Air Drum manifesto

It seems with the release of Hot lixx's air guitar 7", there is a new movement spearheaded by Matt Nash about air drumming. Here is an email he sent me the other day. A call to arms for air drummers everywhere. Air guitar shouldn't get all the credit.

On Air Drumming

Matthew Nash

Let's face facts: air drummers are a different breed than air guitarists. While every average joe with a big ego has aspired to play guitar, very few have chosen the path that leads behind the kit, and fewer have heard a song blasting for the nearest stereo and thought "I'd love to pretend to play drums to that!"

Admittedly, most young rockers dream of the spotlight, and when they get bored with singing the lyrics to their favorite songs by Led Zep, Sabbath, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam and The Strokes into their shampoo bottles, they look for other forms of creative air expression. It does not take much imagination to imitate the Jimmy Pages, Joe Perry's, and Jack White's of music; who out there wants to be Steve Shelley, Todd Trainor or Larry Herweg?

I do.

On this blog, Jason has reviewed and interviewed the amazing Hot Lixx Houlihan, who is famous for his mastery of the air guitar. He has a 7" record to commemorate his triumph, and I am not ashamed to admit that I covet Jason's disc just a little bit. Yet, I also want to destroy it, and replace it with a 7" of air drums.

But where, I ask, is an air-musician worthy of replacing Mr. Houlihan? Who has the arm strength to pretend to feel the rebound of an air-drum-stick against an imagined ride cymbal? Who will air-stomp a double-kick while crashing repeatedly to the epic conslusion of Pelican's "Sirius" or wait ever-so-patiently to brutally smash the air around them at the climax of Mono's "Halcion (Beautiful Days)"?

Air drummers of the world, I challenge you to show Mr. Hot Lixx Hulahan, and air-music lovers everywhere, that the guitar is not the only instrument worthy of air-honor. Those of us who rock out on the toilet, the bus, in restaurants and bars and every unacceptable place, this is the time to show what we are made of: air drummers of the world - unite!

Matt, I have 2 questions for you.
When's the 7" coming out, and are you worried Hot Lixx will sue you for sampling?
Good luck, can't wait for the dvd.

Hot Lixx Hulahan aka Craig Billmeier Air Guitar Champion

I first found out about this seven inch looking at a list of new releases from Scratch records. Of course the listing of an air guitar 7" caught my eye....then I suddenly got the joke...but it was still unbeliveable....wait....is there nothing on the seven inch? No sound at all? Or just silent grooves? I had to have it. A google search later and I was looking at the same Hot Lixx who won the American air guitar championship. Hot Lixx, aka Craig Billmeier, and I exchanged some witty emails about John cage, Marcel Marcaeu, and this:

Thanks to the internet, I found at least 5 other bands that you have been in, and I know this must be the tip of the iceberg, has winning the US title for air guitar somehow helped these other side projects, or are you just going to give up playing 'real' guitar all together?

Only the tip, indeed. If you're truly interested/bored, there is a list of most of the bands I'm in/have been in near the top of this page: I'd say air guitar has, um, 'enhanced' my 'reputation' but I'm not sure I would say it has really helped any bands that much. In sales terms I don't think it has helped 'move that many units.'

What other seven inches have you played on or produced/recorded?

See the above list (the * mark bands with records out). As for the biggest 7" offenders (in numbers) we have All You Can Eat = 11, WHN? = 10, Your Mother = 7. Do 10" count? I have a few of those too.

I saw on your 'What happens next?' band site that you or someone said 'With all the yeah-or-neigh hoopla regarding colored vinyl, all I gotta say is colored vinyl sounds like crap.' Really? I've never compared but is that true? I guess there won't be a color 7" from hot lixx anytime soon.

I would have put the HLH record on colored vinyl but it was already expensive enough for a record with no music. Colored vinyl (the kind you can see through) is made of a lesser material and truly sounds worse than standard and even recycled vinyl. But when you get those thick records with colors or tie-dye patterns or splatter designs those are usually OK. Basically if you can see through the record at all you've got poor vinyl.

How did the idea come about for this seven inch?

I've been putting out useless 7" for 15 years now, it seemed only natural.

Are you a fan of the format, do you have a lot of 7"'s?

Yes, and yes. I stopped acquiring them though because having to move often tends to make you re-evaluate what is worth having and what is not. I often go through this phase where I want to give everything away but I always get to my records and think, "Nah...not yet."

How many of these did you press (for all the collectors out there.)

500. I mean, 490 too many.

Seriously did this air guitar thing take over your life? Or has it calmed down a little. Are you back to defend the title this year?

It has been a very wild ride. Just in the last month I have been flown to Mexico to be "Valedictorian for Air Guitar Mexico", gone on the US Air Guitar tour bus (no, seriously) and performed to sold out crowds, and been on both NBC and ABC national news 4 times. And for what? NOT playing guitar, that's what. Weird, very weird. Who knew all I had to do was take *off* the guitar to find success in music?!

Email Hot Lixx at craigums(at)thelovesongs.com for info on how to obtain this silent masterpiece and in the meantime Craig is frequenting NYC with a few of his many projects, including defending his title August 16th at Irving Plaza...unfortunately his strategy secrets were off the record, other than.... it involves neon orange spandex.
I'll leave you with that.

July 24 - Conquest For Death - (who has released 3 x 7" so far) is playing ABCNORIO and then another show that night. August 7 - This is My Fist - (who has 3 x 7" also) is playing @ The Boneyard: 1410 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, NYC - 7pm
August 16 - THE US AIR GUITAR NATIONALS!!!! at Irving Plaza