilation that celebrates the very thing that nearly killed it.
Coleman is currently working on a 3rd Amandla release titled The Laughing Heart, and will be performing solo dates throughout the area and along with summer Ween dates, until the record’s completion and fall release, after which he will be bringing his band and music everywhere it can go.
Hey, thanks for having me! I met you after the WEEN show in Heaven at Masquerade in ATL, Thanksgiving weekend '94!! Thanks for takin' the time to talk to us. As belated as it may be.. You guys earned a new fan that night. REALLY digging Amandla!
I hadn't heard about the accident... saw you in Bend, Or. and my friend is completely jealous of your drumming!!!...the mains were not doing well but sounded great from the sides....how do you like my friends??....C U, Dani
you kicked assSSSSSSS at the bottle and cork!!!! haven't seen you since the tower in upper darby. your solo was phenomenal!!! it was so good to see you!
Yo man, I heard you're back on the road! I don't know how the politics work out concerning this type of thing, but you should work some Amandla tunes into the set; maybe even preform as an opening act (is that cheesey?) Your tunes are great, they deserve the exposure!
it was great seeing you guys friday, i hope aaron wasn't pulling our chain when he said "see you this summer!". bend oregon may be a worthy roadtrip, though. from friday http://www.flickr.com/photos/39693751@N06/
Great job manipulating dem sound makers eye dun reckon! Pet Minotaur: music for the unemployed, uninsured auto workers in Detroit whose great grandparents killed many indigenous earth executives so their spawn could complain about the economy and Dr. Phil's guests' milkman's neighbors behavior! Happy Earth Day!
