The Bluebillies

The Bluebillies don't just sing Country songs; they embody them, performing their unique
blend of country, bluegrass and folk music with traditional style, sound and spirit. Husband
and wife team Mark and Melody Guarino have been singing together since 1984 when they
first made it their mission to help revive and preserve the rich heritage of this great and
uniquely American art form. With the addition of the Frank Orsini on fiddle and guitarist Greg
Bucking, The Bluebillies were complete and perform together with all the joy and simpatico
that only a “family” band can produce. The Bluebillies produce a series of traveling Old-time
Gospel Music Revues each season, and also host their own gospel music open mic each
summer, and have released three Cd’s; Adirondack Angels in 2016, Gal From Ioway in 2014,
and Train to Paradise in 2013. The Bluebillies are:

Mel “Melba Deen” Guarino was born in Sioux City Iowa to parents who both were musicians in swing bands.
The family traveled all around the Midwest following the music and eventually settled in her dirt road one horse
hometown of Black Oak Indiana. After hitchhiking and traveling all over the USA, Mel settled in New York City
where she played with various rock and folk bands. But soon she returned to the music she first heard and loved
in Black Oak, where Country Music was the music of choice among the population who had moved up North to
find work in the gritty steel mills of Whiting and Gary. And it was the music that would become the driving force
behind The Bluebillies style that forges close harmony bluegrass and hillbilly music into one heart-wrenching allAmerican wail. Melody is a prolific, award winning songwriter (LARAC songwriter grant, 2013)

Mark Guarino cut his teeth on rockabilly and country in his first band, Buck Libido, and opened for bands like
Pure Prairie League and New Riders of the Purple Sage. His NYC based band, The Ring, toured New England
opening for acts such as The Ramones, Jason and the Scorchers, and Whitesnake. He is an accomplished
songwriter and seasoned stage performer, well known throughout the lower Adirondack region.

Frank Orsini, has been one of the prominent acoustic musicians of Upstate New York. He plays violin, viola and
mandolin, and has recently taken up Celtic harp. A versatile fiddler, singer and seasoned ensemble player, he
has been on numerous recordings and been a member of many established groups with a strong following
including the Whipper-Snappers, the Upstate Bluegrass Band and the High Flyers.

Greg Bucking has spent the past two decades writing for and performing in a variety of projects and musical
styles. One of his current bands, The Vine Brothers, has recorded three albums and spent the last five years
touring across the US, His song “Three Bottles” was featured on the Discovery Channel show Vegas Rat Rods,
Greg also wrote and recorded three albums for the New York based Mother Freedom, one for Broken Carousel,
and penned the score for the independent film My Brother Jack. Greg also regularly performs with the NYC ska
sensations The Scofflaws.
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The Bluebillies are available for Concerts, Dances, and Festivals and anywhere the sound of real
American Music is enjoyed. Contact: Mel Guarino: (518) 632-5026 thebluebillies@gmail.com For more info:
www.thebluebillies.com www.facebook.com/thebluebillies