True confession: I’m terrible at air guitar. Like whistling, it’s a skill I’ve absolutely no aptitude for. And while the whistling thing has never slowed me down (really, it’s only mandatory if you want to nail a karaoke version of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” or refuse to hail cabs by raising your arm), the former is something I’m beginning to feel shame about. I think I could have successfully repressed this shortcoming if it weren’t for the fact that air guitar has made a bid for pop cultural domination in the last year. Whether it’s Björn Türoque’s book To Air Is Human or Alexandra Lipsitz’s ridiculously entertaining documentary Air Guitar Nation, the college bar sport au choix is inescapable. And to make matters worse (read: closer to home), it just so happens that last year’s Air Guitar national champ hails from San Francisco (hats off to you, Hot Lixx Hulihan).  In spite of my own handicap in this competitive arena, I did make it to last year’s SF competition at the Independent and have to admit it was one of the most entertaining (and eye-opening) nights of the year (for all you newbies, you can get a taste here). This year’s San Jose (June 27 at the Blank Club) and San Francisco ( June 28 at the Independent) regionals promise to be even more spine-tingling, so if you weren’t one of the lucky ones to gain entry to last year’s line-around-the-block show, here’s an early heads up to get your tickets. usairguitar.com