Mark dela Cruz was gifted by his parents of his very first guitar as a Christmas present back in 1990. Being inspired by some actor who plays the instrument in "Batibot". Not later the next year, he showed an extreme interest on the 6-string beast. His mother taught him the basic chords from Beatles and BeeGees songs and learned them the easy way. Mastering to write his own songs also came quickly to him as he entered high-school. It was the 90s era of alternative rock. Influenced by Nirvana and Eraserheads, he began to form rock bands with his classmates and friends honing his songwriting expertise at the same time. After several garage practices, Mark and his bands parted ways in College. He began working on his music on his own as there were only a few of his new buddies showed interest on his craft. He began to record on cassette-tapes his compositions all by himself, doing vocals and playing all instruments, sharpening his skills in guitars and basics of keyboards and drums. Dissected every song he could write - which explains why he flunked most of his Accounting subjects. He released many demo-tapes of his materials and shared them with friends, classmates and relatives, desperately wanted to expose his music on a wider audience. But things did not work out as planned and started to just focus his life working in the corporate world as he graduated with a degree in Business Management. Mark saw light again in 2001 as he reunited with some of his high-school friends. They formed a pop-rock band, this time, with him on drums. The band eventually released widely an independent album of all original materials which surprisingly doesnât include any composition by Mark --their songs were all written solely by their singer. The band took its biggest breaks in playing gigs on large events nationwide and some stints on national television. This was the time when Mark began to be active in the independent and underground music scene. Not only playing gigs with the band, but also producing and directing shows for some of the big acts in the country when some of these groups and artists were just starting out. This was the ârockstarâ timeline for him and the band showing off their deep powerpop and punk-rock identities each time they went on stage. But unfortunately, the group wasnât somehow as consistent as Markâs perseverance to make it big in the music scene. Though the group remained the best of friends, some pursued personal priorities that located the band under an on-going hiatus. Now armed with some D.I.Y. attitudes, Mark reformed his lonesome musical persona as Oblong, still incorporating his bubblegum-pop sensibilities and geeky antics in his songs. Raw, whiny and melancholic, he has always professed his love for the music of The Beatles, Oasis, Blur, Ben Folds, Weezer, Dashboard Confessional, and Hartley Golstein. Sometimes off-tuned, but sweet guitars, fused with unexpected beats and cheap, bitter-sweet words completes the indie-pop sound of Oblong. With the independent release of his debut EP âœSarah, sing me to sleepâ in 2007, Mark showcased his sensitive aura on songs like âœMondayâ and âœTahan Naâ, as well as on his follow-up single âœLullabyeâ in 2008. Today, Oblong is planned to take a new and edgier path which can be heard on his latest tune âœSky Questâ, which is actually a jingle for a local travel agency. Though sometimes breaks hearts with his sentimental hooks, Oblong often times surprises with his punk-driven melodies. Mark remains to be a corporate slave working 8 hours a day â“and even more. He is currently working on new songs, collaborating with other artists, occassionaly performing and producing gigs in small clubs, and soliciting sponsorships for Oblongâs follow-up album...and is now very busy fathering a lovely wife and a beautiful baby boy. And until now, Mark dela Cruz maintains his identity as the sole member and chief songwriter for Oblong.