The day that Kearse took delivery of the truck, Fishman and Mad Dog went over the dozens of features, explaining the DVD-ROM navigation system, DVD player, VCR, Viper 550 ESP alarm with strobes, remote for the windows, sunroof, and engine-start, K40 Radar Detector with front and rear sensors, cordless headphones for the rear seat passengers, train-horn, neon, and more until they finally got to the rear hatch. When they opened it, Fishman says, "The look on Kearse's face made all the sleepless nights worthwhile." The three 12s had handcrafted aluminum grilles around them, accented with black ABS. The shapes of the grilles picked up the design of the huge Bofa wheels. When the rack motored out with the "Freak" logo already lighted, a big smile broke out on Kearse's face; and he gave Fish a high-five that he says almost broke his hand. "He was genuinely happy!" he exclaims.
How did it sound? "With the rear hatch closed, it creates a chamber that magnifies the base," says Fish. "It hammers!" Kearse's first reaction was simply, "Wow! I love it!" After getting acquainted with the system and realizing the possibilities, one of the NFLs premier lineman wanted more: "Now, I plan to have a lot more done to it."
Kearse talked a little bit about his musical taste and what he would be enjoying on his new system: "I am really into hip-hop, but I especially like watching my movies." That's something he can now do on any of the five screens in the Escalade.
As Fishman watched a pleased Jevon Kearse drive away with his revitalized Escalade he said, "It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to know that Jevon is out there enjoying his system. Even if he had a bad day on the field, he can get in, crank up his system and, all of a sudden he's going to be feeling good again."
Both Fish and Mad Dog are driven by the same goal, looking for that satisfied smile when the customer sees his new ride for the first time. "When that happens," says Fish, "we know we've succeeded."
Fishman Audio would like to send out special thanks to the rest of the players on the team like Joe Brosnan from MB Quart, Jorge Fornos from Phoenix Gold, Doug Kern, from MA Audio, Nick Mauro of Street Glow, John from AcuTint, Mike from Matworks for the "Freak" logo floor mats, Steve "Monkey Man" Perez for installing the alarms, mids, and highs, Jim "Mopar" McHugh for wiring and sanding skills, Mark Magneus, Sheryl "Fishgirl" Melendez, and especially, Mike McIntyre from Pro Sports Financial
Fishman AudioIt's easy to sum up Dave "Fishman" Rivera in a single word. Forget about the solid fabrication skills and the imaginative installs that have earned him 45 magazine articles and nine covers. While those traits are certainly important, the key to characterizing Fishman is simply his passion for the sport. His big booming voice sounds like four 12s when he gets fired up and he is barely able to contain his enthusiasm when he explains the nuances of his latest system. Over the years, he's learned that time is not the overriding factor in his work; it's customer satisfaction. If it takes a couple of all-nighter's to squeeze everything in before the deadline, the coffee pot goes into overtime along with the staff. Fish is assisted by his equally dedicated partner, Manny Machado. Mad Dog had been following Fishman's career over the years; and when he heard that Fish was relocating to Florida, he called, they talked, and have been together ever since. Fishman handles company PR. Jointly they work out the system guidelines and share fabrication tasks; then Machado connects everything and makes it work.