Meet Dan and Stephanie Curcio | Dan Curcio: lead singer of Moonshiner Collective and co-owner of Come Alive Entertainment; Stephanie Curcio: business and music planning manager and co-owner of Come Alive Entertainment

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan and Stephanie Curcio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan and Stephanie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Come Alive Entertainment evolved gradually and organically after Moonshiner Collective lead singer and co-owner of Come Alive Entertainment, Dan Curcio, began to receive an increasing amount of requests to play weddings and private events from fans. As requests and word of mouth spread, Dan and his wife, Stephanie, formally started Come Alive Entertainment, with Stephanie running the management and planning side of the business. For us, starting Come Alive Entertainment meant that we get to be a part of bringing joy to one of the most important days of someone’s life while also supporting our family. This business also allows Dan to focus on the artistic and creative side of his original band Moonshiner Collective on non private-event days which allows us a great balance between these two worlds.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
More About Us: Come Alive Entertainment is a San Luis Obispo, CA based, award-winning entertainment company that provides soulful, upbeat, and danceable live music as well as top quality and experienced DJ/MC services for weddings, events, festivals, and parties of all types. Our motto is, “We believe that live music is the heart and soul of any truly memorable celebration.” We see this at every show in the faces of family and friends as they sing-along and dance together.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others / what you are most proud of/what do you want the world to know about your brand/story:
Many of the couples that book us for their wedding are fans of Moonshiner Collective’s original music and some of the band’s original songs are often requested to be sung live during the ceremony, first dances, and the dance party. The songs that a couple chooses for their wedding day are the ones they have a special connection to, so to have the original music often included in that list is an incredible honor. The band also plays many familiar hits, but know how to elevate each song by incorporating their own soulful interpretation into every song. There’s no other band that is going to sound the way they do and we’re proud of that. They are not a typical/cliche wedding cover band by any means and we think that’s a big part of what our clients love about the unique experience we provide for them and their guests.

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy?
Building a long term, successful business in any industry is a lot of hard work and you’re likely not going to survive unless you’re passionate about what you do. The love of the music and passion for what we do shines through in the band’s high energy and soulful performances, and our dedication to making every event unique, and every client happy, is what we attribute our success to. The amount of hours it’s taken Dan and his bandmates to hone their craft over the years is truly mind blowing and shows in their professionalism, confidence, and performance. Not an easy path by any means, but one we will always take great pride in. We genuinely enjoy the simple act of giving people joyful/memorable experiences and this is ultimately what drives us.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you love the beach, wine tasting, and BBQ you’ll love the central coast. Here is a list of must visit places:

Ember in Arroyo Grande for the best meal of your life probably.
Novo in San Luis Obispo for a romantic patio/creekside date and good cocktail.
Swiss Cafe in Santa Maria for signature Santa Maria BBQ – definitely get the ribs.
Daou in Paso Robles and Presquile Winery in Santa Maria for incredible views and wine.
Fremont Theatre, Presquile Winery, The Siren, and Vina Robles Amphitheatre for a good live show.
Puffers in Pismo Beach for good local live music every single night.
Downtown SLO for a good walk and great shopping.
Pismo Preserve for a beautiful ocean view hike.
A bike ride on the Bob Jones Trail in Avila Beach.
Downtown Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, and Shell Beach – it’s like time has stood still in these quaint beach towns.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I love this question…

It sounds cheesy, but the fans of our music and fans of live music in general are who make this all possible for us . The band puts their heart and soul into the music, but it wouldn’t accomplish much without the great people we get to work with who genuinely appreciate live music. We often get discovered because a family or couple wants their wedding or special event to include live music and want to share their love of music with their guests.

The success of our business is also directly attributed to the wedding planners, and venue owners and managers who recommend us to their clients. We’re extremely grateful for the kind words they share about us. We want to give a specific shout out to the SLO Wedding Planners. They have championed us from the beginning.

Lastly, we have to credit our parents for showing us the importance of a strong work ethic.

Website: https://www.comealiveentertainment.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comealiveentertainment/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/comealiveentertainment

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/come-alive-entertainment-pismo-beach

Image Credits
Silent G Productions Amber Lynn Photography Tiffany J Photography Meghan Christine Photography Kelsea Holder SLOtography Lacie Hansen Loveridge Photo and Film