MC FOR THE NIGHT: Mickee Von Maelström |
The action goes live after the screening Saturday, with SPACE Gallery’s own air-guitar contest. As many as a dozen contestants will perform, all with stage names and personae designed to convince you that they, indeed, are the best ax-wielders in the city.The contest will be judged by the audience, with first-round performances by all contestants, to one-minute clips of songs of their choosing. After that, all bets are off: finalists move on to a round in which songs are chosen for them by event organizers.
Hosting the event will be Mickee Von Maelström, who, according to his semi-fictional bio, "first burst into the metal underground as lead guitarist for Toxic Dragyn, whose debut album Overkill in the Krypt of Insanity was voted “Blackest Album of 1985” by industry-standard Metal Kaos magazine." Later in his career, "projects, including a promising but doomed collaboration with former Warlock Fury drummer Fritz Maxx fizzled, and Von Maelström spent much of the nineties bouncing between rehab clinics and occasional gigs as an air-guitar contest MC."
To seek inspiration, or just previews of what the night might be like, visit the movie’s Web site at www.airguitarnation.com, or the US Air Guitar competition site at www.usairguitar.com. To see if there are spots open, e-mail portlandairguitar@yahoo.com or call 207.828.5600.
