BIOS

Vance (left) and Tracey Marino met at a concert at the famous Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA. They started talking after they realized they had been stood up by their friends. But soon it was clear they could work with, and learn from, each other's various musical backgrounds. They are full-time composers and songwriters with two Pro Tools studios in San Diego, just south of Los Angeles.
Tracey, a singer, keyboardist, and classically trained pianist who studied with the late Grammy winner Concert Pianist Earl Wild and Composer/Conductor of the La Jolla Chamber Music Society John Garvey, is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She studied composition with David Ward-Steinman, a student of Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Tracey took composing and songwriting classes at UCLA Extension and for two years was a member of the invitation-only "Monday Night Group" in Los Angeles, led by Songwriting Teacher, Author, and Mentor Jai Josefs. She plays many different types of keyboards including harpsichord and pipe organ (she took lessons from Professor James Weld) and is an expert in hymnody.
Vance, a singer, bassist, and seasoned lead rock, blues, and country guitarist, is originally from Oahu, Hawaii, and studied music and theory at Kamehameha School and Leeward College. He played classical guitar at the famed Rancho Bernardo Inn for 11 years. Vance studied Film/TV composing at UCLA Extension and spent seven years directing and arranging music for a 25-voice SATB choir, two trumpets and a violin. Besides guitar and bass, Vance plays drums, percussion, keyboards, ukulele, resonator guitar (Dobro), banjo, mandolin, guitalele, banjolele, bouzouki, tzouras, and other stringed instruments. He and Tracey studied lyric writing with Hit Songwriter Marty Panzer at UCLA's Extension.
With more than 2,500 titles in their BMI catalog, the Marino's have had hundreds of music placements in film, TV, video games, broadcast commercials, websites, film trailers, and theatre productions. They also have three Christmas and one Halloween children's holiday songs in print with Piano Press in Del Mar, CA.
Tracey & Vance are regular contributing columnists for music newsletters and have been panelists and guest lecturers for several songwriting and composing groups in San Diego, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Since 2009, they have been judges for the San Diego County Fair's Annual Musicpalooza contests.
As a way to give back to the songwriting community, they became Coordinators of the NSAI San Diego Chapter in the Fall of 2012. NSAI is the Nashville Songwriters Association International, a not-for-profit organization that teaches the craft of writing songs and lyrics.
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MUSICAL INFLUENCES
Tracey’s Influences:
Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Mozart, J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Dave Grusin, Maurice Jarre, Herb Alpert, Henry Mancini, George Winston, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, The Kingston Trio, Harry Chapin, Randy Newman, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Don Henley, Marvin Hamlisch, Marty Robbins, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Enya, Oscar Peterson, Joe Sample, Vince Guarldi, David Benoit, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein; All Types of Classical, Jazz & Standards, Rap & Hip Hop, World & Folk Music
Vance’s Influences:
The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Denver, Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor, Stray Cats, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Doobie Brothers, Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Lee Holdridge; All Types of Classic Country-Western, Rock, Blues Music
Both Influenced By:
John Williams, The Eagles, John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Lieber & Stoller; All Types of Pop, Country, Film Scores
Tracey, a singer, keyboardist, and classically trained pianist who studied with the late Grammy winner Concert Pianist Earl Wild and Composer/Conductor of the La Jolla Chamber Music Society John Garvey, is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She studied composition with David Ward-Steinman, a student of Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Tracey took composing and songwriting classes at UCLA Extension and for two years was a member of the invitation-only "Monday Night Group" in Los Angeles, led by Songwriting Teacher, Author, and Mentor Jai Josefs. She plays many different types of keyboards including harpsichord and pipe organ (she took lessons from Professor James Weld) and is an expert in hymnody.
Vance, a singer, bassist, and seasoned lead rock, blues, and country guitarist, is originally from Oahu, Hawaii, and studied music and theory at Kamehameha School and Leeward College. He played classical guitar at the famed Rancho Bernardo Inn for 11 years. Vance studied Film/TV composing at UCLA Extension and spent seven years directing and arranging music for a 25-voice SATB choir, two trumpets and a violin. Besides guitar and bass, Vance plays drums, percussion, keyboards, ukulele, resonator guitar (Dobro), banjo, mandolin, guitalele, banjolele, bouzouki, tzouras, and other stringed instruments. He and Tracey studied lyric writing with Hit Songwriter Marty Panzer at UCLA's Extension.
With more than 2,500 titles in their BMI catalog, the Marino's have had hundreds of music placements in film, TV, video games, broadcast commercials, websites, film trailers, and theatre productions. They also have three Christmas and one Halloween children's holiday songs in print with Piano Press in Del Mar, CA.
Tracey & Vance are regular contributing columnists for music newsletters and have been panelists and guest lecturers for several songwriting and composing groups in San Diego, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Since 2009, they have been judges for the San Diego County Fair's Annual Musicpalooza contests.
As a way to give back to the songwriting community, they became Coordinators of the NSAI San Diego Chapter in the Fall of 2012. NSAI is the Nashville Songwriters Association International, a not-for-profit organization that teaches the craft of writing songs and lyrics.
_______________________________________
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
Tracey’s Influences:
Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Mozart, J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Dave Grusin, Maurice Jarre, Herb Alpert, Henry Mancini, George Winston, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, The Kingston Trio, Harry Chapin, Randy Newman, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Don Henley, Marvin Hamlisch, Marty Robbins, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Enya, Oscar Peterson, Joe Sample, Vince Guarldi, David Benoit, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein; All Types of Classical, Jazz & Standards, Rap & Hip Hop, World & Folk Music
Vance’s Influences:
The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Denver, Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor, Stray Cats, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Doobie Brothers, Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Lee Holdridge; All Types of Classic Country-Western, Rock, Blues Music
Both Influenced By:
John Williams, The Eagles, John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Lieber & Stoller; All Types of Pop, Country, Film Scores