DJ Dave Incorvia was lucky to be in the cross fire on one of the most exciting things to ever happen in the music industry - the opening of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, which has put Cleveland, Ohio, in the spotlight. Finally, a place where music fans can enjoy tributes and recognition for some notable artists and performers who have brought us great rock 'n' roll music over the years, while creating some interesting opportunities for Incorvia, owner of Marino Brothers DJ Service...

... A $1,000 a plate VIP dinner was held for the opening and attracted celebrities like Yoko Ono and Paul Shaeffer from the Letterman show, Incorvia says. "It was pretty special to me and very exciting," he admits.

A question Incorvia is asked frequently is "Why the name Marino Brothers?" Like so many other DJs, Dave and his brother Rick got their start during their college days. "It was 1978", Incorvia recalls, "I was in Santa Monica, Calif., just trying to get through college, I saw other guys working at taco and hamburger joints and I thought 'That doesn't look like much fun to me.'"

"My brother and I kept seeing these disco vans on the road. Mobile Disco this, Mobile Disco that, so we decided to give DJ'ing a try. As for the name, "The Incorvia Brothers just didn't have much of a ring." Incorvia says, They didn't want to insult their father, however, so they chose their grandmother's maiden name, Marino.

With a home-brewed stereo system, he and his brother started pounding the pavement and knocking on doors until somebody noticed them. At the time their only concern was paying the rent and being able to keep the refrigerator filled with food. The jobs they got were the usual assortment of bar nights, and parties paying about $50 a night.

Incorvia graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and returned home to Cleveland. He got a job in his field but soon started to miss DJ'ing. Flipping through the yellow pages is what gave him the final push to start DJ'ing again. "When I opened up the phone book and looked under Disc Jockeys, there was only one company listed. I began to think about that. Since we still had the gear, we put in a phone line and started advertising and went right back into it." Not totally convinced though, Incorvia kept his day job and considered the DJ income as "weekend money."

The days of working small, smoke-filled bars for little money are long gone. According to Incorvia, "Ninety-five percent of our business is wedding receptions and corporate events. We book a year in advance and have averaged 600 jobs a year. That includes about nine jobs on Saturdays and three or four jobs on Fridays."

Realizing that being that busy can lead to burnout not only for the DJs but for the owner as well, especially since Dave's brother Rick got married and started a separate business, the brothers are downsizing a bit and are hoping to cut the number of annual events to 500. Incorvia continues, "About a year ago we were up to 16 systems with 38 DJs. I couldn't handle it, I had no life. So what we did was cut back to nine systems with 24 DJs." Rick still DJs for the company but part time on weekends.

There was a time when Marino Brothers employed a setup person, but no longer. "There were too many problems with that arrangement, ranging from equipment being left at locations to not being able to get to a location before the doors were locked," Incorvia says. "So now, each DJ is responsible for picking up the equipment for each job." Incorvia has used great care in putting together a system that will rock the house yet take up minimum space.

All systems are identically equipped with bi-amped speaker systems. "Everything is rack mounted and the outside of the setup is idiot proof. Each equipment case has all components wired to an AC outlet mounted on the case. The margin of error is nil."

It is not just one thing that has led the business to greatness. One of the most significant factors, however is that two guys go to each job. Most of our brides and grooms spend about a year preparing for their one BIG DAY. The two DJ concept allows us to maximize our bride and groom's time. 

I asked Incorvia how the company started incorporating dance into their act in the first place. He laughed and admitted it was a little embarrassing but explained that it was totally a spontaneous decision. At a reception some time ago, everyone was getting really wild, he says, people were getting on top of tables to dance and he thought, "Hey, let's jump on the speakers and dance!" The guests went wild, and the rest is history. The Marino Brothers still use the speaker top dancing as small part of their act and spontaneity is still a key factor. Every wedding we do is customized to that bride and groom's tastes and desires, so we can be as laid back or as interactive as the new couple wants. Incorvia says he doesn't generally tell his clients what to expect but they're always pleasantly surprised. He stresses that the dancing is always done with style and good taste. 

"We like to hire people with energy and personality. We can teach them to be a DJ.  We've had very little luck finding a DJ and trying to teach them energy and personality," says Incorvia.

Every Monday night, the DJs get together for training. They discuss current and new ideas for delivering a better wedding to their brides and grooms. They also go over and learn new dances.  His dance choreographer, Bobby Beach, is from the Chicago Institute of Dance and is the creative force behind the dancing of the Marino Brothers' DJs. It is the bride and groom's night and we want them to be the center of attention. The dancing we do is usually done behind the DJ booth to show the guests that we are there to celebrate with everyone.

If requested, the DJs also teach several dances to the guests and Incorvia feels that the ability to teach dances to a room full of guests at an event has given Marino Brothers a reputation for being a lot of fun. "There's no chairs back there where we work," Incorvia says.

"We've found that when the guests see that we are having fun, they tend to have fun. We get involved with the guests. During private events, there are people who have heard about some of the dances that we teach but are a little skeptical about getting up to participate. But we tell them right away that we are going to show them how to do the dances and that it is really quite easy to learn. We'll take them through the dance once with a cordless mic and no music. Then we'll talk them through it again with the music."

Bridal show involvement is also a key factor to the success of Marino Brothers. This gives brides and grooms an opportunity to see us and our equipment firsthand.  They can talk to some of the DJs and get to know us on a more personal level. Incorvia hooked up with a tuxedo business and his DJs model their tuxedos for the bridal shows. They also supply the entertainment during the bridal shows and his DJs put on a dancing exhibition. "It's really a great thing because not only are we in the bridal show, we're dancing for the bridal show, we're the disc jockey for the bridal show. you know who gets the business?" The added bonus is that they get nearly free tuxedo rentals out of it.

Incorvia insists that it is very important to maintain good relations with the banquet halls.  If you are courteous to them and respect their hall as their home, they will recommend you."

"I like to have quick breakdowns for the same reason. The sooner you are out of there, the quicker they can get out of there as well." He adds that they (the banquet owners) may like you at midnight, but if you go an extra hour without checking with them first, they will begin to hate you. You have to remember that they'll have to pay their employees to stay late as well. It is always best to check first before agreeing to do overtime.

In the old days, the Marino Brothers' advertising strategy was unfocused and consisted of trying most anything and everything. Today they have a different strategy. One of the things that works particularly well is The Wedding Pages . This is a magazine that is freely distributed at sites frequented by brides-to-be such as jewelers and bridal boutiques. When a customer picks up one of the magazines and fills out a free subscription card, the names and addresses are forwarded to the advertisers in the magazine. Incorvia immediately sends these contacts information on his service and has found this to be a very good source of jobs. Overall, however, they have cut way back on advertising. About the only other advertising is a small in-column yellow page ad.

"What got me through college ended up being my career. Years ago, I quit a job making over $100,000 a year to do this.it was a good move and things are working for us."