Marino was a revered concert producer, a prolific songwriter, and talented lead guitarist who performed and recorded with heavy-metal bands Anvil and Overkill.
Marino passed away unexpectedly on New Year’s Day at age 57 while working a music gig. He was a trusted friend to many musicians locally and nationally.
Marino performed with several Rochester area bands in the 1980s before hitting international stages. He was with Canadian band Anvil from 1989 to 1995 and wrote half of the songs on the band’s 1991 album “Worth the Weight.” He performed on three of Overkill’s albums between 1996 and 1999.
Members of Anvil and Overkill took to social media to speak to Seb’s talents upon news of his passing. A post from Overkill noted, “The music world has lost one of the good ones.”
After graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School, Seb studied classical guitar at Hochstein, MCC, and the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He taught private guitar lessons at his home and the House of Guitars.
After years of touring and recording, Marino pivoted in the late 1990s to a different kind of heavy metal — erecting stages and providing lighting and sound for area musicians. He founded the concert-production company Audio Images Sound & Lighting in Batavia and produced live shows for music venues, festivals, and tours along the East Coast, including the Rochester Jazz Festival and Fairport Music Festival. Marino also worked nationally as a crew member on several rock tours, including Carl Palmer, Yes, and Asia.
He was so pivotal to the sound and performance of some Rochester acts that they considered Marino a member of the band, such as Uncle Plum and the Skycoasters. Former lead singer of Uncle Plum, Elvio Fernandes, spearheaded the local groundswell to nominate Seb for induction into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.