E Airness Unum: Swag Me To Hell Part 1

    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!

E Airness Unum: Air Guitar Heroes

    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.

© blumenkamp verlag, 2012

© blumenkamp verlag, 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.


    Peace and love to everyone~

E Airness Unum: Hot Lixx Hulahan

    On this Friday, June 15th, Portland will kick off the 2012 US Air Guitar tournament and proudly commemorate the unprecedented achievement of claiming three world championships since 2003. The most recent such victor is none other than Hot Lixx Hulahan himself (aka C. Billmeier), who decimated the global competition in 2008 to follow legends like C-Diddy and Sonyk-Rok into the whispered realms of air guitar history. Take a gander at his title-clinching performance in the video below:

    There is no question that the above-mentioned display of a pure love for rock music perfectly embodies the quintessential spirit of freedom. Liberty is what countless others  have fought over, died for and won decisively to preserve; Hot Lixx's choice of "Plane Crash" by the Toadies in Round One is chosen brilliantly chosen for its brash sound, enduring spirit and upbeat attitude after a prolonged period of musical stagnation in self-pity and hollow commercialism. At once memorable, catchy and inspiring, Hot Lixx Hulahan's antics proved through two successive rounds that America knew exactly what rock and roll really meant.

    Some role models don't come better than this.