Breaking Music News: June 2008 Archives

One could be forgiven for hesitating for not jumping at the chance to go see an air guitar competition. After all, isn't air guitar what slightly post-pubescent boys are known for? Something that most of us grow out of. Well with this in mind, I thought I would check out the Los Angeles Regionals of the Cuervo Black US Air Guitar Championships last week held at the Troubadour. (photo gallery here)

Boy, was I surprised! Expecting to want to leave after half an hour, I stayed the whole night, "listening" to 20 contestants and seven finalists compete to go the national event in San Francisco in August. The guys were so passionate about what they do, it just become infectious.

Almost every contestant had a gimmick, be it dressed in a tux, stuffing a sock in places that rock stars are known for, dressing as a mime, or wearing a tear-away to be pulled off when the music got hot. The sell-out crowd couldn't get enough, some wearing t-shirts reading " the axes are invisible, but the chops are real" cheering for their favorites and booing those who didn't reach the bar of "airness".

Three judges ranked the 'guitarists' using the parameters of Technical Prowess, Stage Presence and Airness using a figure skating like system from 4.0-6.0. Airness is defined as defined as "the extent to which the air guitar performance exceeds the imitation of playing guitar and becomes an art form in and of itself." Stage names were chosen to enhance whatever image the competitor was trying to portray. They included Houston Rockit, The Guitarsonist, (who claimed to be from Shreddenberg, Germany) The Caplickster, the Crusher and The Rockunomacon, interviewed below.

After each contestant got 60 seconds to show their stuff with their own choice of music, ratings were tallied and it was time for the final compulsory round. Seven competed, getting one listen to Hocus Pocus by Focus to envision their moves. Some of the younger ones didn't seem familiar with the 1971 instrumental song by the Moving Waves and went into a bit of panic mode.

In the end, it seemed that histrionic crowd pleasers won out over the aforementioned judging criteria, with Justin Hypes, known as Houston Rockit, winning the crowd and the judges by coming off stage, hanging upside down from a rail by his legs, and air guitaring upsided down. Maybe that was "airness", I don't know. But what it was, was fun.

A documentary that several attendees of Thursday night's show recommended, called Air Guitar Nation is supposedly riveting. Following is my Q and A with the Rockunomacon, AKA Patrick Brodeur of Huntington Beach.

Q: Who is your Muse?
A: Eddie Van Halen. He is a true guitartist.

Q: How did you decide that you should be an air guitarist?
A: From a Ouiji board. We had a seance and I discovered that I was born to rock. I dropped out of law school and started practicing air guitar.

Q: Do you play real guitar?
A:No, anyone can play guitar. Air guitar takes lighting reflexes and a lack of a parasympathetic nervous system.

Q: What separates everyday air guitarist from competitiors?
A: They haven't earned it. I've been on the side of the road, air guitaring for money.

Q: How do you get into the zone?
A: I channel Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio - before Ozzie, to really rock.

Q: Why do you do this?
A: I hope to be able to share my love of aggressive rock and roll with an audience.

Q: Other comments?
A: Everyone should compete once in an air guitar contest. I think they will find their inner rock star and find out stuff about themselves they would never know otherwise.

-DAVID SPRAGUE

A former champion shows how its done.

Andrew "William Ocean" Litz Winner of the 2007 Cuervo Black US Air Guitar Championship

Ok, this should be some fun. I've never attended one of these, but I'm going to make the effort to see, or not see, someone playing guitar at the Troubadour in West Hollywood Thursday night.

Can someone not playing an instrument be entertaining? We'll see and report back to you. Come on down and join the fun! Should be at least be good for some laughs.