Oproiu Releases “Need Your Love” To Make A 40-Year Musical Journey A Reality
Singer/songwriter Mark Oproiu and his mononymous named band – featuring Chris Tondreau (lead/rhythm guitars, production); Calvin Beale (bass guitar); Michael Farina (drums/percussion); and Joel Joseph (keyboards) have released their debut single “Need Your Love.” The incessant, groove-oriented rock pastiche finds Mark Oproiu snarling over a tribal beat while guitars are ablaze. The band perfectly emulates the raw emotion and drive that Mark dreamed of as a child.
He discovered his calling when he received Queen’s The Works and KISS’ Creatures Of The Night albums for his eighth birthday.
Recalls Oproiu,
“I couldn’t stop listening to ‘Creatures Of The Night.’ (KISS) were not just any rock band, but one that would ultimately become mentors as I began my journey as a singer/songwriter and entertainer…I was transfixed on how music made me feel, and I wanted to make others feel the same.”
Oproiu continues,
“I started teaching myself how to play the guitar with instructional videos and a lot of practice. At 17, I started taking private vocal lessons and continued until I was 21.” It was then that he started playing in bands and playing in clubs. Then Grunge exploded and nearly wiped-out Hard Rock as a genre. Oproiu’s band members at the time soon started to get married and have children. “In 1997, upon the completion of our 2nd LP – a hard rock album – I too made the decision to walk away and have a family. And so that’s what I did.”
But it wouldn’t be the end of Mark Oproiu’s vision,
“It was in my 2nd year of university that I met Orlando Cicchello. He had graduated from the Music Institute of Guitar in Los Angeles at the top of his class. (I told him) my experiences with music, and my passion for songwriting. We built a 16-bit home studio and started recording together. Orlando would lay down riffs and progressions while I arranged them and wrote lyrics and melodies, and off we went. We worked like this for the better part of 18 years.”
That brings us to the present, where OPROIU, the band, has realized Mark Oproiu’s musical vision on the new Rock Lives 4-song EP and its dynamic new single “Need Your Love.”
Listen to “Need Your Love” below, and learn more about Oproiu via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Mark Oproiu, lead singer/songwriter for the band OPROIU.
I’m here now to introduce the upcoming release of a four-song EP called Rock Lives. It’s set to release Friday, September 30th, 2022.
What took ya so long to release this?
Very good question!
After playing and recording with a few bands and struggling, of course, to break through, I decided to finish school, get married, and dedicate my time to being a good father and husband. I decided that I wasn’t going to make another push in the music industry until I was prepared to devote my time to the fans. Sounds risky, I know, but the whole industry is risky, to begin with.
So, my view has always been that I will release when I am ready to devote time to the fans, and for me, that time is now.
I have never stopped writing/recording, and so I have a lot of material in my catalogue. I have “quietly” released material under various artists’ names just to kind of experiment with the internet and learn and understand how the music industry continues to change.
The past couple of years has been spent finding the right members for the band and working with them to shape and produce a four-song EP called Rock Lives, which is also the fourth track on the EP. It is staged to be released Friday, September 30th, 2022, and is a collection of recently written material.
Prior to its release date, you can stream each track in full on our website.
It really is a great collection and sample of the sound and brand of rock we plan to release in the form of an LP, hopefully in the spring of 2023.
Who and what got you into performing music?
Growing up in the ’80s was an awesome experience! Witnessing the birth of MTV and Much Music was inspirational and left a huge impression on me. KISS was the band that inspired me initially and remained a dominant influence on me. But many artists of all genres have had their impact on me as I have favorites in all genres.
My decision to embark on a journey as a singer/songwriter was made at the age of 8. I’ve always wanted to make people feel the same as I do when I hear songs that I love and connect with. This is something I chose to do then and continue to do to this day. It comes from love and the passion I have for music and art in general.
My journey as a songwriter comes from the heart and what I believe. At the end of the day, I am honest with my songwriting and stand behind it! I genuinely love what we produce and believe that the songs have something to offer. As an artist, all you can do is work hard and hope that others make a connection or have a feeling when listening to them in some way or another.
So, the answer to the second part of your question, “what got me into performing,” swings right back around to why I started writing in the first place, which is to make people feel something, hopefully positive, when they hear our songs and see us play live. That’s what it really boils down to for me.
Who was the first artist to knock you sideways?
KISS! Undeniably, they are my biggest influence.
My five biggest influences and the artists whose catalogue of music I’ve mostly explored and spent time “studying,” so to speak, are:
1 – KISS
2 – Queen
3 – Aerosmith
4 – Bon Jovi
5 – INXS
Five favorite albums:
1 – Destroyer (KISS)
2 – Aerosmith’s greatest hits
3 – Kick (INXS)
4 – Licensed to ill (Beastie Boys)
5 – Raising hell (Run DMC)
I made the decision that I wanted to be a rock artist at a very young age when I received the KISS album “Creatures of the Night” for my eighth birthday. On that birthday, I also received “The Works” by Queen. I loved both albums, and to this day, Queen is one of my favorite bands, but “Creatures of the Night” blew me away! I’m taking us back to 1983 when MTV and Much Music were also brand new, and KISS stood out from the rest! I used my birthday money to buy a Sony ghetto blaster and my first cassette, “Lick it up,” and listened to it front to back. Then, of course, I bought the “Destroyer” album and a few blank tapes as I decided it was time to expand my horizons and start taping songs I liked from the radio. I taped everything from ACDC to the Police, Bon Jovi, INXS, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Madonna, Elton John, Billy Joel, and so on… But for me, KISS was the band I followed and learned from the most.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
Awesome question! Also, very hard! 😊 So many great ones to choose from.
So, I’m going to give you an “either-or answer” but from the same band. I will say either “Up to here” or “Road Apples” by The Tragically Hip. Awesome Canadian band! God Bless and Rest in Peace, Gordon Downie!
Connect with Oproiu:
Website