Skateboard legend will bring unique DJ set to Austintown

By Guy D’Astolfo

AUSTINTOWN — Skateboard wizard, DJ and world-class ’stache-lete Patrick Melcher will visit O’Donold’s in Austintown Plaza next Thursday.

What’s a ’stache-lete, you ask? Good question.

It’s a man who cultivates his mustache with the dedication of an athlete and stacks it up against the toughest competition on the planet.

Melcher sports a grandiose handlebar mustache that earned him second place in the Imperial category at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, this year.

Although he’s a heavy-hitter for the hirsute set, Melcher’s visit to O’Donold’s will be purely musical. But if you ask him, he might share some tips on the finer points of facial hair.

Actually, he’s coming in from his home in Los Angeles just to help out his pal Dave Knapp, who manages O’Donold’s.

The two worked together at Beauty Bar in Los Angeles in the past. Melcher was a regular DJ at the club, which Knapp managed before moving to Youngstown.

If you want to see what Melcher can do on a skateboard, search him out on YouTube. He is amazing, but he won’t be doing any demonstrations when he visits Austintown. “I broke my arm a couple of weeks ago, and I’ll be out for a few weeks,” he said during a phone interview from California.

Instead, Melcher will do his DJ set, which is also quite original in that it uses ’50s and ’60s rock, soul and doo-wop.

“I’ve always been into soul music,” he said. “The doo-wop I use is the more uptempo stuff. What we’re familiar with is the slow harmonizing style, but what I play is the faster stuff, like ‘Why Do Fools Fall In Love?’”

The music, he said, doesn’t require an advanced degree in phony dance-club cool.

“You just have to live in America,” said Melcher. “Everybody knows all these oldies. They’ve been with us our whole lives, so it’s ingrained in our minds. I pick the best and play them in a nightclub environment ... hopefully the kids like it and dance to it.”

Sounds good, but let’s get back to the mustache. Melcher said he put in 21‚Ñ2 years of growing and grooming to get it into world-class condition. How’s it looking these days?

“It’s looking great right now,” said Melcher. “You know, it’s takes so long to train your ’stache into a specific way, so, like, one side isn’t pointing down and the other side is going outward. Every woman deals with their hair, and it’s always a hassle. But this is worse because it’s right up front!”

Hey, it takes dedication to be a champion.