Kansas City's reigning air guitar champion, Eric "Mean" Melin, won't get to defend his regional crown in 2010. The U.S. Air Guitar Championships are skipping Kansas City. But Melin hasn't given up on his quest to join air guitar's elites at the U.S.
championships. He's dropped $270 on four plane tickets, and his five city U.S. air guitar tour starts tonight at the Metro in Chicago.
"That's the one that I have no chance of winning," Melin admits. He lists off several former regional champions that he'll be competing against: Nordic Thunder, Sanjar the Destroyer, Romeo Dance Cheetah, Magic Cyclops and more.
Melin won't be as theatrical as the blood-soaked
metal meltdown from last year.
"No gimmicks this year,"
Melin says.
And no Megadeth. This year, it's Van Halen and
Slayer. (I promised not to print the names of the songs; let's just say
one's party rock and the other is heavy as hell). He's not sure which
he'll use tonight. But getting knocked out of the first round of last
year's U.S. finals has stuck with him.
"I am haunted by last
year's more critical reception," Melin says.
The road to redemption starts tonight.
After Chicago, Melin heads to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boulder and
Denver. His best shot, he says, is Minneapolis (he'll have run through
his act a couple of times before live crowds, and he should be good to
go).
Also along for the road trip is Melin's Dead Girls bandmate Nick
Colby, who will be performing as Peter "Stiff" Dickens.
Check back tomorrow for dispatches from Melin's Chicago performance.
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