Stadium Tunes

Audio/Video posted April 27, 2016 in Sports by Matthew Mayer

 

Alex Melso isn't your average student in Penn State's College of Communications. While he is studying film and hopes to one day work in that industry, he has a distinct passion for music that has driven him to uncharted career waters as an undergraduate.

On the weekdays, Melso says he spends most of his time in the editing lab working on his school work, but on the weekends you can find him at the Pegula Ice Arena sound producing for Penn State Men's Hockey and running the show as a DJ for Penn State Women's Hockey.

That's not all though...

During the spring, Melso is explained that he is very active with Penn State Softball and Penn State Gymnastics, running the music over at Beard Field and Rec Hall on the University Park campus.

So how did he get his start?

"All my life I was a performer." said Melso, "I was really involved in theatre and tap dancing grow up and thats where my passion for music started."

While he has subsided from the performing arts, he did pick up a new musical hobby early on in college.

"I was one of the only freshman ever to be hired at B94.5." explained Melso, "They hired me because I carried a boombox around on campus my freshman year and I jammed out with a few of their past interns."

B94.5 is a local radio station in State College and it is where Melso met his mentor, PJ Mullen, who he said taught him the ins-and-outs about radio. Mullen also serves as the DJ for Penn State Football games at Beaver Stadium where Melso said he was able to shadow and learn the ropes about stadium music.

Melso explained that there is a lot to go into stadium music. Each sport has specific music that accompanies it. For example, for men's hockey games, he says that he suggests hard rock and roll to pump the guys up, but for a women's game he enjoys playing more family friendly music like "Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande" to cater to the mothers attending the game with their children.

"Even though I'm not performing anymore, I feel like I'm on a much bigger stage now," said Melso, who is planning on taking over the full responsibility of running music at Pegula Ice Arena next year, moving into the executive music coordinator position for the men's team.