What brought Rocco Guarino to his current path as a songwriter, record producer, director, and photographer started in Hudson Valley, NY with a cheap Stratocaster knockoff given to him by his mom when he was thirteen. By the time he was sixteen, he was writing, producing, engineering, and mixing the band he played bass and keyboards for. Recording Pink Floyd and Beatles songs onto his Akai sampler and playing them back 
backwards with one hand, while playing the family organ with the other, was the kindergarten version of Rocco in the studio today.
Rocco's journey led him to Tampa Bay, Florida, where he dove into the music scene head first. During his time in FL he recorded two albums as lead singer/songwriter of the band Harvest, opened two recording studios, toured with a punk-ska band playing bass, and began his career as a record producer. He also started a book publishing company with his mom that went on to publish over 100 books; it was a good indication of what was to come for the man who could not confine himself to just one genre.
In 2002, wanderlust and dreams of success swept Rocco away to Los Angeles, California, with 900 bucks in his pocket and not a soul to greet him. Within a month, the years of hard work and persistence paid off when lady luck landed him an assistant job with Scott Weiland, then followed with the most perfect timing imaginable: the formation of rock supergroup Velvet Revolver.
While touring around the world with VR as an assistant, Rocco used his sparse free time to take pictures. When his photos caught the eyes of the band members, he was enlisted to officially document all the memorable moments in photos and videos full time. As VR’s debut album debuted at 1 on the Billboard charts, and was certified 3x platinum, Rocco was directing and editing video blogs for the band’s website, which led to directing three documentaries 
for the band. After the success of those pieces they asked him to write and direct the music video for “The Last Fight”, which won critical acclaim and reached 9 on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown.
Rocco went on to serve as Director of Photography for VR's “Get Out The Door” video, followed by more film work with Stone Temple Pilots, clothing designer John Varvatos, plastic surgeon Dr. Diamond from Dr. 90210, photographer Jim Marshall, songwriter Diane Warren, and many independent bands and artists. His photography has been published in Billboard Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Penthouse Magazine, Reverb Magazine, and countless regional magazines, as well as product packaging, t-shirts, album designs, and even a billboard on Sunset Boulevard.
Rocco has recorded his original songs with a wide variety of local and international singers, and has lent his production and engineering skills to artists such as Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland, Gina Gershon, Camp Freddy, Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses), Scott Shriner (Weezer), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Stevie Salas (George Clinton/Rod Stewart), Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), and Amanda Overmyer (American Idol). He has also worked with renowned producers Bob Ezrin, Mike Clink, Josh Abraham, Brendan O’Brien, Mark Hudson, Steve Albini, and Douglas Grean.
Rocco’s unique approach to working with images, words, and music has earned him a reputation for being a patient and articulate producer, an original songwriter, and a visionary director. His love for the musical craft continues to draw him to a diverse group of artists in need of a hands-on guiding force. Not having been born with an Inspiration Off button, he has an insatiable appetite for finding new ways to tell stories, which has manifested itself in the form of his latest endeavor… writing a screenplay. He is also contributing to the upcoming autobiography of Scott Weiland, being written by acclaimed writer David Ritz.
Photo by Rocco Guarino, backstage at the Grammies: Matt Sorum, Tim McGraw, Norah Jones, Dave Kushner, Scott Weiland, Slash, Billy Joe, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler, Alisha Keys, Duff McKagan, Alison Krauss, Bono.
