Andrew W.K. is a hard rock and heavy metal musician from Palo Alto and Manhattan, born in 1979 and known for a style that also draws on piano rock, pop rock and punk rock. He was born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Stanford, California, and later shortens his name to Andrew W.K. He moves to Michigan at the age of 4 and begins piano lessons at 5, studying through the University of Michigan School of Music Pedagogy programme. By his early teens, he is active in music and visual art, and in high school he plays drums and keyboard in a series of short-lived groups in southeast Michigan.

Early life and move to New York

He graduates from high school one year early at 17 and accepts a place at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but instead moves to New York City in 1997. There he supports himself with a range of jobs, including work in art galleries, department stores, avant-garde fashion boutiques, selling opera tickets, and as a gumball machine salesman, while focusing on writing and recording his own music. He also performs solo concerts using keyboard, drum machine and voice, playing in venues from coffee houses to basements along the east coast.

Recording career

Andrew W.K. signs to Island Def Jam Records/Universal Music and releases his debut full-length album, I Get Wet, in 2001. The record brings him wide attention and leads to major coverage in music magazines and newspapers in the UK, the US and elsewhere. He then forms a live band after writing to Donald Tardy of Obituary, who agrees to play drums. The touring line-up expands to include Gregg Roberts on bass and vocals, Sgt. Frank on guitar, Jimmy Coup on guitar and vocals, Kendall A. on guitar and vocals, E. Payne on guitar and vocals, John Sutton on guitar, and Richie Russo as a second drummer.

He relocates to Brandon, Florida to rehearse with the band and prepare for live work. A world tour follows, lasting three years and covering more than 500 concerts. He appears on major tours including Ozzfest and Warped Tour, and performs with acts such as Aerosmith and The Locust. He also appears on television programmes including Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Last Call With Carson Daly, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, CNN, Fox Sports, Access Hollywood, Top Of The Pops, VH1 and MTV.

Albums, films and later releases

His second album, The Wolf, follows and is recorded in the same layered way as his earlier material, with him playing every instrument and building songs from many individual parts. He tours internationally behind the record, including festival appearances in Reading, Leeds, Tokyo, Osaka and Taiwan. During this period he breaks his foot on stage, continues the remaining shows in a wheelchair, and also sustains a head injury while filming the video for “We Want Fun” with Spike Jonze for the Jackass movie soundtrack.

At the end of 2004 he begins work on Who Knows?, a live-concert film assembled from more than 300 hours of footage spanning 1992 to 2004. The film uses a multi-track video process that layers performances together, and it is shown at sell-out screenings in New York City and Hollywood, where he performs piano solos in person. It is later released on DVD.

He releases Close Calls With Brick Walls in 2006, initially only in Asia because of legal issues surrounding the name Andrew W.K. He tours South Korea and Japan that year. Later the album is released worldwide, alongside Mother of Mankind, a collection of rare and unreleased tracks from 1999 to 2010. He also releases the Japan-only EP Party All Goddamn Night in 2011. In 2018 he releases You're Not Alone, and in 2021 he releases God Is Partying, with the single “Stay True To Your Heart” appearing with the album.

Public persona and live work

Andrew W.K. gives a 2008 lecture in London in which he discusses the Andrew W.K. persona as a constructed role, later stating publicly that he is the same Andrew W.K. across his appearances. He is also associated with the television series Your Friend, Andrew W.K., in which he gives advice to viewers who write in for help. His work is tied closely to the idea of large-scale, high-energy performance, and he continues to operate as a solo artist and live performer.

Labels and associated acts

His listed labels include Skyscraper Music Maker, STEEV MIKE, V. Records, Andrew W.K. Music, Inc. and Napalm Records. Associated acts include Ancient Art of Boar, Wolf Eyes, Current 93, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg and To Live and Shave in L.A.