Excitable man-pup Andrew W.K. will be dusting off his leathers for a forthcoming tour with Ramones drummer Marky Ramone.
Ramone – who, although not present on The Ramones’ classic 1976 debut, played on-and-off with the band from 1978-1996 – currently leads Ramones revival act Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg. The band, previously fronted by The Misfits’ Michael Emanuel, now has a new lead vocalist – party zealot/failed diplomat/Blaine-botherer Andrew W.K.
As Pitchfork report, W.K. will front Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg on a forthcoming world tour, and will be given the opportunity to rattle through 30+ classics from the Ramones archive. According to Ramone, the pair were a natural fit:
“I first met Andrew through a mutual friend and he told me about his party philosophy, which has also always been my exact take on life. We went into the rehearsal studio and it just clicked. We had so much fun that we wanted to invite everyone to the party. I’ve said before and I will say it again, these songs are too good not to be played live!!!”
W.K.’s reaction is, as ever, heartening and ridiculous in equal measure:
“When Marky Ramone asks you to be his singer, you don’t even think about it. It’s an automatic, YES. I was intimidated by the magnitude of the opportunity – freaked out and overwhelmed – but I was also completely determined and focused – it’s something I had to do. Even just the first rehearsal felt like an odyssey, but that’s how you can tell the experience is changing your life. I’ve never had a more rewarding, humbling, or challenging invitation than this, and I’m serving the gods via this incredible sound Marky and his band created. There’s never been better rock ‘n’ roll music made than this, and I will give everything I have to do it justice.”
The news was announced during an amusing appearance on Fuse News. Tour dates are below, and include stop-offs in London, Manchester and Glasgow.
Dates:
05-03 New York, NY – Santos Party House
05-09 Novi Sad, Serbia – TRG Slobode
05-10 Rome, Italy – Crossroads Live
05-11 Zaragoza, Spain – Actitude Rock Festival
05-12 Valencia, Spain – Rock City
05-14 St. Petersburg, Russia – ClubZal
05-15 Ekaterimburg, Russia – Tele-Club
05-16 Moscow, Russia – 16 Tons
06-30 Helsinki, Finland – The Circus
07-05 Barcelona, Spain – Sala Razzmatazz
07-07 Attica, Greece – Rockwave Festival
07-19 Altes Lager, Germany – Motorcycle Jamboree
10-02 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
10-03 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
10-04 Boston, MA – Paradise
10-06 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
10-08 Chicago, IL – Metro
10-10 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
10-12 San Francisco, CA – Independent
10-15 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre
10-23 London, England – Electric Ballroom
10-24 Manchester, England – Academy
10-25 Glasgow, Scotland – Garage
