WARREN, Ohio – Mariano Longo still vividly recalls the day he was shown the rehearsal space for his first rock band.

The Howland native and his bandmates, who were teenagers at the time, were driven by a real estate agent to a vacant and dilapidated cement block building that had no running water or furnishings.

Longo took it as a slap in the face.

“I remember, even at that age, being so insulted,” Longo said. “I felt like he just thought we were second class citizens. I carried that resentment all through my career.”

Longo used that early indignity as fuel for what would become a standout career. He spent over 30 years performing in Las Vegas casinos and showrooms, and worked with many major artists as a pianist, arranger and conductor.

But he never forgot the struggles of his early days. And now that he has the time and ability to help others, he’s devoting his time and efforts to guiding young musicians who are serious about their careers.

In the spring, Longo will open Downbeat Musical Arts Centre, a fully equipped and staffed professional rehearsal space at 1171 E. Market St., on Warren’s east side.

The exterior of Downbeat Music Centre on East Market Street in Warren.

The overarching purpose of Downbeat is to help aspiring musicians of all genres get a leg up in the business while avoiding the pitfalls.

Opening such a business has been a longtime goal for Longo.

“This is how I am playing the fourth quarter of my life,” Longo said. “I’m not retiring. The game gets exciting in the fourth quarter. And I’m still very excited about the business, and when I see young people who are focused and determined, that’s who I want to help. We can provide them with a glimpse over the horizon to the real music business.”

Coming Home

Longo moved back to the Warren area last year to start Downbeat and begin a new chapter of his life.

He keeps his hand in the music business as an arranger for orchestras that perform with rock bands, and also as the touring pianist for Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton.

But helping young artists through Downbeat is now on the front burner.

He created a nonprofit that owns and operates Downbeat. The staff includes Gary Del Vecchio as director of operations and Marty Cohen as vice president.

Del Vecchio is a Warren-area native and rock musician who had a long career on the West Coast.

He and Longo were in bands together when they were in high school but had lost touch until last year.

“I hadn’t heard from him in 55 years when he called me from out of the blue,” Del Vecchio said.

The guitarist moved to San Francisco in 1972 and worked with the likes of Mike Bloomfield, Bo Diddley and Jefferson Starship, with whom he had a tryout as a guitarist.

But he is most at-home in the recording studio and has owned and operated several in his career.

“I’m a studio guy,” he said.

Last year, Del Vecchio released on YouTube an album titled “Buzzin’” that he wrote and recorded over 50 years ago. The album embodies the psychedelic rock of the era and has garnered buzz online.

At Downbeat, he will be the go-to guy, Longo said, and will be at the facility every day.

“I love the mission of it,” Del Vecchio said. “It will be a hub for meeting and exchanging info. Maybe a guitarist is looking for a bassist, that kind of thing. Musicians will cross paths – and good ones at that. It will be great for the area.”

Del Vecchio said he would like Downbeat to eventually add recording to its services.

A Look Inside

Like that first primitive practice space, the building was four bare concrete block walls when Longo took possession of it.

He has since transformed it into a rehearsal room, office space, bathrooms and a lobby area that will pay homage to Mahoning Valley music artists. Construction of a second rehearsal room is ongoing.

Mariano Longo in his office at Downbeat.

Downbeat is a concept that is new to the Valley and the entire region.

“We’re not a school, or a music store, or a recording studio,” he said. “We are a full-service rehearsal facility that can also assist musicians with mentoring and product development.”

He will not solicit for customers. “Serious musicians will find us,” he said.

Rehearsal facilities are nothing new in music capitals such as Los Angeles, Nashville and New York, he explained.

Downbeat will be the first of its kind in the Valley, and its reach will extend well beyond the area.

Rehearsal studios where bands can also store their equipment exist in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, but they do not offer the quality and level of service that Downbeat will offer, Longo said.

“These only exist in major music markets,” said Longo, who has been in several such facilities. “I’ve taken mental notes on every one that I’ve ever been in, and I’m implementing [their best attributes] here.”

Longo sees Downbeat as a launch pad for serious young artists.

“We will provide a pristine rehearsal environment for a reasonable hourly fee,” he said. “They just come in and play. They bring their own guitars, but everything else is here. And it’s air conditioned, beautiful and new.”

Clients can hone their skills at Downbeat without having to lug their gear in and out for every practice session.

They will also use the first-rate sound equipment at Downbeat and be able to take advantage of networking opportunities.

Most importantly, they will be mentored by Longo, who will illuminate their path into the music industry.

It’s a role he has already done with a few local musicians over the years, including Kelly McCracken and Dominic DiTomasso.

He has, on separate occasions, brought both to Las Vegas, introduced them to music industry celebrities and insiders, and helped with their recordings.

McCracken is a rock singer and songwriter who got started about two decades ago when she fronted the Warren-based band The Kellys. She now lives in Cincinnati, where she performs with the band Flying Underground.

“I showed her a vision of the music business beyond local bars,” Longo said.

The same is true of DiTomasso, who has since moved to Nashville where he is pursuing his career.

“I was able to save him 25 years of hitting his head against the wall,” Longo said. “I take them out of Trumbull County and right into a major music environment.”

A Shakedown Cruise

McCracken and her bandmates were in the Valley just before Christmas for a show at Youngstown’s West Side Bowl. They also visited Downbeat, where they tried out the equipment in the rehearsal room to discover any problems before opening day.

McCracken was impressed.

“It’s a beautiful space that he has put his heart and soul into,” she said. “He just wants artists, both new to the scene and veterans, to have a place to create, and he’s providing all the necessities. The only thing they have to bring in is the material, and creations can evolve.”

Having a good rehearsal space is often a luxury for a band, McCracken explained. Flying Underground rehearses in a third-floor studio owned by the band’s founder, Brian Lovely.

“We say it’s intimate, and not small, and helps us bond as a band,” McCracken said with a laugh. “But I would love to have the space Mariano is providing. It’s a way to get the stage feel in a rehearsal setting. It’s comfortable and clear.”

Mariano Longo, Brian Lovely, Kelly McCracken, Dave Ramos, Brian Malone and Gary Del Vecchio pose for a photo in a rehearsal room at Downbeat.

McCracken has known Longo since the earliest days of her music career and considers him to be one of her pillars.

“He has included me in numerous performances and experiences over the years,” she said. “He’s definitely a mentor figure whom I really respect. I’m thrilled that his place is right up the road from where I grew up. Downtown Warren has a fantastic art and music scene, and I’m so happy to see platforms opening for it to shine.”

Musical Biography

Longo has worked with many famous artists over the years. In addition to Wayne Newton, the list includes The Buckinghams, Leslie Gore, Gary Puckett, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bobby Rydell, Air Supply and others.

Amazingly, he has had no formal music education. Instead, he took giant career strides by working with the best in the business.

His career path required persistence and a determination to overcome obstacles. He learned many lessons the hard way and now wants to help younger artists avoid the pitfalls.

While sitting on a piano bench at Downbeat amid the sound of hammering and drilling by construction workers, he looked back on his career.

“I went to HKU – Hard Knocks University,” Longo said. “I was working from the time I graduated high school and was on the road six nights a week.”

In his earliest days, he played in local bands such as Group Therapy and Sir Bentley. After high school, he relocated to Rochester, N.Y., where he worked for a decade before moving to Las Vegas. It was in Vegas where his career blossomed.

“I was surrounded by world-class musicians and learned from the finest musicians,” Longo said. “I absorbed everything like a sponge. Being in Vegas was like a master class. You just had to keep your eyes and ears open. You learn more than you would have in four years in college.”

When the pandemic forced the shutdown of Las Vegas, Longo suddenly had plenty of time on his hands. That’s when the idea to launch a dedicated rehearsal facility in his hometown took shape.

“I had already had it in my mind for about five years, to give something back to Warren,” he said.
He and his wife, who is a Niles native, relocated to the Valley in spring 2024 and bought the East Market Street building – which has been a convenience store and a warehouse over the years – shortly thereafter.

Equipment

As a nonprofit operator, Longo had to relearn the ropes of doing business. Applying for donations and grants is part of the job, but he has already had tremendous success.

Professional audio equipment is expensive, but he got everything he needed for free by asking a Las Vegas casino to donate its unused gear to Downbeat.

It started with a piece of equipment that he noticed about a year ago sitting backstage at Caesars Palace while he was performing there with Wayne Newton.

“They upgrade their equipment every five years or so,” Longo said. “Everything is state of the art at the casinos.”

Longo asked the director of technical services of Caesars if the piece could be donated to him. Months went by without a response, but Longo kept sending reminders.

“After a few months, [the director] called and said, ‘Can you send a truck?’ And I backed it up to four casinos. It was enough to equip our studios with everything we needed … amplifiers, speakers, drums …,” Longo said.

That was eight months ago, and most of that equipment has since been installed at Downbeat.
While the facility will be open to all genres of music, Longo will vet potential clients and mentees. Downbeat, he said, is for serious artists only.

After decades in Las Vegas, Longo still gets excited about helping young talent. But he shrugs off any suggestion that he’s following a higher calling.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said. “If someone would have helped save me that 25 years [of learning the business], I would have appreciated it.” Longo said he made it in the business only because he was “just too stubborn to give up.”

Downbeat will also have a secondary role, one that does not involve aspiring artists. It will serve as a rehearsal space for touring acts that are in town to perform at the Robins Theatre, which is just a mile away.

“There is space for tour bus parking in our lot,” Longo said. “When a multi-act tour comes to the Robins, it doesn’t make financial sense for them to fire up that theater and provide heat and light in the middle of the winter for them to rehearse. They’ll be able to pull up right here. I know how the business works, and this will be very efficient.”

Longo has already made arrangements with Kenny Haidaris, who handles booking and daily operations of the Robins Theatre.

Another aspect of Downbeat is that it will be a museum of sorts.

The lobby of the building will be devoted to honoring musicians from the Valley. Photos, information and memorabilia from artists such as Billy Beck (Ohio Players) and Greg Reeves (Crosby Still Nash & Young) will grace the walls, along with artists such as McCracken.

The lobby has a custom-made black tile floor embedded with stainless steel cutouts of music symbols.

“I want it to be like a mini museum,” Longo said, “a tourist destination.”

Pictured at top: Brian Lovely, Mariano Longo, Brian Malone, Kelly McCracken and Dave Ramos take a break in a Downbeat rehearsal studio.