A Real History Lesson Kids!!!
Andrew W.K. was born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Stanford, California in 1979, before moving to Michigan at age 4. He began piano lessons promptly at age 5, studying at The University Of Michigan School Of Music Pedagogy program. By his early teens W.K. had already exhibited great enthusiasm and talent for both music and the visual arts. He spent his high school years playing drums and keyboard in an almost endless variety of short-lived, but passionate rock bands, all centered in southeast Michigans explosive cultural scene. By the age of 17, W.K. had graduated from high school - one year early - in an effort to dedicate all his time to his creative endeavors. He was accepted to The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, but instead choose to move to New York City in 1997, at age 18, to pursue his visions on his own.
Upon arriving in New York, W.K. found odd jobs in art galleries, department stores, avant-garde fashion boutiques, and as a gumball machine salesman; anything to support his real interest: making the most exciting music he could. He pursued this goal day and night, putting all of his abilities and resources into the writing and recording of his own material. Shortening his name from Andrew Wilkes-Krier to Andrew W.K., he set out on a mission to get his music heard not only in New York, but also around the world. Without a band or even a partner, W.K. began performing solo concerts anywhere he could get them. Using only a keyboard, drum machine, and his voice, W.K. played shows up and down the east coast. He vowed to play any show, any place, any time, and wound up performing everywhere from coffee houses to basements. Quickly the word spread of the energy and raw excitement of Andrew and his music, and soon W.K. found himself performing for larger crowds. After performing several shows with friends and fellow New York performers, Fishcerspooner, Andrew was invited to play 2 engagements at a popular Belgian Arts Festival called Over The Edges. This was only the very beginning of a fast and wild ride.
W.K. signed a recording contract with Island Def Jam Records/Universal Music, and began the recording of his debut full-length CD. Titled I Get Wet, the albums release in 2001 caused a widespread and diverse wave of reaction, landing W.K. on the covers international music magazines, like Englands NME, which featured him not once, but twice on the cover of the same issue (adding an additional page to accommodate the double image). More press followed, catapulting W.K. to overnight exposure in the international music world. Magazines worldwide praised the originality and undeniable intensity of his music, and articles in GQ, Rolling Stone, Spin, Q, Mojo, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Jane, The New Yorker, FHM, Playboy, Oui, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Alternative Press, i-D, The Face, Dazed & Confused, Bizzare, Newsweek, The New York Post, Stuff, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, and dozens and dozens of others all agreed that the A.W.K. style had made its mark in the wide world of music.
Now that Andrew W.K. had arrived, it was time to take the music to the stage, and Andrew had to form a band. Instead of auditioning random applicants, Andrew decided to write a letter to his favorite drummer, a man named Donald Tardy, who plays in the band Obituary. Andrew sent Donald the music and asked if he would join his band. Having no expectations, Andrew was shocked when Tardy wrote back and agreed to play this music. After Donald came an additional 7 musicians, including Gregg Roberts (bass guitar, vocals), Sgt. Frank (guitar), Jimmy Coup (guitar, vocals), Kendall A. (guitar, vocals), E. Payne (guitar, vocals), John Sutton (guitar), and even a second drummer, Richie Russo, who played on stage next to Donald, in perfect synchronicity. Andrew relocated to Brandon, Florida in order to rehearse with the band and prepare the music for live performances. Immediately following the release of I Get Wet, Andrew W.K. and his newly formed band began a world tour, which would continue for 3 years and over 500 concerts. Major U.S. tours, including highly coveted Ozzfest and Warped Tour dates, as well as countless hall and arena shows with everyone from Aerosmith, to The Locust, gave the music even further exposure and proved that A.W.K. music goes beyond genre and can fit in anywhere. Major network television appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan OBrien, Last Call With Carson Daly, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, CNN, Fox Sports, Access Hollywood, Top Of The Pops, and MTV led to an eventual T.V. series of his own, entitled Your Friend, Andrew W.K.. The show featured Andrew giving personal advice to fans who wrote in asking for help. MTV2 presented the series, along with countless other Andrew W.K. appearances on both MTV, VH1, Much Music, and FUSE.
In the midst of his non-stop schedule, Andrew recorded and released his second album, The Wolf, which was received with enthusiasm by both fans and the media alike. The album was recorded much in the same tradition W.K. established on his earliest songs, with Andrew himself playing every instrument, and recording track after track of music, with each song totally at least 90 individual parts. Andrew and his band took the new album to the stage and performed tours across the globe, including festivals in Reading, Leeds, Tokyo, Osaka, and Taiwan. During this wave of shows, Andrew broke his foot on stage, while getting tangled in his own microphone cable. Rather than sit it out and heal at home, W.K. decided to continue the tour, and played the remaining 60 shows in a wheelchair. One of these performances was filmed at the Spike T.V. Video Game Awards. Earlier in the year, W.K. had sustained a head injury during the filming of his music video, We Want Fun, with director Spike Jonze, for the Jackass Movie soundtrack. Despite these physical setbacks, the music continued and the party continue to spread, one person at a time.
At the close of 2004, Andrew began work on the massive Who Knows? live-concert movie. In it, more than 300 hours of live concert footage, spanning 1992-2004, was condensed into a rapid-fire viewing experience. The film was edited using a special multi-track video process, in which multiple performances can be synchronized and edited together, with the audio and video overlapping to create a seamless sequence of shots from different concerts. The movie was screened at sell-out shows in New York City and Hollywood, where Andrew performed in-person piano solos. Who Knows? was released on DVD by Music Video Distributors / R. Jayne / R.C.U. Video.
Andrew W.K. is currently recording music for a multitude of new releases for 2006 and 2007. He still lives in New York City.
Upon arriving in New York, W.K. found odd jobs in art galleries, department stores, avant-garde fashion boutiques, and as a gumball machine salesman; anything to support his real interest: making the most exciting music he could. He pursued this goal day and night, putting all of his abilities and resources into the writing and recording of his own material. Shortening his name from Andrew Wilkes-Krier to Andrew W.K., he set out on a mission to get his music heard not only in New York, but also around the world. Without a band or even a partner, W.K. began performing solo concerts anywhere he could get them. Using only a keyboard, drum machine, and his voice, W.K. played shows up and down the east coast. He vowed to play any show, any place, any time, and wound up performing everywhere from coffee houses to basements. Quickly the word spread of the energy and raw excitement of Andrew and his music, and soon W.K. found himself performing for larger crowds. After performing several shows with friends and fellow New York performers, Fishcerspooner, Andrew was invited to play 2 engagements at a popular Belgian Arts Festival called Over The Edges. This was only the very beginning of a fast and wild ride.
W.K. signed a recording contract with Island Def Jam Records/Universal Music, and began the recording of his debut full-length CD. Titled I Get Wet, the albums release in 2001 caused a widespread and diverse wave of reaction, landing W.K. on the covers international music magazines, like Englands NME, which featured him not once, but twice on the cover of the same issue (adding an additional page to accommodate the double image). More press followed, catapulting W.K. to overnight exposure in the international music world. Magazines worldwide praised the originality and undeniable intensity of his music, and articles in GQ, Rolling Stone, Spin, Q, Mojo, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Jane, The New Yorker, FHM, Playboy, Oui, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Alternative Press, i-D, The Face, Dazed & Confused, Bizzare, Newsweek, The New York Post, Stuff, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, and dozens and dozens of others all agreed that the A.W.K. style had made its mark in the wide world of music.
Now that Andrew W.K. had arrived, it was time to take the music to the stage, and Andrew had to form a band. Instead of auditioning random applicants, Andrew decided to write a letter to his favorite drummer, a man named Donald Tardy, who plays in the band Obituary. Andrew sent Donald the music and asked if he would join his band. Having no expectations, Andrew was shocked when Tardy wrote back and agreed to play this music. After Donald came an additional 7 musicians, including Gregg Roberts (bass guitar, vocals), Sgt. Frank (guitar), Jimmy Coup (guitar, vocals), Kendall A. (guitar, vocals), E. Payne (guitar, vocals), John Sutton (guitar), and even a second drummer, Richie Russo, who played on stage next to Donald, in perfect synchronicity. Andrew relocated to Brandon, Florida in order to rehearse with the band and prepare the music for live performances. Immediately following the release of I Get Wet, Andrew W.K. and his newly formed band began a world tour, which would continue for 3 years and over 500 concerts. Major U.S. tours, including highly coveted Ozzfest and Warped Tour dates, as well as countless hall and arena shows with everyone from Aerosmith, to The Locust, gave the music even further exposure and proved that A.W.K. music goes beyond genre and can fit in anywhere. Major network television appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan OBrien, Last Call With Carson Daly, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, CNN, Fox Sports, Access Hollywood, Top Of The Pops, and MTV led to an eventual T.V. series of his own, entitled Your Friend, Andrew W.K.. The show featured Andrew giving personal advice to fans who wrote in asking for help. MTV2 presented the series, along with countless other Andrew W.K. appearances on both MTV, VH1, Much Music, and FUSE.
In the midst of his non-stop schedule, Andrew recorded and released his second album, The Wolf, which was received with enthusiasm by both fans and the media alike. The album was recorded much in the same tradition W.K. established on his earliest songs, with Andrew himself playing every instrument, and recording track after track of music, with each song totally at least 90 individual parts. Andrew and his band took the new album to the stage and performed tours across the globe, including festivals in Reading, Leeds, Tokyo, Osaka, and Taiwan. During this wave of shows, Andrew broke his foot on stage, while getting tangled in his own microphone cable. Rather than sit it out and heal at home, W.K. decided to continue the tour, and played the remaining 60 shows in a wheelchair. One of these performances was filmed at the Spike T.V. Video Game Awards. Earlier in the year, W.K. had sustained a head injury during the filming of his music video, We Want Fun, with director Spike Jonze, for the Jackass Movie soundtrack. Despite these physical setbacks, the music continued and the party continue to spread, one person at a time.
At the close of 2004, Andrew began work on the massive Who Knows? live-concert movie. In it, more than 300 hours of live concert footage, spanning 1992-2004, was condensed into a rapid-fire viewing experience. The film was edited using a special multi-track video process, in which multiple performances can be synchronized and edited together, with the audio and video overlapping to create a seamless sequence of shots from different concerts. The movie was screened at sell-out shows in New York City and Hollywood, where Andrew performed in-person piano solos. Who Knows? was released on DVD by Music Video Distributors / R. Jayne / R.C.U. Video.
Andrew W.K. is currently recording music for a multitude of new releases for 2006 and 2007. He still lives in New York City.