Spirit Of Sacramento

Taming the wild mustache

The best example of gold-rush entrepreneurial spirit in Sacramento this week is right under your nose—if you happen to have a mustache. It’s the Cowboy Comb , a mustache-grooming device invented by Chad Nelson and Brian Lee . The pocket-sized, mustache-shaped comb comes in basic black plastic or, for high rollers, a $100 gold-plated version. And Lee and Nelson have launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise $4,000 to manufacture their creation. SN&R talked facial-hair business with the duo at Bulls Bar & Restaurant , where they arrived in full cowboy gear. Lee, a hairstylist at Midtown’s Lush Salon & Spa, and Nelson, a former Marine turned student, both sport generous handlebar mustaches, of course.

What are your Cowboy Comb business titles?

Chad Nelson : I’m the Butcher. It’s from Gangs of New York . Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my favorite actors, and he has the most glorious handlebar mustache in that movie. He’s the man in that movie, and I want to be the man.

Brian Lee : I’m the Mustache Mogul. I take all of our loose ideas that come up over Budweisers and whiskey and form them into a business plan.

When did you grow your first mustache?

Lee : This is my first mustache. I’ve had it about four months now. I grew it as a joke because we were going to Vegas to hang with our buddies. It was more of a Fu Manchu, asshole mustache. It started out as a twinkle on my upper lip and it became this gem. And it’s not slowing. … I had to train it. Being a hairstylist, I know that short hair pushes long hair, so I’ve been trimming it. It’s kind of like a bonsai.

Nelson : I had a goatee throughout high school. Then in 2005, when I was in sniper school, our team leader made it a game to see who could grow the nastiest mustache. I’m really hairy, and I can grow ’em like nothing. I was clean-cut the whole time I was in the Marine Corps, except for this one moment. I looked like the Pringles guy. I think I met one girl during that time that I maybe kissed, once, on Halloween. The rest of the time it was like anti-girl, right on my face: No girls allowed.

How do ladies respond?

Nelson : It depends. When I had that muskrat just sitting on my lip, no girls looked at me. I had to throw pretty smooth talk past that thing. But this kind of ’stache? Yeah. Eccentric moustaches just draw people in.

Sacramento Punk Shows: Crazy Spirit - 1st 7"

The Sacramento Punk Shows site is place to list and find out about punk/hardcore/thrash/metal/garage and art punk shows in and around Sacramento. Share what you know -- if it's not on here, or something is listed wrong, please let me know. Enjoy! http://www.myspace.com/sacramentopunkshows Also on Facebook: sacramento punk shows Twitter: twitter.com/sactopunkshows Email: sacpunkshows@gmail.

Sacramento, Indomitable City

Top Trails Sacramento, Exploring Valley, Foothills, and Mountains in the Sacramento Region

Old Sacramento and Downtown

California

Fodor's Northern California, With Napa, Sonoma, Yosemite, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe