Amandla

Claude Coleman Jr. has sat behind the drum kit for Skunk, Chocolate Genius, Elysian Fields and Eagles of Death Metal. But he's been Ween's acrobatic timekeeper ever since Gene and Dean toured in support of Pure Guava. That's thirteen years, mang. And while Ween's brand of eccentricity has allowed him...

By John La Briola

November 3, 2005

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Claude Coleman Jr. has sat behind the drum kit for Skunk, Chocolate Genius, Elysian Fields and Eagles of Death Metal. But he's been Ween's acrobatic timekeeper ever since Gene and Dean toured in support of Pure Guava. That's thirteen years, mang. And while Ween's brand of eccentricity has allowed him to stretch his chops in every style from speed metal, funk and reggae to cheeky Nashville put-on, the Jersey City native has always been a closet songwriter himself. When he swaps sticks for a guitar and microphone, he fronts Amandla, an exceedingly soulful outfit named after the Zulu word for "power." Coleman needed to muster every ounce of strength that he had in 2003, following a near-fatal car accident that left him with brain injuries and a shattered pelvis; he spent two months in a wheelchair and another seven in physical rehab. But there's no keeping a good man down. Unveiling The Full Catastrophe, the followup to Falling Alone, Amandla's debut, Ween's sanest member steps into the spotlight tonight free of chocolate, cheese, and, perhaps, painkillers.

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