Foster the People

Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, and Cubbie Fink formed a group called Foster & the People in Los Angeles in 2009. The name was mistaken as Foster the People, and that stuck primarily because of the image it presented as a caring group. Foster is lead singer and writes the music and lyrics, Fink plays bass and guitar, and Pontius is on drums.

The band rose in popularity after playing at South by Southwest and getting play on the musical blog The Hype Machine. They had a hit in 2010 entitled "Pumped Up Kicks," and it climbed to #1 on the alternative music portion of Billboard and in Canada. It was also at #3 on the pop charts.

They followed that with a less successful tune called "Helena Beat," which has only made it to #37. In 2011, the album "Torches" was released and it climbed to #1 on both the pop and the alternative charts in the U.S., but it hasn't done much elsewhere.

In May of 2011, Brandon Dorsky of Supergoodmusic.com filed a breach of contract claim against the band and manager Monotone Inc. after the single "Pumped Up Kicks" went viral. The matter was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Dorsky claimed credit for naming the band as well as acting as manager under a verbal agreement as opposed to a written contract (there was none).

Their sound is described as an indie pop electronic mix with a strong rock and roll background. When the band travels, it has two other musicians who play back up. They are Sean Cimino who does guitar, keyboards, and sings. Isom Innis also plays keyboards and does back up vocals.