Mark Pontius is an American musician who is best known as a founding member and drummer of the band Foster the People.
Early life
Pontius was born on January 3, 1985, in Orlando, Florida to Larry and Harriet Pontius. He is the youngest of five siblings which includes sister Rebecca Pontius, founder of the Do Good Bus. Growing up, Pontius drummed in garage bands and community groups. Pontius graduated from Lyman High School in Longwood, Florida in 2003. After graduating high school, Pontius moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in cinematography. He attended and graduated from film school. He briefly lived in Australia during this time.
After moving to Los Angeles, Pontius joined the indie pop band Malbec which was fronted by Pablo Signori and included music producer Speakerbomb. From 2003 to 2011, they put out seven EP's and one full length album, cutting out their own niche of pop rock, hip hop and electronic music. They signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing in 2007 and had their songs synced in films and television shows like One Tree Hill, Flight of the Phoenix, Long Way Round, The Omen, Palo Alto, and NBC's Chuck, among others. Besides being the band's drummer, Pontius also directed and edited all of their music videos. Pontius left the band in December 2009 to focus on Foster the People; he had been working with Mark Foster for a few months and was very excited about his work. Malbec disbanded the following year. After leaving Malbec, and before Foster the People found success, Pontius produced an electronic pop-leaning solo record under the name Discovery. He also worked as a session musician; he is credited on three singles recorded by JES as well as the Puddle of Mudd single "We Don't Have to Look Back Now".
2010–Present: Foster the People
In Fall 2009, Mark Foster organized a band made up of himself and Pontius, among others; they played their first show as "Foster & The People" in October 2009. Around this time, Foster recorded the song "Pumped up Kicks" at his workplace and it was released as an early single for the band. In May 2010, the band was signed to Columbia Records imprint Startime International for a multi-album deal due to the song's increasing success. "Pumped Up Kicks" was officially re-released as the band's first single on September 14, 2010; it was labeled as a "sleeper hit" due to its slow rise in popularity and eventually peaked at number three on the BillboardHot 100 starting with the week of September 10, 2011. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in February 2012. On May 23, 2011, the band's first studio album, Torches, was released and earned the band their second Grammy Award nomination, one for Best Alternative Music Album. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. Three years later, the band released their second album, Supermodel on March 14, 2014. It is currently their highest peaking studio album on the Billboard 200 at number three. On July 21, 2017, Foster the People released its third album, Sacred Hearts Club, an album influenced by the global issues of the current times, which featured the single "Sit Next to Me." In 2017, Pontius produced the Mr. Gabriel track "Holy Water" at his studio in Tennessee, Fat Horse Ranch.
Equipment
Pontius has used a custom kit from Los Angeles-based drum makers Q Drums since 2014. He uses Istanbul cymbals and Vic Firth sticks. He also uses Pintech electronic percussion equipment, specifically the Pintech RS-5 external triggers. In the past, he has used a Gretsch kit.
Personal life
Pontius lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his partner, interior designer Caroline Walkup; they have one child together. Pontius is an environmental and animal rights activist; he has been particularly supportive of the organization Mercy for Animals. He practices veganism.
