In septembrie 2008, Octav ii face cunostinta lui Paul cu Claudiu, un chitarist foarte talentat si ravnit de multe trupe, pentru o eventuala colaborare cu The Marker, iar baietii decid sa incerce, un pretext bun fiind inscrierea in concursul Global Battle of the Bands, cel mai mare concurs de muzica live din lume. Acum The Marker, completati de piesa lipsa, incepea sa sune mai inchegat iar Paul era mai relaxant si focalizat mai mult pe interpretare vocala. Cu curaj si incredere se inscriu in concurs (GBOB) si fac o impresie foarte buna si castiga Finala romaneasca. Ulterior participa la Marea finala, la Londra, unde fac si acolo e impresie buna fiind remarcati de foarte multa lume buna, printre care si Glam Matlock, basistul si liderul trupei Sex Pistols, care le inmaneaza trofeul de bronz “Cea mai buna trupa romaneasca noua”. Concursul GBOB avea sa impringa trupa mult in fata si in atentia presei si producatorilor muzicali.

In vara 2009 The Marker semneaza contract de productie cu casa de discuri Roton cu care vor produce primul album The Marker.
Dupa ce au reprezenat Romania la Londra, in cardul GBOB (Global Battle of Bands), baietii se prezinta la preselectia pentru Festivalul International Cerbul de Aur, preselectie de care reusesc sa treaca, iar acum stim cu totii deja, au adus Romaniei Cerbul de Argint la editia din 2009 a festivalului desfasurat in fiecare an in Piata Sfatului din Brasov.

Paul a inceput sa cante la chitara la varsta de 14 ani, iar la 15 ani s-a inscris la canto la Scoala Populara de Arte Brasov, la prof. Cristina Puia, pe care o absolveste dupa 4 ani.
Octav a inceput sa cante la 7 ani, inca din clasa I, la vioara, instrument care l-a studiat pana in liceu. Intre timp s-a indragostit de tobe si nu si-a continuat studiile in domeniul viorii.
Andrei a cantat primul cantec la 9 ani, la chitara acustica, iar de la 10 ani a inceut sa ia cursuri de chitara bass.

Claudiu a inceput sa studieze chitara la 10 ani, iar la 14 ani incepe sa studieze chitara electrica, fiind indrumat de unii din cei mai bine cotati chitaristi romani. In 2006,2007 si 2008 castiga premiul I in concursuri de chitara electrica, si tot in 2008 incepe studiile in cadrul Facultatii de Muzica Bucuresti.

English Version

It all started towards the end of 2007 when Paul Mates (lead vocals, guitar) began to dream of a band in which he could play in. Earlier, that same year, Paul, together with Andrei Prodan (backing vocals, Bass) quit the band in which they had been for 5 years.

In January 2008, Paul and Andrei put together a new band, but this time they decided on a new form and a different style.

Finding a good drummer wasn’t easy, but they had a rough idea of who they were looking for. They met Octav Capota about 2 years earlier, while he was performing at a concert alongside Claudiu Ursache. Claudiu had been invited by the organizers to perform a guitar solo.

To their joy, Octav responded positively to their invitation of joining the band. Thus The Marker was formed.
The response they got at their first concert, encouraged them to further pursue their dream and work harder on promoting The Marker. They started working on recording their first single, which they launched together with their website. The result was awesome, with around 4,000 hits, only in the first month.

This opens doors for them and in the upcoming months they will perform at different venues. Throughout this period the need for a second guitarist became obvious. When they decided to participate at the “Global Battle of the Bands,” they asked Octav ’s friend, Claudiu to join the band, and he did.

Their greatest accomplishment so far, came in October 2008, when they were declared the winners of Romania’s “Battle of the Bands” at the Hard Rock Café final in Bucharest.

In 2009 they signed a contract with Roton, a very well-known Record Company from Romania. In September 2009 they won The Silver Tag at The Golden Tag Festival, one of the most important festivals from south-estern Europe.

Band:

Paul – vocal and guitar
Octav – drums
Claudiu – guitar
Andrei – guitar