Gene Ween (born March 17, 1970) was the stage name of Aaron Freeman, an American musician and a founding member of the experimental alternative rock group Ween. He is also known mononymously as Freeman. Freeman, along with childhood friend Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo), started the group in the mid-1980s. Freeman announced his departure from Ween in 2012, shortly after releasing Marvelous Clouds, his first solo album. After leaving Ween, he stopped using the name Gene Ween and performed under his birth name Aaron Freeman. He later announced that he would be performing under the name Freeman.