You Will Remember Tonight (er, July 5th, @ Keene St.!)

[UPDATE: Whoops…I just realized I neglected to mention that the show’s also being put on by the I Heart U crew. Sorry about that, y’all…]

Holy shit. Barring a surprise Houston stop by The Weakerthans or (less realistically) the ghost of Joe Strummer appearing in my living room to sing “Spanish Bombs,” I honestly didn’t think I’d get this excited about a show, but damn, there it is: Andrew W.K. will be playing at the Keene St. Warehouse Party (at 1620 Keene St.) on July 5th.

Yeah, I know — I was pretty underwhelmed by The Wolf, too (although now I feel like I need to pull it out again & give it a re-listen), but I Get Wet, for my money, is the only true-blue mashup of Big Dumb Rock with Big Dumb Techno that I’ve ever heard that works. “Party Hard,” “Girls Own Love,” “I Get Wet,” “She Is Beautiful”…they’re dancefloor anthems in the awesome rock club that unfortunately exists only in my head. It helps, as well, that the guy’s either a genius gone awry or a total whackjob, depending on which interview you read; he’s serious about this, one way or another.

And then, of course, there’s “You Will Remember Tonight,” off the Masters of Horror soundtrack, which is like the theme to a prom night in some Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff where all the partygoers are set to transform into hideously otherworldly beings at the stroke of midnight. Maybe I’m reading too much into the song because of the album it’s on, but I just can’t get past it — there’s the outwardly positive-sounding message, sure, but W.K.’s voice somehow lends it an aura of menace, promising that you’ll remember the night for the rest of your life because it’s a night when you’re going to change somehow. And oh, yeah — it’s a fucking incredible, pump-your-fist-and-roar anthem of a song. Click here to download & check it out…

If you’re not swayed by the fanboy blathering above, however, have no fear, ’cause this is still going to be a badass show, even if you’re not particularly partial to the musical stylings of Mr. W.K. The whole deal’s a launch party for organizer/local impresario Jacob Calle’s clothing line Golden Ghost Collection, and while I dunno much about that, I do know that there’s supposedly going to be free beer, free clothing, free pizza, free ice cream, free movie passes, and free Sparks (whatever the hell that is; I’m assuming not the ’70s band). Jacob assures that it will be quite a party, and going by the reports I heard about his We Are The Hollow Men extravaganza, I have a feeling he’s not full of shit.

Best of all, Jacob’s assembled a fine, fine crew of other bands to play the show (prior to Andrew W.K., I’d imagine), including great locals Bring Back the Guns, The Riff Tiffs, Papermoons, The Watermarks, American Sharks, Welfare Mothers, O Pioneers!!!, B., Lisa’s Sons, & BLACKIE, out-of-towners (I think?) like The Octopus Project (whom I love), Winning (mem. of Red Light Sting), & Andy Dixon (also in Winning, plus ex-Secret Mommy, and no, I’ve got no idea what that is/was), and local DJs Shoe & Damon Allen.

The party starts around 1PM and is scheduled to cruise/crash/slam along ’til 4AM the next day, which, sad to say, is waaaaaay too late for my old ass. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of, and Jacob assures that yes, despite the Keene St. warehouse blowing up a couple of days after (and perhaps because of, hmm?) We Are The Hollow Men, it is up and running and ready to become the vessel of Rock that it’s going to have to be. Put it on your calendar, people…