The Band Who Wasn't There

Have you ever soloed like Jimmy Page in the mirror in your bedroom? Ever grabbed a broom and did a power slide across the kitchen floor to the strains of Hendrix? Have you ever strutted like Mick or wailed like Axl after one too many at the karaoke bar? That guy doin the David Lee Roth high-kick, thats Andrew “William Ocean” Litz. And he has made a career out of melting faces with his air axe. After winning the National Air Guitar Championships last year and coming in 11th place at the World competition in Finland, Litz has started the National Air Band Tour. 10 gigs. 5 cities. The aim is to create the ultimate Air Band: bass, drums, singer, horns, keys, and maybe some invisible pyrotechnics. DigPhilly caught up with Andrew as his tour hit two area clubs this week.



How’s life on the road been treating you?
Good, good. We had 10 people audition at the Khyber. Ideally we would get 25 people up on stage for one of these. But you take what you can get. We get people who are totally ready to rock. They have their song and their moves all worked out and you can tell they practiced. You have people who are very timid and don’t know what to expect when they get on stage. And then there are the people who need 5-8 beers and then they are ready to go.

How do you judge the performances?
There are three basic judging criteria:
1. Precision: Does it really look like you are playing?
2. Stage Presence: Are you confident? Cocksure? Do you exude the balsy rocker attitude?
3. The third thing we judge on is not so tangible. Its called Plus. Do you take it to another level? How many pelvic thrusts do you perform? Do you give people an Air-ection? It’s not something you can pinpoint, really. Just like porn. You can’t describe it but you know it when I see it.



It seems like you are looking for rocker attitude and ego from all your performances. Aren’t you in danger of getting into an Air-Behind-The-Music situation? Air drug problems? Air solo projects, that sort of thing?
We spread the love around. We definitely pick songs that get everyone involved. And because of that, we want proficient air musicians who can handle, say, a Jethro Tull flute solo. But we also want guys who are great at staying in the background, who can execute all the background parts realistically and effectively.


Do you have Air Groupies?
See for that, we would prefer real groupies but it gets lonely on the road. Sometimes, air groupies have to do. Usually we get a group of drunk women hanging around after the show that want to get on stage and sing Bohemian Rhapsody or something but no real groupies at this point. We do have an Air Rodie, though.

Do you have a tour manager?
We do. He is the guy who handles setting up all the interviews, the venues, the promotion. He works for Sparks.



Yeah, you have a full tour sponsorship, right?
Yeah, what happened was I really like Sparks and I drink it a lot when I am performing, so a few times I brought it on stage with me and did different things with it in my act. When I was in the nationals, I did this thing at the end of the performance where I flipped onto a can of Sparks, crushing the can with my back. So I went to Sparks and I pitched them the idea. Sparks does a lot of grassroots marketing and sponsorships. They sponsor rock, paper, scissors competitions and stuff. So they agreed to pay for the whole tour. Which is great because they give out free Sparks at all the shows which is a crowd pleaser but it also gives people the confidence they need to get on stage in the first place.

So the winning band will be playing a gig in New York City?
Yeah, the gig will be May 22nd at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan. May 8th is the last audition and then we are going to get everyone’s schedule and set up rehearsal time. The set is only 15 minutes. I don’t think people can handle more than 15 minutes of Air Play.



How did you sell the idea of the full band to these clubs?
The thing just has a great following. Once the band is together, we have been asked to appear at weddings, trade shows and other kinds of events. Recently, I went down to New Orleans for this Miller Lite convention, because Sparks is owned by Miller now. And they asked me to play the convention but it was supposed to be a stunt, like I busted into the convention and forcibly played air guitar. But this was a performance to over 3500 people. Which isn’t even that surprising considering the National Air Guitar Championships sold out the Filmore.

You know who else sold out the Filmore? The Allman Brothers.
I know! When I think that I stood in the same spot as like Hendrix and the Allmans and these rock gods…I mean…people ask me all the time if I have ever thought about playing guitar for real because I have never played guitar before. And I always say why? Do you know how long it would take me to get in front of a sold out crowd at the Filmore? And don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for real musicians. They are my inspiration. But I am not a musician. I am a performer. This is more like theater than rock n’ roll.

Do you have a theater background?
I studied theater in high school and college but I never really found anything that suited me. So I moved to Chicago and that is where I first found air guitar. And since then, I have done really well at it. I have won every regional competition I have ever entered. One national title and a trip to Finland.
Have you ever thought about a reality show or a comedy show of some kind?
We have talked about doing something like following the Air Band in their quest for rock glory or doing the Air Band selections like a reality show and voting people off and the whole bit. But right now, the tour is generating a lot of buzz for us. But if I ever decide that I want to get this Air Band booked a lot more for real, my real job allows me a lot of access.

You have a real job?
I am a corporate event planner. So if this air band thing doesn’t work out, I can always fall back on that.