Karina Rykman rounded out a late-2023 swing this past weekend with sold-out shows in Philadelphia, PA (Friday) and Boston, MA (Saturday). Among other highlights, Friday’s Philly show featured Rykman’s first-ever cover of Ween Pure Guava deep cut “Springtheme”, appropriately performed not far from where Ween originated in New Hope, PA.
Taken from Ween’s 1992 major label debut for Elektra Records, the breezy cover fit in smoothly with some of Rykman’s more downtempo, psyched-out influences. Guitarist Adam November emulated the wavy filtered tones from Dean Ween while Rykman’s similarly distorted vocals invoked the early bedroom stoner days of the Brothers in Boognish, Dean and Gene Ween.
Rykman has a long-held affinity for Ween dating back to when she was 15 years old and the band’s bassist, Dave Dreiwitz, asked her to join his trio. Not long after that, Rykman took over for Dreiwitz holding down the low end for Marco Benevento, with whom she tours to this day. Karina recently posted a video of herself playing Ween’s “Freedom of ’76” on guitar using a new Benson Nathan Junior reverb guitar amp.
Related: Marco Benevento Details ‘Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s’ Double Album [Listen]
“Springtheme” was lifted from Pure Guava, Ween’s third album in as many years which also marked a turning point for the band. After delivering rude and crude cult favorites GodWeenSatan: The Oneness and The Pod, the duo of Deaner and Gener (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman, respectively) picked up a record deal with major label Elektra. While the duo were still committed to recording on four-track tape and playing all of the parts themselves, Pure Guava would serve as the stepping stone to Ween’s coming-of-age album Chocolate & Cheese, its first to feature a full band and be recorded in a professional studio. To this day, “Springtheme” survives as a relative rarity at Ween’s live shows, good for about three appearances a year. Read more about the legacy and history of Pure Guava here.
Related: Ween Confirms 2024 ‘Chocolate And Cheese’ Anniversary Concert In Philadelphia
Watch Karina Rykman debut a cover of “Springtheme” by Ween in Philadelphia and check out a few pics from Saturday’s sold-out tour closer in Boston courtesy of photographer Shado Congalton.
Karina Rykman will round out a banner year—which featured the release of her Trey Anastasio-co-produced debut LP, Joyride—with a December 30th performance at The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun in Montville, CT. She also has a number of tour dates on the books for early 2024. For a complete list of upcoming Karina Rykman tour dates, head here.
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