:: k/air-eoke ::

so i haven't been able to go to aireoke...whhy not make my own? gotta work on opening my eyes!

:: there guitar 01 & 02 ::

there date: 01
real date: 7/8/07
song: operation ivy - big city
trials: it's been a long time. i recently adjusted my truss rod, and had some trouble with the pickups and the bridge, which i was able to fix.
effect: i feel as though i actually accomplished something. i have the same cleaning feeling as after air guitar but feel as though i've made some manner of tangible progress.
learned: it's tough incorporating air moves into there guitar. not impossible, but i have problems in looking away from the fretboard and keeping up my movement. it's tough! but my new goal is to be able to have a real band again, so the air and there training will both help.



air date: 02
real date: 7/8/07
song: descendents - sick-o-me
trials: no tabs for this song anywhere on the internet, so it took me a while to figure out something close. think it sounds good, although i seem to be a little quiet.
effect: this song always make me feel better. it's not really defeatist, just sort of doing the best you can until someone gets sick of you, because what can you really do at that point? i think it makes sense milo.
learned: moving around a little more. i make some weird ass faces when i play there guitar. i think i need to work on memorizing songs more and not looking at the fretboard.

hopefully this will help my air guitar as well. i've just been insanely frustrated that i've been focusing time on air guitar and guitar hero but none one there guitar! time to step it up!

:: training day 08 ::

air date: 08
real date: 7/4/07
song: megadeth - hangar 18
trials: very very out of practice!
effect: working up personas and general rock and roll attire. i feel decent about this even if it's not the best performance. if there's one thing we can learn from KISS or GWAR, it's that if you aren't very good at what you're doing look as flashy as possible!
learned: shouldn't go so long without training! i'm getting a lot of pent up aggression that needs to be channeled into the air! make air not war!

:: NYC regionals ::

today i stopped by the bowery ballroom to at least try. this thomas sebastian does not give up. and low. tickets were available!!!

i made roo take a taxi down to go with me and it was awesome!

the performances tonight were all a little lacking. william ocean of corse being a shining star of airness in an abyss of unimaginative performances. his hot pants and sequen light up tank top, concealed under the american flag track jacket impressed us all, especially judge andrew wk.

i felt foolish that i did not enter.

i've not reached a point in my training where i felt i had a solid performance, although now i believe i might combine all i've learned and bring it to a competition.

the last song of the night was rockin' in the free world, at which point i got on stage and rocked with the likes of bjorn and willaim ocean. rachael joined as well and we all totally busted it out, pretty magial.

downstairs we took over the jukebox and played dio, yet halfway into my scorching solo some dick turned it off to put on some lesser band called wolfmother. i redeemed myself with hot for teacher and started gaining the respect of some people around me. eventually rachael got holy diver up which was rather epic and whispers started circling around us "hey that guy's pretty good!" and we received recognition from aer lingus, the man who brought air guitar to the states.

eventually bohemian rhapsody came on, and rachael and i commenced a duet. during the blazing solo, bjorn turoque was overtaken and joined in momentarily. although this was a simple gesture, i felt it acknowledged the raw power of rock within me.

it was essentially my first time playing in front of an audience, and out side of a few van halen backward runs i was pretty rooted down.

i had planned jumping off a table during stand up and shout but when the dude controlling it turned it off it sort of ruined my moment. i was going to jump from the table and land on my knees and tear into the solo and continually jump kick. at which point everyone in the room would turn around and declare and upset and encourage me to go on to a regional to enter and take the national trophy.

this did not happen.

i have more work to do, and a costume to make...but i can do these things...soon.

fear has been my mistress for too long. so fear, i SMACK thee to the side and triumphantly tread to victory. in the name of rock and roll.

:: training day 07 ::

i never elaborated on this!

i'll put it into format later...

meet fellow adventurer papows!

after a quest to the party of parties in philadelphia, we returned to my abode to be locked out...what's more...IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR!

after being in philadelphia for the past 2 days we could both really benefit from some cleansing.

so what do we do? do we succumb as most might?

NO!

the obvious choice is to go to the nearest bodega buy some irish spring soap and shower in the rain. the proper choice indeed.

then it was off to man hat to meet friend roo for sushi dinner...again walking far longer than needed in said downpour.

after dinner we receive word that my keys are in custody of a girl who was watching my roommate's dog. she's about to leave for work in 30 minutes. at this point we're about 2 miles from where she is. a bus could come, does it? no. obvious choice? give her a call and find somewhere else to stay and clean up?

WRONG!

adventure choice: run along the bus route in continued torrential downpour in the event that we may intercept one. this does not happen. we continue to run the remainder of the 2 miles, fully packed bags in tow. reach the destination with T - 1 minute to go! key checkpoint reached!

return home...everything is in order mission accomplished!

this video was not an air guitar video so much as a celebration of an adventure well executed!

papows has since returned to boston. he is missed.

:: training day 06 ::

today i saw a couple good things in different cuts of my practices. i conferred with former bandmate and friend B0B330 and decided it would be best in the spirit of learning and science to upload 2 clips of the same length of the same portions of the song to see which aspects are working better.

what works for you?

:: gaining altitude video 06a ::



:: gaining altitude video 06b ::




air date: 06
real date: 5/23/07
song: royal - haze
trials: getting over the cold, but working with some major rageahol.
effect: anger or any furious emotion, when turned into focused rage can become pure energy. this is why i've taken on the concept of the berserker for my theme, if only i could settle on a moniker!
learned: try and try again! incorporated a powerslide...although slightly unmotivated. i was off camera most of the time as well, but i feel that's okay, as i'm going for energy/education and not specifically a video record. starting to put things together, but i still stumble on slower parts.
continuing ed.: i've managed to rip my pants due to jump kicks.

:: cosmic airness ::

my actions are obviously approved of by the cosmos. i was really down when i started this, and now i'm on my way to becoming an impenitrible force of rock!

:: reference ::

today i was made aware of some competitor's video blogs and realized i need to step things up! with the help of new comrade ET, and my buddies at flickerlab i'm gaining a wealth of reference footage! i'll be posting it here! i hope i don't give anyone else an edge!

:: training day 05 ::

air date: 05
real date: 5/22/07
song: frodus/devo - explosions
trials: coming down with a cold. had a very difficult time picking my song today, i really would like anyone reading this to leave suggestions so i can try songs i haven't heard much, or thought of.
effect: today i tried something a little new, implemented playing with my teeth and standing on the neck of the guitar to play the frets. also did the mathromancers "point at the ladies," at the end. although i feel my overall performance was pretty weak. plus i totally fell down at one point.
learned: again, i need a bigger space, and i need to know the songs better so i know what to do! most of the punk songs i know call for a lot of energy but not much fancy air guitarring. but being sick has sort of slowed me down too.

:: air by any other name ::

perhaps a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. but who'd want to smell a rose if it was called poopifiedmosterguts? i might....

herein lies my point. i could be the world's most visceral air guitarist and have no street cred due to a lame name! so it's decision time brothers and sisters at arms.

as of now my i'm reveling a heavy wolf theme. summoning my probably viking roots [berserk/ulfhednar] and my 1/8th werewolf heritage.

here are some options:

THE WAIRWÜLF

CERBAIRÜS

THÜNDAIRR [THE BARBARIAN]

umlauts and air obviously need to be involved. input would be most excellent!

:: training day 04 ::

air date: 04
real date: 5/20/07
song: me frist and the gimmie gimmies/elton john - rocket man
trials: recently returned from a spur of the moment weekend long trip to philadelphia. am relatively exhausted and famished at this point in the day.
effect: today i attempted to implement various bits of advice from the first few lessons, yet it felt a little too forced. although i did remember to tune! air guitar needs to flow free like the wind! keep giving suggestions and i'll keep working up a more naturalistic implementation! the point of training is to create reflex most definitely!
learned: on my excursion i conferred with friend and keytar wielder mose giganticus as well as rock and roller friend zia, and was informed of the lack of movement on the fretboard i was implementing...or rather not implementing? hm. in any event i tried to be a little more aware but again, it didn't pull off quite right. so i shall keep this in mind and be more conscious in the future! also it's difficult to make eye contact with theh audience when there is no audience.
queries: if anyone has theories on air guitar and rocking that go beyond the realm of comments and should become their own post i can add you as a team blogger. this includes quintessential air guitar songs. please get in touch with me! tomsmo@gmail.com.

:: training day 03 ::

air date: 05
real date: 5/22/07
song: frodus/devo - explosions
trials: coming down with a cold. had a very difficult time picking my song today, i really would like anyone reasing this to leave suggestions so i can try songs i haven't heard much, or thought of.
effect: today i tried something a little new, implemented playing with my teeth and standing on the neck of the guitar to play the frets. although i feel my overall performance was pretty weak. plus i totally fell down at one point.
learned: again, i need a bigger space, and i need to know the songs better so i know what to do! most of the punk songs i know call for a lot of energy but not much fancy air guitaring. but being sick has sort of slowed me down too.

:: field research ::

so no video tonight or my head might fall off from the rock. i just returned from seeing mastodon at the roseland ballroom and it was friggin incredible!

*edit* - found a video of the first song of the night!!!



show: mastodon & against me!
observed: mastodon and against me both had different kinds of energy, but both had lots of it!

the bassist from against me had a penchant for lifting his bass in the air as he held a note, pretty nice move!

mastodon does a lot of fancy fingerwork, so it's harder to move, but they definitely know how to thrash! super wide stance, super confident!

the pit was crazy too! there was a totally jacked blind guy with white cane, being led by a girl. he laid into people like nobody's business with unrivaled intensity. rocking transcends hardship and disability. a point made by zac the magnet monro, as transcribed by bjorn turoque in "to air is human." proven last night.

:: mathromancer ::

some have been asking of the mysterious "paul" leaving me advice in my comments, and of credentials. these are pauls credentials:


paul is responsible for my interest in metal. for paul is metal. a mathematician with knowledge of magick most stellar...and luck with the ladies. i've coined him "the mathromancer." when i met him he was wearing a nintendo powerglove a danzig shirt and a german army jacket, and a couple weeks prior he had not showered after seeing gwar. since he's somehow risen to highly respected positions within the ranks of banana republic of all places, but let that not fool you, he has a heart of steel.

he holds the day of the untimely demise of dimebag darrell in [worthy] high regard, in his own words each yeah he holds:

a memorial to one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time, dimebag darrell, through heavy drinking, rampant fistfights, and being @#$%& hostile

paul, the mathromancer, is one of my chosen mentors on my quest.

if you too need guidance, you may contact him at http://myspace.com/generalpaulmar

:: temporal regulations ::

the rules for the World Air Guitar Championships [link on the side] hold that the performance is to be 60 seconds long. my first training video was under 60 and the second was over. perhaps for the sake of brevity and to be closer to the rules i should cut future posts down to 60 seconds?

thoughts?

:: training day 02 ::

air date: 02
real date: 5/16/07
song: foo fighters - up in arms
trials: totally got soaked on bikeride home from work. was still soaked while airing. got tripped up on jacket pre solo...but put dog in other room today.
effect: in a better mood today going in, and better out. starting to feel a little less self conscious.
learned: making eye contact with the audience is okay, as long as it's "i'm looking at YOU!" and not "i'm checking to see how the recording looks."

:: training montage ::

to have a training montage...i have to train! here's day one of my rigorous air guitar training!


air date: 01
real date: 5/15/07
song: dio - stand up and shout
trials: accidentally punched hank [the dog] in the face during a windmill
effect: going in i was unfathomably depressed. out i was golden.
learned: need to be less self-conscious of camera, need to put the dog in the other room, need to work on fingerwork. learn song and changes even better!