AN INTERVIEW WITH FOSTER THE PEOPLE

MONDAY, MAY 09, 2011 | POSTED BY: SIOBHAN FLUDDER

Over the past couple of years, a collection of tunes developed among a trio of friends who intended nothing other than to express a love and enjoyment for music, never realizing the mounting buzz that they were about to face. There is an effervescent appeal to Foster The People. The music envelops an instantaneous burst of pleasant excitement, and yet contains an elusive intrigue that incorporates the deeper elements of each song's purpose, pulling in audiences from every direction. Though a relatively new group, Foster The People continue to execute accomplishments that have molded layer after layer of promise for the band. Torches, their first album's debut, is only now two weeks away, but it is most likely this is not the first you've heard of them, and certainly won't be the last.

During a recent interview with frontman Mark Foster, he tells Baeble about the band's basic beginnings. "Mark (Pontius) and Cubbie are basically just friends of mine" he says simply. After hanging out with the two individually in Los Angeles, Foster quickly learned of their music experience and brought them together, leading to the creation of Foster The People. Initially, Mark tells us, Pontius and Cubbie Fink "didn't move to LA to pursue music, they moved here for film school". Thus, the birth of the band truly came from a labor of love with no other motive than to play music for the sake of exploring a genuine passion. Due to the undercurrent of this heart that the band possesses, things have rapidly grown into a truly exciting direction.

Foster the People - Warrant

[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] Foster The People Open Up About Their New Album

Lead by the witty yet wiry-thin songwriter and synth addict Mark Foster, Foster The People are young, boisterous and responsible for the infectious track “Pumped Up Kicks,” that is now on KROQ’s Top 10 Most Played lists and fast becoming one of 2011′s summer anthems.

While KROQ’s Nicole Alvarez interviewed frontman Foster last month in the back of KROQ, we followed up with them as they kicked off their national tour – already sold out in most major cities – on March 8th at Soho in Santa Barbara.

As the live set now boasts 5 people, we chatted with the original three: Mark Foster, drummer Mark Pontius, and bassist Cubbie Fink about their much-anticipated album, Torches, due out May 24th and snapped some live shots of their energetic, gear-heavy live show.

Our main take-away? Their live-set ‘fosters’ a fun, fist-pumping dance party, (during “Pumped Up Kicks” they had the crowd singing along.) But underneath Foster The People’s jolly, synth-pop exterior, the band members have depth and wit. They’ve also managed to retain modesty and refreshing down-to-earth laid back humor despite the crazy track their lives have taken since the band formed October 2009.

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

Foster the People

Los Angeles, California, United States (2007 – present)

Foster the People is an indie rock/indie pop band that formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 2007. The band consists of Mark Foster (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Cubbie Fink (bass, vocals) and Mark Pontius(drums). The band released their debut self-titled EP in January 2011. The band’s debut full length album, Torches, was released on May 24, 2011 on Star Time/Columbia. Their first single “Pumped Up Kicks” reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in June 2011, and later reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #27 on the UK Singles Chart. 

Initially the solo project of Mark Foster, he later added Fink and Pontius in 2009, forming a full band in the process. Two other musicians, Sean Cimino (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Isom Innis (keyboards, vocals), tour with the band as additional members.