Welcome Aboard...

While outside air guitarists, such as the prospect Brock McRock, require a vote to get in, other former SF competitors are always honored with a position in the ranks.

Please welcome Davis "Air Guitar" Freeberg as a Sgt-Major, with two previous appearances; the first being the SF debut in 2006, and one more after that.

You may or may not remember him, but in the first one (2006), he was handed the first spot, and was the third, missing, Blues Brother. He is also a former associate of Claw under cover of daylight, and truly has a love for the music, and the passion for air.

He also has decided to embrace us with his presence at this year's SFAG Competition.

Love Songs triumphant return!
Followed by an immediate departure!
For those not in the know (or who don't read Spanish),
Jackson has moved to Argentina. Like, forever.
If Google Translator is correct he is also married.

(pause to spit out drink)

I also have it on good authority that he now wears patchouli and glow sticks. Gee, if only Jackson, international man of mystery, were around to dispute this rumor...
But wait, against all visa regulations and stipulations he IS returning to the Bay Area!

For a scant 10 days (or "40 burritos," using Jack's metrics) Jack will be stumbling in and around the greater San Francisco area, unprepared but willing to rock some highly-charged sexual ambiguity back into your lives! Come say Hi! Share a beer with him! Ask him all the questions you can think of and be thrilled and baffled by the creatively evasive answers you'll receive!

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
ONE SHOW ONLY
Sunday, March 13
Eli's Mile High Club
3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way @ 37th St
Oakland, CA
Spinning Vinyl: D.J. WHAT'S HIS FUCK starts off the night
HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING
MASTER VOLUME
LOVE SONGS
Show at 6 Ð over by 11!!!
$6.00 Admission / 21+
VERY CHEAP Drink Special
Pool Table / Hot Food and Snacks / Full Bar
Eli's Mile High Club

(PLEASE NOTE: Eli's Mile High Club is B.A.R.T. friendly and is located only 3 blocks from the MacArthur B.A.R.T. station. Last trains run from this station, in all directions, at 12:45am!)

Freeberg on fire..

I stand corrected. there was a second appearance by the Freeberg. Above is from the first SF show, 2006.

Draft Notice..

Okay, it's early. Drafts really won't happen till AFTER the 2011 competition, when many hear about what is happening here, and sign on the dotted line. we're elite, and any who want on board, need to be vouched for. we're tight. We're family. Can't let just anyone in.

Anyway, Claw is hereby vouching for an air guitarist who competed back in the first SF Comp, 2006. It was the only one. and probably for good reason, as he had to go out first. Not to mention the track chosen. Lesson learned. Those who've been there from the beginning might remember, Davis "air guitar" Freeberg. Maybe not the name, but the track aired. He was also a work associate of Claw.

He's decided to return to the air guitar stage this year, and Claw believes he deserves a spot in the ranks of the SF AirForce, as a Captain, for at least competing once (2006), and surviving that first time of being #1 in the lineup, which we all know, SUCKS.

If there are any thumbs-down, speak now, or forever hold your peace. If not, welcome him into the fold, and hope he changes his stage name. After all, it's in the SFAG rulebook that "air" not be used as part of it.

Sidenote: if you can't remember who the seven samurai are, they are part of the Tiger Claw Clan, with the Seven Samurai being the original seven supporters from the beginning, with a couple other "honorary samurai" added to the Clan (BT, HLH).

Funny story, since most are at my place of business, most others are on the next level, that being Warriors, which is nothing to balk at, there are other levels lower (guardians, sponsors, etc). But a couple, no, several, of these warriors, balked at being relegated to warrior status, and not samurai. They pleaded their case, and Claw understood, but had to split the Samurai into Level 1 and Level 2. The original seven, created to mirror the Seven Samurai from the film of the same name, hold the Level 1 position, while new additions are at Level 2. This is fun, ain't it?! Level 1 is 4-life. You cannot move up to Level 1 unless one from Level 1 passes on, or chooses to remove themselves. To move up to Level 1, it must be a majority vote of the remaining samurai of Level 1. As for those in the SFAF, you are elite, and above samurai, being actual fighters for air guitar. More to follow...

Formal Fantasy Masquerade..

Passing on a new venture by SFAF's Crusher. Check it out. Claw doesn't have to tell you what a mask can do for your persona and reputation.

https://www.facebook.com/FormalFantasyMasquerade

By the way, hey Crusher, pay no attention to the pic. Don't want to see your ass creeping up on me like Dog the Bounty Hunter.

R.I.P. Gary Moore

I just read that one-time Thin Lizzy guitarist and solo artist, Gary Moore, passed away yesterday. Here's a link to my man Steven Seaweed of The Bone, about a story involving Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) and Gary Moore:

http://ksanfm.dnn.cumulus.net/BoneJocks/StevenSeaweed/tabid/262/Default.aspx

My first hearing of him was while at KRQR in 1990, right before I left, when Still Got The Blues came out. Great stuff. Did a cover of Orbison's Oh Pretty Woman. But the solo on the title track, is the air bomb. If you listen, you can hear him hit the lead pedal, and the rest is history.

If you can find anything of his in your collection, or online, do so, and air it out of respect.

The Chase Is Better Than The Catch..

In honor of the recent show, Hot Lixx celebrating with the godfather himself. Absynthe anyone? Nice sandwich, dudes.

Zona In Da Hizzah..

First, the Claw disclaimer. Our elite force, based on the sheer comraderie of all, air guitar will always be the foundation, but as a secondary family, Claw would like to think, and prefers to believe, has transcended. This means whatever happens in our lives, each of us are welcome to the events of others, air guitar-related, OR NOT.

After all, as much as air guitar means to the Claw, seeing other air guitarists playing actual, real, guitar, technically, should be considered a sin, as dictated by the air guitar gods, but Claw extends a pass anyway. Call it a mulligan. But only to family members.

Claw will update soon on the tri-gathering (Hot Lixx, Cold Steel, Awesome) at Gilman this evening, for which Claw was unable to attend. He did have a chance to swing by for a cameo at our correspondent's gallery get-together. That would be April Air-Niel's soiree, at her homebase, the Cafe Royale, at Post/Leavenworth. It was a composite of 8 different artists in the field of photography. April was prominently displayed, aside all the other, dare I say, inferior, wall-mounted attempts at capturing something in the still of the moment.

But seriously, folks, it was a nice display of the world around us, in color, and black 'n'white, for all to see. O'Niel was the shizziel. Nice work, Zona, the mastadona, of the new world.

Of course, Claw wouldn't be Claw without stirring up the shiznit by swearing, hot damn, not a single shot of one of us on stage, doin' our thang, holdin' nothin' in hand...no biggie. That's reserved for another day, when it's all about us, and nothing else. All in good time.

Like Claw says, it's about you and what you're doing, and not about us and what we're doing...

"In space, no one can hear you play."

Happy New Year / Gung Hay Fat Choy

Greetings special forces. 2011 promises to be an exciting year, so say the air guitar gods. It's still off-season, but stuff is always happening. Sometimes, more than one on the same day. Here's a couple events coming up this Thursday, which also happens to be Chinese New Year. I suppose the fact that Cold Steel Renegade is performing, in the Year of the Hair, i mean, Hare, is no coincidence. Also present will be Awesome, who's got some hair of his own, even though it comes off after the performance (heh heh), and Hot Lixx Hulahan. (one of Claw's resolutions for 2011 is the aquisition of wheels, so he can finally get around to these shows that are currently out of his reach) Here's the invite:

"Hey folks... Cold Steel Renegade here to let you know about an upcoming show this Thursday at THE GILMAN in Berkeley. Come watch me break wind and get your face melted in the process, as I violently milk notes from a guitar resulting from advanced delusions. If that wasn't enough, there will be performances by local comedian Alex Koll AKA Air Guitar legend [Awesome], 2008 Air Guitar WORLD Champ Hot Lixxx Hulahan, and Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children Macnuggits. To see you there would be a blessing, and potentially arousing."


It's at Gilman in Berkeley, which, aside from the fact it's two days away, and short notice, may not necessarily be possible for many, but if you can show up, show your support.

Locally, our resident SF AirForce correspondent, April Air-Neil (Christine Zona), has an event going on at the Cafe Royale on 800 Post St. and Leavenworth. It's called "Together Forever". Here are the details:

"Together Forever is a photography show that captures the human spirit in all its glory. Featuring the works of 7 Bay Area photographers:

Christine Zona: http://www.czona.com/
I'm a toy camera addict. I was voted the 3rd Best Portrait Photographer in the Bay Area. I love making the mundane seem otherworldly. My best photographs are full of emotion, textures, and surprises."

You can view the other six at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187345021291530

Also up on the Air-Niel blog, is a piece on our own Alex Koll, aka Awesome. Claw apologies for the delay, since this was posted back in November of 2010.

http://blog.czona.com/


If any of youz got info on upcoming showz, send The Claw a shout-out, and I'll pass along the 411.

Welcome to the new year. Both of them.

"Lions are cool, but Tiger rulz."

2010 fadeout...

The Claw says fadeout, because that's what music does. Nothing more fun than a song we're air guitaring to, has a solo at the end, on the fadeout. Ozzy is famous for that, mostly during the Randy Rhoads era, notheless...

2010 was a banner year. Our SF Comp was held at the Fillmore, with killer posters as awesome mementos, especially for this native, born & raised. But as each year passes, the next always holds the hope of surpassing the past. More often than not, it does. But each of you alone, and all of us as a team, must contribute, take part, and make it so, for it to truly happen.

Hope all of you had a successful and cheerful holiday. It's now onto bigger and better things. Keep your spirits up, and your dreams alive. Airness - that final level, should be strived for at all times. Claw leaves you with his rendition of airness he recently posed to a fellow SFAF officer, General, and friend:

AIRNESS - the art of playing music on something that others cannot see, but exists on a different plane, in a parallel universe. The air guitar is made up of pure energy. And like I've said many times, airness is not that which any governing body, be it local, regional, national, or global, describes as the one thing that separates one from the rest, by some means that stand out other than the air guitar. Airness is the final level, when you've transcended to the point the audience thinks and believes you actually know guitar, and know how to play that song on a real guitar, and then are subsequently labeled a sandbagger; when in fact, you don't how to play at all (except for maybe two chords and one scale). That's airness.

Here's to bigger and better things for the year to come.

High-Level Promotion, and deservedly so..

It is with the utmost honor that the SF AirForce can bestow, I hereby appoint the rank of General, to the legend himself, the producer of Air Guitar Nation, countless competitions on all levels, with championships a hair out of reach, but that doesn't matter in the big scheme of things, and the current host of the US Air Guitar tour, Bjorn Turoque.

He will share to the top level with his peer, former World Champion, General Hot Lixx. Of course, you know what that means. Hot Lixx is a General because he won a World Championship; so by being a judge on the tour, which, correct me if I'm wrong, no other World Champion from the US has done, may have earned him a second star. I'll have to contemplate this on the tree of woe. Can I get a witness?!

Congratulations, General Bjorn.

Hot Lixx In Action, for a good cause...

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/under-the-dome/Students-host-fashion-show-for-AIDS-awareness-108012264.html

This is a link to an SF Examiner story about a fashion show benefit for AIDS, coming up tomorrow night. Whoa. That was quick. If you're in the neighborhood, swing by and pay your respects, pay your dues, pay something, even if it's just paying attention. Hot Lixx, a former air guitar world champion, and a general in our SF AirForce, will be on hand for the event.

Hotel Utah video release

Here it is, troops. The video of Cold Steel Renegade last Saturday at Hotel Utah. Until I figure out how to restore a certain feature on my home computer that will allow me to see certain video sources for youtube, only a small percentage shows up on my screen. When uploading youtube videos, there's always a set of 4, and it appears that if there are not 4 videos to fill the slots, something else is dropped in by youtube. Ignore them. Check out the link on the left, titled, CSR-Hotel Utah. I can see his video in the first block, the other 3, nothing, so I have no idea what's there. Eventually, when I get digital pics to upload, i can link those pics directly to the videos, and cut out the youtube 4-blocks. Like with the Judas Priestess pics. It's why i need photos people.

Anyway, take 5 minutes to watch the CSR-Hotel Utah video. You'll see why US Air Guitar needs to expand from 1-min performances to at least 2 minutes. Five minutes, while being the length of a full song, and could be hard to hold the audience, a mash-up of one-minute spots, into a collage, will keep everyone on board. Especially if you work an equally-enticing choreography to go with it, not to mention keeping it synchronized throughout. CSR did this right.

Some points to watch for: the lady who came up on stage was not part of the program. She was a total gamer, and didn't overstay her welcome. Major kudos. And while a lot of the performance was mostly dancing and preening, in a positive way, since it was totally synchronized, the air guitar I did see, was pretty good, technically speaking. Claw believes if CSR were to enter the soon-to-be-coming Tiger Claw Invitational, where only technical is judged, and costuming and choreography are non-existent, he would be a contender, unlike 90% of most air guitarists. Wouldn't be Claw if I didn't throw down the gauntlet.

Enjoy the video.

Crushing The Jingle Bells...(ouch)

Well, it appears the video cannot be uploaded without actually purchasing it. But, as always, Claw has found a way to get out of it. Lemme tell you bout...

Sorry, the Crue came to mind there. And I'm not even in the bathroom. Can't upload the video, but I can upload the link to the video, if I have a photo to upload, and attach the link to the photo.

Crusher? Hey wake up. You got a digital pic? How about an action shot where you're taking down a bail runner taking flight?

Crusher. The new Dog.

e-yule-tide update

April, you're right. I thought I saw him in there, too. But I have updated info. This production comes compliments of The Crusher. A solo effort and a brilliant production, at that. Props to Crusher. This is worthy of addition to the AirForce database. By the time you see this, it will be added. Question is, where. Use your skills people.

e-yule-tide greetings

check this out. Brought to you by The Crusher. Claw needs more details. The drummer is wearing the same glasses that Awesome wears, so there's some curiosity if this was created by several of our air guitar brethren.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/XnaI55gsQZWrrw3I?ref=nf

by the way, it's good to see jibjab is still around. Claw was enjoying there stuff 10 years ago back at the turn of the century.

Reality Air Check..

Got new tats earlier today. On one arm, Chinese characters for dragon, tiger & crane, representing 3 of the 5 Shaolin animals. Martial Arts. A discipline one practices 24/7. On the other arm, Chinese characters for honor and respect, representing what we do at work, at home, and all other endeavors, including air guitar. After CSR's enlightening performance tonight, and watching "Iron Eagle" upon returning home, it reaffirms my dedication and devotion to our underground art.

It is for those reasons that are the basis for the foundation of the SF AirForce. I just wanted to say thank you for being a part of something that represents us as a whole. Something to be proud of. And as far as I know, we, the SF AirForce, are the first of its kind. A battalion. A squadron. A force to be reckoned with. Unequaled in any other US market. Or country, for that matter.

We are unique in what we do, no matter how it is perceived by others. Above all else, honor and respect.

TC quotes:

Airness is next to godliness.

The air guitar is mightier than the sword.

Air guitar is not a birthrite; it is defined by one's fingers.

It is not whether you win or lose, but HOW you air guitar.

Veni, vidi, flying V - I came, I saw, I wailed.

To air is human; to wail is devine.

Cold Steel Renegade Raises The Bar..

For the record - as much as Claw pushes the technical aspect, he realizes it is only a part of the total picture that secures a competition win. That bigger picture was proven tonight, in more ways than one.

First, the one minute we're given/allowed for the annual regional air guitar competitions, is completely and utterly insubstantial and a pure lack of any possible time it takes to show any real skills in the field of air guitar.

Second, Cold Steel Renegade, who held the stage for more than 5 minutes; actually, it was more like 10 minutes, pulled off a performance that was not only top-shelf, but had the audience in awe.

His performance showed exactly why he is a champion. US Air Guitar should seriously consider expanding the performance time to 2-5 minutes, at least on a national level. CSR's musical montage spanned a variety of musical genres, and expertly cut'n'spliced between each. Claw knows. Claw worked in radio doing the same production-type scenarios.

Even better, his on-stage choreography was obviously practiced over and over, but when it came time to throw down, his performance was flawless. Tiger Claw was truly impressed, as was everyone else who attended.

But Tiger Claw wouldn't be Tiger Claw if he didn't say, "the recipe could use a tad more air guitar". Yeah, everyone's a critic. Renegade, excellent performance. 5 stars. Why you're not a National Champion is beyond Claw.

We want video. The ranks deserve it.

US Air Guitar Champion sighted..

This just in: Romeo Dance Cheetah, the 2010 US Champion, has been reportedly spotted in town, here in SF. No word yet as to his whereabouts. Other AirForce personnel are hot on his heels. Claw is hoping an appearance by RDC will occur at tomorrow's CSR performance at Hotel Utah. Show starts at 9pm. This is an SF AirForce-sanctioned event, which means, $1.00 off the door admission, and a beer, or whatever else it is you drink. Badges will be available for those who haven't gotten theirs yet. All in good time, people.

Cold Steel Renegade...at it again..

Hosting AND performing at Hotel Utah, 4th & Bryant Sts, in SF. He's first on a bill of four. Show starts at 9pm. Admission is $8.00. Tiger Claw will be there. Other SF AirForce members maybe, maybe not. Many are in the field on special assignment, but being the jedi masters of air guitar that they are, will be there representing the Force.