Collegiate life has finally found its series of anthems of allegiance. This is brought to you courtesy of a 23-year-old long-haired, rarely-shaven, white t-shirt clad, classically trained pianist-turned-rocker named Andrew WK.
Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Andrew WK has given the rock world a revolutionary new genre. Playing what he calls “dance metal” and “party punk,” Andrew WK has reached rock stardom almost accidentally.
The frontman has established an image of flailing arms, whipping the microphone wire around more than The Who’s Roger Daltrey and occasionally making himself bleed in a grandiose metal style.
He has seen modest record sales of his 2002 Island Records debut “I Get Wet,” but he still has to rent a one-room apartment in Florida, because he’s constantly on the road or in the studio.
Andrew WK’s early career consisted of struggling on indie labels trying to get his unique brand of upbeat and happy piano-driven metal to the masses.
Playing solo shows armed with only a CD player, a keyboard and a microphone, WK built up a cult following along the East Coast and eventually formed a band made up of ex-metal band members.
Shortly after releasing the single “Party Til You Puke” on indie label Bulb Records, WK was signed to Island Records.
Andrew WK has reached rock stardom with the release of “I Get Wet” and its first single “Party Hard.”
The single had first become a major hit on British rock radio and eventually made its way to the States.
The rocker explodes with the success of “Party Hard.” He has been offered gigs as openers for bands such as the Foo Fighters.
In addition to playing on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” the party metal act is also slated to play during the early 2002 episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
“There’s no wrong reason to like my music. There’s no wrong reason to like anything. This music is freedom,” Andrew WK told The Onion earlier this year.
Andrew WK’s music is indeed freedom. It is refreshing in this day of run-of-the-mill Linkin Park or Blink-182 rip-off bands. The themes of his songs are extremely familiar to the college crowd, ranging from partying, relationships, drinking and, well, partying some more.
Fitting enough, he recently finished filming the “We Want Fun” music video for the “Jackass: The Movie” soundtrack on MTV. The track is a new composition.
To truly get the whole idea of what Andrew WK is all about, you must see him live. His sets are continuous songs of loud, fist-pumping madness. Andrew does, in fact, get wet, as his debut release states, on stage.
He pours his heart and soul into his music, and is extremely appreciative for the fans in the crowd. This concept is refreshing in the mundane rock world today.
Andrew WK is currently touring Canada, making a few U.S. dates in the Northeast. He won’t be coming any closer than Albany on this leg of his solo tour.
He is also planning dates with the Irish folk punk rockers Flogging Molly for the fall. If the tour heads into the Hartford/New Haven market, the true WK experience will have to be felt.