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Soaring solos
by Chris Roberts, Minnesota Public Radio
June 10, 2004

Jonathan Maki gets in a little practice before the big contest. Here he demonstrates the proper use of a grimace, early on in a solo. (Image courtesy Sarah Iverson)

At almost every rock concert since the 1970s, the guitarists on stage have had a lot of back up: people in the audience, sometimes dozens of them, all playing imaginary instruments. Many air guitarists see themselves as artists in their own right. Some of the finer practitioners in the area will gather at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis tonight for the U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championships.

Minneapolis, Minn. — Jonathan Maki is a Milwaukee native turned Minneapolitan who says at eight years old, when everybody else was playing house, he was playing band. It was a Kiss album, brought over by his babysitter, that got his creative juices or gestures, flowing.

Eventually, Kiss became uncool in Maki's neighborhood, but that didn't halt the progression of his prodigious air guitar skills. Maki's interpretive genius first became apparent during his middle school years at a concert by Canadian prog rockers, Rush.

This might be a good time to underline what is perhaps obvious. Yes, playing air guitar is a predominantly male pursuit for both basic and profound reasons which are better shared at a seminar than in this story. That said, there will be at least two female air guitarists performing in tonight's competition, which could be seen as a step forward or a step back for the women's movement.

Jonathan Maki will be one of at least seven air guitarists overtaking the stage at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis tonight as part of the US Air Guitar Regional Championships.

The winner will be flown to Los Angeles for the national championships next week, and the winner there goes to Finland for the world championships.

Listen to Jonathan Maki discuss his art with Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts by clicking on the audio link on the top right side of this page.

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