Andrew W.K.

Andrew W.K. is what happens when glam rock and heavy metal are injected with the power of positive thinking. Born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in 1979, the native Michigander relocated to New York, where he developed a reputation for headbanging live shows and performance-art-style happenings before riding his 2001 debut full-length, I Get Wet, to rock stardom. Stacked with uplifting arena anthems like “Party Hard”, the record balances lovable goofiness with an eccentric complexity reflective of his roots in classical piano and experimental music (at the same time that Andrew W.K. was becoming a dorm-room demigod, he was also moonlighting in the avant-rock ensemble To Live and Shave In L.A.). Subsequent albums such as 2018’s You’re Not Alone and 2021’s God is Partying further flesh out his devotion to partying as a philosophical ethos, while the lesser-known oddity 55 Cadillac represents a brilliant foray into improvised piano. The fact that Andrew W.K. has also tried his hand at television, motivational speaking, record production and essay writing is proof that this strangely amazing rocker is up for just about anything.