Back in 2011, Chicago hosted the ninth US Air Guitar National Championships, then in this season bore witness to a plethora of worthy talents rising to stake their winning claims in the absence of a regular defender of the Windy City crown. Needless to say, many promising gusts and gales made their fortunate way to the Bluebird Theater in Denver.
All-around fun girl and Chi-town air guitar scene staple Rocky Rhoads (nee Gina C.) stormed into the Nationals at Bluebird on July 24th, fresh from being awarded the Dark Horse Invitational winner just two nights prior at Bender's Tavern. This whirling dervish of rock energy masqueraded in the guise of a bubbly demeanor yet packed enough punch to floor the crowd and impress the hell out of fellow practitioners.
Exhibit A:
More scandalous footage from the previous day was then found, which depicted the final moments of an NYC air guitarist named MathRomancer before he was traded for three cases of beer as Rhoads was gleefully sandwiched between Peter Stiff Dickens, Mean Melin and Captain Airhab. Eventually it was resolved as a misunderstanding and quickly forgotten while it rained CorpAIRation bucks in the party bus.
Exhibit B:
Loaded with charm, cheer and chops, this manic pixie of airness warrants more than a passing notice. If Rocky Rhoads is spotted anywhere, please contact someone immediately by dialing (347) 450-SETH.
The tenth annual US Air Guitar tournament has culminated with a new National Champion and the former title holder going on to bring a fourth Air Guitar World Championship crown back to America. Only Finland boasts more wins with five total since 1996.
****ROCK****
Appearing with a bevy of 2012 USAG finalists at the Bluebird Theater in Denver this past July was none other than Flying Finn (nee Andrew), who last season had nearly won representation for the city of Chicago but this year earned special bragging rights in Minnesota as its prodigal son of air guitar. Being the hometown hero intensified an already building cloud of airness but those mighty Finns bore it as a badge of rock 'n roll; the struts, windmills and kicks delivered many artistic flourishes properly balanced by a honed edge in this rousing display:
In addition to spending time to raise an awesome family, Finn puts his other technical skills into creating digital tributes of various members from the air guitar community.
Behold...
While Finn cuts an imposing figure in real life and much more so on stage, this man is well-versed in embracing this curious fellowship amongst air guitarists and fostering a greater kinship with anyone who shares the same sense of humor.
Awoooooo~
"To err is human, but to air guitar...divine." - Bjorn Turoque
Coming soon to the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Colorado - featuring regional champions Danny Tanner Tantrum (Boston), Flying Finn (Minneapolis), The White Flame (Chicago), Um (Seattle) and Tommy Fretless (Washington, D.C.) among an ensemble cast of over a dozen of the most talented airists in the United States! One night show only on July 21st, 2012, so get your tickets *NOW* at the US Air Guitar website!!!
Co-starring five of the top air guitarists in the USA!
Just scant few weeks remain until the 2012 US Air Guitar tournament kicks off across the nation in its search for an ambassador to carry a message of peace to the World Championships in Oulu, Finland. Having birthed three of Earth's mightiest air guitar heroes since 2003, America is clearly primed and ready to bring home a fourth world title.
While one can easily make the assumption that air guitar is exclusively a boys' club, there would be some sistAIRs who take exception to that - Airosol (nee Cami P.) from the Land of 10,000 Lakes has proved that a healthy mix of brio, beauty and brilliance is more than enough to warrant a place among other air guitar legends. With a trademark leg-flip that has yet to replicated or even attempted in competition, this diminutive firebrand from Minnesota always leaves the fans clamoring for more.
A veteran gymnastics instructor and first-time mother (the video above was taken mere months after receiving her bundle of joy), this winner of four regional championships has since pirouetted gracefully into the halls of royalty as Emeritus Queen of the USAG Northwest Territories. The legacy of Airosol is a testament to the equality and respect that is shared among all air guitarists.
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."
Buoyed by a brief taste of on-stage rapture at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. several days ago, G. Tso Money returned to the Empire State for a no-holds-barred throwdown with US Air Guitar heavyweights Windhammer (Rob W.), Airistotle (Matt B.), Ricky Stinkfingers (Alex F.), Shreddy Mercury (Seth L.), Dean Razorback (Tom S.), Lady Air-a-Bella of the Brooklyn Bellas (Sara A.C.) along with Mitt Umlaut (Tom C.), MathRomancer (Paul M.), DagNasty-O (John D.) and Mystery Meat (Brady M.).
For two consecutive nights in June of 2011, Gotham saw fit to host a multitude of rare talents in search of worthy contenders to the mantle of the USAG National Champion; Airistotle claimed a resounding and well-earned victory at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan on the 15th, and the field was once again wide open for the remaining hopefuls the following evening in Brooklyn. Due to the temporary hiatus of former US champion William Ocean (Andrew J.L.) and the unfortunate return of celebrity judge Jason Jones from Comedy Central's The Daily Show, unpredictable results were guaranteed at the Brooklyn Bowl.
Combined with a solid showing in Round One and consistently low scores from the aforementioned Mr. Jones (one of his comments was "too Asian" of a performance by G. Tso Money), striking distance was maintained while ranked behind Mitt Umlaut and Shreddy Mercury. Round Two's song of choice was "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister (Tyrannosaurus Rocks/Masturbating Booger's first round track in D.C. the year earlier) and thus the video below bore evidence of how the audience responded to G. Tso Money.
After the song ended, Jones was first to exclaim in disbelief at the sight he had just witnessed and upped his prior score of 5.5 to a solid 5.9 which the other judges mirrored with their own near-perfect marks. Sadly, it was was not enough to overcome a fearlessly stunning act by Mitt (who ran onto the bowling lanes and shredded mightily to everyone's delight) and Shreddy's impressive point lead. The Brooklyn crown and automatic berth in Chicago's National Finals ultimately went to Seth, who represented admirably amongst other Regional champs this past July.
The 2011 season for G. Tso Money would officially draw to a close on the 18th in Philadelphia, but this whole experience was infinitely valuable in becoming more familiar with the ever-elusive quality known as "airness" that so many others had demonstrated on stage. In fact, one of the most enduring memories was gaining the respect of fellow air guitar practitioners in finally being recognized as an equal by generous pillars of the community. This mutual love for music and the exhilaration of rocking out underneath the spotlights had brought us all closer together and further cemented our bonds as family - the 2012 US Air Guitar season will be yet another enjoyable reunion and opportunity to share the individual journeys that all have participated in on the quest for world peace through air guitar.
"No Strings to Rule them All. No Strings to Excite Them. No Strings to Bring Them All and in the Airness Unite Them."
- The Thrash Prince of Hell Air, G. Tso Money
In a previous post I had mentioned wanting to see "Cloud Gate" (aka "the Bean") in Chicago during the 2011 US Air Guitar Nationals week - this being my first extended visit to Illinois, much revelry was to be had with many friends over the next few days and thus Millennium Park was a truly rewarding source of inspiration from and admiration for the Windy City.
Navigation of the Chicago Transit Authority train system proved convenient due to a familiarity with the complexities of New York City, and the Orange line from Midway Airport delivered me straight to Madison-Wabash Station which was a mere block from my destination. Despite a sluggish July heat pervading the Midwest, I eagerly followed the shadows at a decent stride with luggage in tow towards the lake. Emerging from the concrete canyon of West Madison Street into its intersection with North Michigan Avenue afforded a brief glint of the mid-afternoon sun sparkling off the metal monstrosity created by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Though Jaume Plensa's monolithic "Crown Fountain" video sculpture flirted with my attention at the park entrance, the increasing allure of justifying this trip to AT&T Plaza as well as the siren call of over-priced hot dogs drew me upstairs instead. Peering through the stone railings on the south side of the plaza while ascending the stone steps, faint wisps of excited chatter floated past me until "the Bean" finally hove into full view. After settling down on the east side of the square at a sparsely-shaded table, I rolled a cigarette and took these notes.
7/20/11 3:30 pm
The size is impressive - a full height taller than most visitors standing within the concave underside. Surrounding skyscrapers arch gleefully towards the apex (standing 33 feet above ground). Multiple perspectives are visible from even a single viewing location. The polished and curved metal surface seamlessly reflects every object in a complete panorama. Despite its manufactured existence, the very identity and nature of the sculpture is organic. A blend of artificial and natural environments is accurately echoed by this high-concept, grand-scaled and truly unique work of art. The simplistic appearance is enjoyable for people from all walks and any stage of life, though a lasting appreciation is attainable by attempting to answer the many questions it raises of our own beings. Much like the seed of a fruit-bearing plant, this represents the potential of many new discoveries for humankind.
To further cement its distinctive impression, I walked around the 66-feet-long structure in a spiral circuit until reaching the comfortably shaded arch where many others had already taken refuge from the heat. In addition to the whimsically distorted images of others present, particular interest was paid to the multitude of hand prints and smudges left behind on the steel. Unlike the myriad of graffiti and stickers that pervade NYC structures, these marks were clearly meant to convey ephemeral messages by each individual who also came to enjoy what has become a world-class landmark in Chicago.
After this immersion in contemporary visual culture, I felt an invigorated sense of purpose in my own artistic ventures then reluctantly yet optimistically continued the journey to Ukrainian Village for a long-awaited reunion with Justin H. (aka "Nordic Thunder"), Chelsie J. (aka "Cannonballmavin") and other members of the US Air Guitar family from all over America. Though my luck and performance that week fell short of obtaining the 2011 USAG Championship title, ultimately I came away with an immeasurable wealth of love and respect for everyone who made this Baltimoron feel right at home in the Windy City.
With a highly-anticipated trip to Chicago commencing in mere days, the question arose of what else to do in town other than attend the 2011 US Air Guitar Dark Horse Invitational (location TBA) and National Finals at Metro.
Having lived in New York City for several years now, I was hesitant of adopting the predictable tourist character and planned to seek out more underground cultures to absorb with the help of local friends. My persistence at remaining fringe and alternative, owed to a passion for rocking an invisible instrument in front of large crowds, was recently put into doubt by an off-hand suggestion from fellow competitor and brothAIR-in-unloaded-arms, Brock McRock (aka Taylor F.) of Houston, Texas.
Some months ago, Cloud Gate in Millennium Park was not much more than a mildly interesting idea to me until further research yielded the details of the project by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. The images and information that were found online increased my enthusiasm to determine if this sculpture is worthy of its praise and similar to my own artistic values.
The next post should provide a more in-depth look and critical reaction to "the Bean."
