Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier, better known by the stage name Andrew W.K., always encourages his listeners to party.
His music is raucous, blunt and loud, but it effectively embraces and celebrates the inherent ridiculousness of the hard-rock genre. And for those who really listen to what W.K. has to say, the ever-present command to party has a deeper meaning.
W.K.'s rock career stems from his childhood piano lessons. He began taking piano lessons when he was about 5 years old.
"My dad had played piano so there was always a piano in the house, and he took lessons from time to time, so I was exposed to that early on," said W.K.
W.K.'s interest in music never waned, and he began composing his songs and branching out to guitar, bass and percussion. But he always returned to piano.
"You can just sit down, press those keys, and you're going to get interesting sounds and you're going to get interesting feelings," W.K. said. "From the beginning, I was always more inclined to mix stuff up and more excited about that than learning other pieces or sight-reading."
In his early 20s, W.K. kicked off his party-god career with the controversial 2001 debut album "I Get Wet," which featured a photo of W.K. on the cover sporting an extremely bloody nose.
Although the album received very mixed reviews and tepid commercial success, "I Get Wet" has reached a cultish status. You've probably heard key tracks like "Party Hard" and "It's Time to Party" coming at you from your television or a bar sound system. Both of the songs are the perfect homage to the blunt, masculine rock that dominated the early 2000s charts. Perhaps these songs will serve a slightly different purpose 14 years later, tugging at nostalgic millennial heartstrings.
Although rock music has always been the main focus of W.K.'s career, the pianist has veered down a number of other paths, including some that might surprise longtime listeners. In the mid-2000s, W.K. began touring as a motivational speaker, traveling to venues like Yale University, New York University and the University of Wisconsin. Currently, W.K. writes an advice column in the Village Voice, addressing all sorts of questions that readers send him about life and love.
For W.K., the concept of partying is less about substance abuse or losing control and more about reveling in the experience of being alive.
"I'm someone who personally has been very negative himself and has really struggled with that kind of shadow and anger and just what you might call bad feelings in general," W.K. said. "Going back quite a ways, I always looked for something that pulled me out of that. That's really why I started doing any of this stuff -- the whole Andrew W.K. adventure is based on trying to get closer to joy, trying to spread joy, trying to feel joy personally and be with other people who are looking for that same feeling."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, W.K.'s Anchorage show will be all about partying while doing some good for others. The concert will benefit the Toys for Tots campaign, and fans can look forward to a straightforward rock performance of all of W.K.'s biggest hits. The show will feature W.K.'s full band, including two guitar players, a bass player, a drummer and W.K. on keyboards and vocals.
For someone who has essentially said "yes" to whatever life has thrown his way, it's hard to believe that W.K. is only now making it to the 49th state. "It's really thrilling to go somewhere after all these years that you haven't already been," said W.K.
Ultimately, W.K. is looking forward to creating an experience for Anchorage fans that they won't forget.
"(Party) is a very simple word … I think everyone understands it in their own way and in a very effortless way as celebrating something you're thankful for," said W.K.
"And if you can be thankful to exist, then you have a reason to party every day."
Andrew W.K.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19
Where: Williwaw (601 F St.)
Tickets: General admission is $35 and meet and greet packages are available for $70 at etix.com.