Just a few years ago, the good folks at Columbia Records were telling music journalists that a brand new band — Foster the People — was ready to blow up and become a major hit-maker.
Journalists hear that all the time and generally watch as the group comes through town, does a respectable show and sinks back into oblivion. So perhaps it’s not surprising that many journalists were left kicking themselves when Foster the People not only blew up but made its 2010 debut album “Torches” a Grammy Award contender. The one solace was that the writers were in good company, with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine among the industry brain trust with whom the band had met and apparently been dismissed before it hit it big, band founder Mark Foster told Rolling Stone.
“We haven’t had much time to write. We’ve been on tour nonstop coming up on two years,” said bassist Cubbie Fink, in what might be one of the major understatements of the year in discussing the group’s upcoming local show. “What little free time we did have this year, we did get into the studio and scratch the surface [for a new album]. But we haven’t really done any official writing in a while.”
| Onstage |
| Foster the People with the Kooks and Kimbra |
| Where: Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia |
| When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $35 to $45; 877-435-9849; merriweathermusic.com |
Not that the band is worried about it from any aspect. Once the group hunkers down, the songs will be there, said Fink. And until then, the group has had a lot of fun playing its current songs and mixing up the show to keep it interesting.
“The show is ever-evolving,” Fink said. “The one thing that is definitely a constant is the music, but we play a lot of different instruments, there’s a lot of interaction between what we designed and what we have going on musically. It’s a full sensory experience. The music is the foundation, but we are able to create an environment [fans will] remember, something they haven’t seen before.”
Fink is hesitant to put too many specifics out there for fear of spoiling the show. Although he plays bass, tambourine, cowbell, maracas, synthesizer and more — and his band mates follow suit with a variety of instrumentation — Fink was quick to point out that the group won’t bust into any hourlong eclectic jams.
“It’s theatrical, very stimulating,” he said by way of a hint at specifics for the show. “We are all from creative backgrounds, different parts of the arts, and it’s something that’s in our blood. … We all care very much what we play on stage and have gone to great lengths to make the show as alive as possible.”
With such attitudes, it’s not a stretch to believe the band is here to stay.
