Following up on the previous post, here are more examples of image manipulation hijinks with members of the US Air Guitar community.
Left to right: Stroock, 2013 Air Guitar World Championships runner-up; Melin, 2013 AGWC winner; Facemelter, 2013 US Air Guitar Championships winner.
Left to right: Mitt Umlaut, The CorpAIRation, Brock McRock, Cleoplectra, Van Dammage, Rockupine, Soulstice, Airosol, The Shred.
Left to Right: Soulstice, Justice Rocktor, Captain Airhab, Jean-Luc Pickguard, Vlad DM Wailer, The Lost Heartbreaker, Marteeka, President Baberham Lincoln, Cold Steel Renegade.
For a few years now, it's become a minor tradition to Photoshop various members from the US Air Guitar community into spoofs of modern and popular culture. Current USAG Nationals champion Lieutenant Facemelter, along with two-time Nationals finalists Flying Finn and Van Dammage, are some of the main contributors to this pastime.
In the image below, 2013 Air Guitar World ChampionMean Melin (Kansas City, KS) is depicted in the first row, Doug the Thunderstroock of Washington, D.C., (runner-up to Melin) is behind, followed by fourth-place winner Nordic Thunder (2012 AGWC gold medalist from Chicago, IL) and then completed with fifth-place finisher Lieutenant Facemelter of San Diego, CA. This particular lineup marks the first time in AGWC history that four of the top five spots were claimed by representatives of the same country.
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The second work was inspired by last fall's celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month then based on a poster for the first "Machete" film. Clockwise from the top are two-time Nationals finalist Dry Ice (Chicago, IL), rookie shredder Veneno (Houston, TX), USAG stage mascot Air Bear (Houston, TX), another two-time Nationals contender Tony Tapatio (the irresistible force of sexual nature in Seattle, WA) and Midwest metal maiden mainstay AirLeigh Legal (Rocky River, OH).
In drawing this series to a close with the final set of images, it must be said that much deliberation was made in deciding which of the many wonderful people in the air guitar community were selected for the project.
First and foremost were the Air Guitar World Champions, USAG Hall of Fame inductees and recent Nationals finalists , followed by perennial contenders, tournament mainstays and rising stars, then rounded out with those who could represent the diverse characters that this annual event has attracted over the years. Regretfully, some were not included due to various reasons and ultimately this outcome feels satisfactory in showcasing a respectful range of air guitarists who earned and deserve more exposure.
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Note: Any changes to stage names were made after completion of the artwork.
Mainly separated by national regions, this penultimate collection of core and fringe members of the US Air Guitar family is presented below in the postcard series.
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Note: Any changes to stage names were made after completion of the artwork.
During this past off-season, there was discussion between a few air guitarists of producing limited-edition promos to enhance the US Air Guitar brand. In 2011, the trading cards that Lieutenant Facemelter (Creative Director of USAG) designed were distributed nationwide to critical acclaim and demand for more keepsakes further intensified. Many projects were pitched yet with the new format, only a scant number came to fruition as of this post. One vein of artwork which did survive the process was re-purposed into a set of collectible postcards, which was meant to illustrate the diverse number of people who have been a part of USAG since its inception in 2003. The images below are a series that have been split to be paired with another card to form a whole. Physical manifestations of each have mostly been given away to this year's participants in the Northeast, though there are some that hope to make it to Finland as well.
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More images will be shared of this series, so keep checking back until all are revealed and y'all might even see someone you know!
On Tuesday, July 2nd, air guitarists from Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia and New York gathered at the Bowery Ballroom to exhibit their skills at playing an invisible instrument. Arbitrated by Hot Lixx Hulahan (2008 Air Guitar World Champion), Awesome (former San Francisco regional champion) and Aidy Bryant (cast member of Saturday Night Live), each participant received scores from 4.0 up to 6.0 according to the criteria of "technical merit" (musical accuracy), "stage presence" (exploitation of the dais) and "airness" (qualities that elevate pantomime to art). The evening's emcee was Bjorn Turoque ("Air Guitar Nation" and "To Air is Human") and graciously sponsored by Martens Pilsner and St. Feuillen Saison thanks to the connections of Ricky Stinkfingers (US Air Guitar Hall of Fame inductee).
In deciding the performance order of Round One, past regional championship winners were granted their own choices in the lineup whereas prior Dark Horse Invitational victors, qualifying event hosts, qualifier champs and wildcards then drew the remaining numbers at random. After Marlboro Man (of Yankee Stadium jumbotron fame) and Shreddy Mercury (erstwhile Brooklyn champ) volunteered for the opening spots, a cast of five finalists for Round Two were eventually selected from the field of nearly twenty entrants. Wildcards included PWN Jett (NYC), The Ghost of Operation Rockapussy (Boston), Spudboy (NYC) and Lady Air-a-Bella of the Brooklyn Bellas (NYC); qualifying event hopefuls comprised of Captain Airhab (Boston host), MathRomancer (NYC-Brooklyn host), Rocka Khan (NYC-Manhattan host), David C. Roth (NYC), Air Jesus (KC), Thunderball (KC), G. Tso Money (NYC), Smiley Rod (NYC) and Mitt Umlaut (NYC).
The halftime entertainment featured two-time National Champion William Ocean, Airistotle (currently ranked #2 in the world), Stinkfingers, Shreddy, Justice Rocktor and The Thunder.
The videos below are the compulsory round acts with judges' comments, where Rockupine (Boston qualifier gold medalist) finished third but evidence of his efforts were unfortunately lost due to corruption and mismanagement.
Jean-Luc Pickguard (Boston qualifier runner-up) showed at fifth:
Danny Tanner Tantrum (2012 Boston regional champ) took fourth:
Windhammer (2012 Philadelphia titleholder) came second:
Mean Melin (USAG Hall of Fame and the organization's Social Media Manager in Kansas City) claimed the top spot:
Stay tuned for more light to be shed on the 2013 USAG Mid-Atlantic Semifinals held on July 19th at the 9:30 Club~
For the halftime entertainment on July 19th at the 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., air guitar legend The Shred performs Rush's 2112 which was then followed by 2012 Air Guitar World Champion Nordic Thunder (Chicago, IL) tearing up the stage with a six-minute-sixty-six-second medley tribute to Jeff Hanneman and Slayer.
From humble beginnings of the US Air Guitar tournament ten years ago, this musical and performance arts event has steadily gained cult status as a grassroots form of achieving world peace via harmonious relationships through common interests. This mutual agreement that taking the stage with an invisible instrument to demonstrate how firearms have no place in rock 'n roll is the binding force that continues to attract and unite Americans unwilling to let dignity stand in the way of global cohesion.
In recent years, few others have consistently represented the colorful and free-spirited city of San Francisco quite like Cold Steel Renegade (aka Matt F.); instantly recognizable by his flowing locks, mutton chops, astroturf armbands and suggestive spandex, this Adonis of airness narrowly missed making history with a fourth consecutive regional title of the Gold Mountain yet was a memorable highlight of elephantine proportions at the 2012 USAG National Championships halftime show in Denver, Colorado.
2009 SF regional sponsored by Boone's Farm.
Equally as impressive as his gift for rhythmic footwork is a compassionate nature most befitting for one who spends much time helping socially disadvantaged people in the Bay Area. CSR's rich experiences of readjusting less-capable citizens meshes well with the air guitar philosophy that patience, dedication and goodwill are key elements to building a better society, so it should come as no surprise that he was formally inducted into the USAG Hall of Fame this year.
The Air Guitar World Championships is a celebration of music enjoyment, mutual understanding and world peace. Thousands of people from all over the planet gather each summer in the town of Oulu, Finland for this event that bridges language barriers, religious beliefs and political leanings to find out which international representative best embodies the philosophy that by holding an air guitar one cannot commit atrocities with a firearm. Though superficially confusing and at times downright inane, none who participate in this annual quest for global harmony can deny its earnest desire to bring about the best in others through rhythmic and physical expressions.
One such competitor, Germany's own Geeky Gisbert (aka J. Fischer), conceived the notion that not only could air guitarists convey their individual messages on stage but also via stories collected then printed for all audiences to peruse at leisure. With the United States of America's fourth world champion in ten years, Nordic Thunder of Chicago, as one of his main liaisons, Gilbert was able to compile and edit an impressive number of backgrounds on air guitarists the world over for this first edition of "Air Guitar Heroes - Vom Spielen der Luftgitarre (About Playing Air Guitar)" published by blumenkamp in August of 2012.
Comprised mostly of entrants from Western countries such as Great Britain, the United States, Germany and France, this fascinating look into the diversely personal histories of Earth's most outstanding air guitarists offers a tantalizing glimpse into defining moments of their lives sixty seconds at a time. One notable trait that all these writers shared was a love and respect of live music performances with a clear goal of conflict-free unification.
Despite being surrounded by anonymous detractors who unceasingly decry this pursuit as nothing more than vapid and masturbatory adolescent antics, the invisible bonds among air guitarists which come about from determination, dedication and discipline are undeniably real.
The experiences that one can treasure for a lifetime are best measured by doing what one truly believes is the right thing to do then finding out that it was the correct course of action after all.
Another season marking this glorious decade of US Air Guitar begins next month and undoubtedly its venerable cast of characters has been instrumental to maintaining such rousing success.
California is one of the hotbeds from which various strong contenders to the National Crown continue to emerge; Lieutenant Facemelter (nee Jason F.) has waged an impressive campaign for this honor and proved himself a force to be reckoned by becoming a two-time Regional Champion (San Diego in 2010 and Seattle in 2011). This madman of the West Coast pulls no punches and leaves no floaters on his way to capturing the hearts and minds of fellow air guitarists who long for a chance to earn their spot this year at the National Finals in Denver.
One of the demented brainchildren behind a hilarious line of USAG trading cards, Lt. Facemelter is a powerhouse of brains and spirit as evidenced by his technical institute credentials and "user experience design" work in the medical industry. He and the missus also have a corgi named Koopa (geek alert!).
Update: Last month at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, Lt. Facemelter was crowned the 2013 US Air Guitar National Champion and also placed fifth at the Air Guitar World Championships.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothAIRs and sistAIRs. For they today who shred their chords with me shall be my brothAIR or sistAIR; be never so vile."
