Andrew W.K.

Andrew W.K. is about as irrepressible as a person can be—a kinda-sorta star who got big by way of what was essentially a karaoke act and then grabbed that kinda-sorta bigness and made a lot of it. His eclectic range of side projects and pet causes includes Santos Party House, a club that handles rock shows and deep-house dance parties like there’s no difference at all, as well as countless TV appearances, and even motivational speaking engagements. These days, Andrew W.K. is bridging the gap between his punkish past and conceptual, classical composition, frequently teaming with The Calder Quartet to blend classical and contemporary repertoire, and releasing albums like 2009’s 55 Cadillac, which marked a pretty big departure from his previous conventional rock recordings with all solo piano improvisation and a more peripatetic feel.

Updated 12/20/2011