The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Foster-ing creativity
Northeast Ohio native worked to expand what his band — a headliner at this weekend’s LaureLive in Russell Township — had to offer on latest album
Nearly a decade after hit song “Pumped Up Kicks” catapulted then-unknown Los Angeles act Foster the People into a platinum-selling, top-40 act, Northeast Ohio native and band visionary Mark Foster is still trying to wrap his mind around the group’s musical evolution.
It’s been quite a journey for the 2002 Nordonia High School graduate, who as a child was inspired by the Beach Boys. Not only was the “Fun, Fun, Fun” group his first concert ever, at Blossom Music Center, but in 2012 he had the honor of opening for the Rock Hall inductee act at the outdoor venue.
This year, Foster the People returns to the area as the June 9 headliner at LaureLive taking place at Russell Township’s Laurel School.
The News-Herald talked to Foster about his memories of Northeast Ohio, his cold-climate theory in relation to inspiring musicians and the concept behind the latest Foster the People album, “Sacred Hearts Club.”
QLooking back to growing up in the Rock Hall City area, what role did music play in your life?
AAt that time, music kind of became something for me that was a constant and an escape. I was playing in different bands around that time. I started playing at Peabody’s, Phantasy and The Pit. I played in a hardcore band. That was my life. I really got super invested in the local scene and started going to shows when I was 13. I would see bands like Uncle No, Apartment 213, State of Conviction, Integrity, The Spudmonsters — just that whole local Cleveland scene — and Mushroomhead, obviously. That opened my eyes, I guess, to really see that a local scene could be like a family, because I didn’t really feel like I had a family at school.
QWhy do you think you were consumed with music as a teenager?
AI have this whole theory about cold climates. I feel like colderclimate places — if you’re a musician, you’ve got six months of winter. And if music is your escape, you’re going to be in a basement practicing. You’re going to be diving deep into that. It’s like in Sweden, all of these bands that are killing it right now. I laugh with them about it and tell them about my theory about cold climates. They’ll pick up a guitar and be incredible at it. I know that Swedish winters, there’s nothing to do, it gets dark at 1 p.m. and it’s freezing. They’re just practicing music all day long.
QCongratulations on “Sacred Hearts Club.” During a recent listen, I heard a definite Beach Boys influence that, upon repeat spins, was overshadowed by other influences, sounds and motifs. Was that the intention?
AThat was something that we talked about a lot when we were making this record. At one point, we basically had two different records: One was kind of ’60s psychedelic and guitar driven, and the other was more modern, hip-hop-influenced. It was a lot of discussion trying to figure out if we were going to put them out as two separate things or basically try to figure out how to create an arc with all of the different sounds from all of the different styles of music. We decided to see if we could musically have them live in one world. I think that music is in a postmodern age where everybody listens to everything. A festival lineup is a perfect example where it’s not nearly as specific I think as it used to be.
QWith that in mind, what songs epitomize the spirit of “Sacred Hearts Club?”
A“Loyal Like Sid & Nancy” and “Pay the Man” were two early songs. They were also two songs that took the longest to finish. I really wanted to explore approaching those songs that are rooted more in hiphop and atonal dance music, but approach them as a songwriter would and do something against the grain of what a typical hip-hop artist would do. That’s because I’m not a hip-hop artist. And I found it really interesting to see what would it be like to approach this rhythmically, but to sing over this and to not try to be something I’m not. Just to reinterpret something through my filter and see if it can become something new people haven’t heard before. It was difficult.
QFinally, how does this new album fit into the Foster the People catalog?
A(2011’s) “Torches” physically showed me the world — but then also showed me the good, bad and ugly of what it’s like to be on the top of the mountain in the entertainment industry, seeing what fame was like for the first time, seeing what the fallout of friendships and family and how people treat you differently. I walked away from that being in a pretty dark place. That’s kind of what I put into (2014’s) “Supermodel.” I really wanted to show people I didn’t want to be a pop star. The best way I could think of doing that was just to make a left turn and purposely try not to write any radio songs at all and go introspective lyrically, politically, emotionally and spiritually. Then (with) “Sacred Hearts Club,” I really wanted to reach out and grab people, connect with them and make something that created a joyful place. The new album for me is a bridge to unify people and to create something that was more global as opposed to more individualized.