Andrew WK Gets Los Angeles Wet

Andrew WK reunited his entire band for a raging tour with powerhouse team Math the Band. As an homage to the 10^th anniversary of his first album I Get Wet, he set out to strike the world again with a set full of party-starting rock and roll.  Mindful of his beloved West Coast fans and their need for rock with speed, WK stopped at the Avalon to play an all-ages show.  This historic occasion brought all walks of life to the Hollywood Venue.  The music, though entirely hinged on everlasting parties and ragers, seems to please the masses.  His theme crosses over several fan bases due to its universal and rather timeless nature.  He wants people to always know that a party is a party no matter who, what, when, where, why, or how it happens.

Electro-punk duo Kevin Steinhauser and Justine Mainville, better known as Math the Band, took to the stage like two balls of energy spraying out colorful noise.  Packed with plenty of screaming and jumping, their set was anything but tame.  Though it was a challenge to make out what they were saying half of the time, their message became clear fairly soon – “We are here to party with you. Come join the fun!”  

Using video game loops and analog synthesizers, they created a unique pair that rivaled what one might imagine witnessing if the late great White Stripes imbibed twenty-too-many Red Bulls.  With songs like their most recent single “Four to Six” as well as “Why Don’t You Get a Haircut,” they really brought the house down.  Along side the band’s founder Steinhauser, Mainville busted enough high kicks to outshine a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader any day.  Their sound was nothing less than loud, fast-paced, and aggressive.  The simple lyrics and pop loops kept people dancing.  All in all, their set was the perfect predecessor to the reckoning that was to ensue when Andrew WK and company took over.

Setting the stage, a massive backdrop of beloved WK’s face with blood dripping down his chin and mouth laced the background.  The room dimmed, the alarm sounded, and search lights scanned the floor.  “Hello everybody, it’s time to party,” said the ominous Barry White voice as the lights went out. After an epic guitar intro, the entire band ripped into “It’s Time to Party” and “Party Hard.”  Four guitars, a triple kick-drum set, WK himself on the keys, and the each band member standing in front of a mic certainly shredded the faces of onlookers.  This band is where ’80s hair bands and metal grunge-heads came to feel like they were not alone anymore; and this goes without saying that his wife Cherie Pourtabib (also known as Cherie Lily) was sure to join the band for the entire show clad in Cher’s famous “Turn Back Time” video outfit.  Nonetheless, she rocked just as hard as the rest of the crew and added a pleasant female element to the oozing testosterone surrounding her.

WK entertained with quirky faces and silly idle hand gestures swiping across his body and face between songs.  Moving on to older favorites such as “She Is Beautiful” and “Party ‘til You Puke,” he fed the hungry hearts of grunge-heads, doppels of his likeness, hipsters, teeny-boppers, and everyone else in-between.  Luscious locks of hair flew as the band headbanged the night away with “Fun Night” and “Got to Do It.”  The party master dedicated the close of his set, “Don’t Stop Living in the Red,” and of course, “I Get Wet,” to Math the Band, and the crowd went wild.  Throngs of crowd surfers spun threw the air; and during “I Get Wet,” many a cocktail made its way over the heads of the audience, dowsing them in booze and ice.

All this madness in the name of partying was not to be dismissed so easily, however.  WK returned to the stage to play “Victory Strikes Again,” which relayed the most perfect guitar riffs yet.  He then brought back the wild energy with “Totally Stupid.”  Not to disappoint his diehard fans, however, he delivered the two remaining hits “We Want Fun” and the old favorite “Headbang,” creating perhaps one of Avalon’s largest mosh pits and head-banging waves to date. 

Without fail, Andrew WK’s 10^th Anniversary I Get Wet tour was a party to be attended.  His next California stop on the tour is the Glass House in Pomona on March 10^th followed by his enormous stretch of seven appearances in Texas next week (March 13-18^th) for the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference.  If Wayne’s World were a musical, it would be directed by Andrew WK; and Waynestock would take place at SXSW.  Party on, Andrew WK!