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{{short description|American musician (born 1985)}}{{Use American English|date = December 2019}}{{Use mdy dates|date = December 2019}}

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| birth_place = Orlando, Florida, U.S.| years_active = 2003–present| occupation = MusicianDrums|percussion}}Indie popalternative rock>indie rock}}| label = Foster the People, Malbec (band)>Malbec}}Mark Andrew Pontius (born January 3, 1985) is an American musician who is best known as a founding member and drummer of the American alt pop band Foster the People; he left the band in 2021. Prior to joining Foster the People in 2009, Pontius was part of the now-defunct indie pop band Malbec.

Early life

Pontius was born on January 3, 1985, in Orlando, Florida to Harriet and Lawrence Lee “Larry” Pontius.WEB,knightnews.com/2011/09/interview-with-mark-pontius-of-foster-the-people/, Interview with Mark Pontius of Foster the People, Harper, Sarah, KnightNews.com, September 28, 2011, en-US, 2019-12-04, Growing up, Pontius drummed in garage bands and community groups.AV MEDIA,www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJeM7qlU9q0, Mark and Rebecca Pontius on “The Bubble” with the Clyde Brothers, 2012, Clyde Brothers (interviewer); Mark and Rebecca Pontius (interviewee), Podcast, Clyde Brothers, December 5, 2019, youtube.com, Pontius graduated from Lyman High School in Longwood, Florida in 2003.WEB,lymanhighschool.net/longwood-fl/alumni/5709275/mark-pontius.html, Mark Pontius - Lyman High School - Longwood, FL, lymanhighschool.net, 2019-12-04, After graduating high school, Pontius moved to Los Angeles to study cinematography. He attended and graduated from film school but pursued a career in music after graduation. In 2004 and 2005, Pontius appeared on the GSN game show Extreme Dodgeball,WEB, Foster the People Fast Facts,fosterthepeoplefans.webs.com/ftpfacts.htm, competing for the Silent But Deadly Mimes in one season and the Reef Sharks in the second season.

Career

2003–2010: Malbec and early musical contributions

After moving to Los Angeles, Pontius joined the indie pop band Malbec which was fronted by Pablo Signori and included music producer Speakerbomb.WEB,rickyleepotts.com/2009/01/artist-interview-1-on-1-with-malbec.html, Artist Interview: 1-on-1 with Malbec, Potts, Ricky, January 28, 2009, en-US, 2019-12-04, WEB,www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-foster-the-people-20110626-story.html, Foster the People: Pumped up, indeed, Martens, Todd, June 26, 2011, Los Angeles Times, Besides being the band’s drummer, Pontius also directed and edited all of their music videos. Pontius left the band in December 2009 and subsequently formed Foster the People. Malbec disbanded the following year.WEB,buzzbands.la/2014/03/18/ears-wide-open-beginners/, Ears Wide Open: Beginners, Kevin, Bronson, 2014-03-18, buzzbands.la, en, 2019-12-05,

2010–2021: Foster the People

Around the fall of 2009, Mark Foster recorded the song “Pumped Up Kicks” at his workplace and it was released as an early single for the band.WEB,archive.seattleweekly.com/home/915112-129/interview, Foster the People’s Mark Foster on, Seattle Weekly, 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;WEB, Johnson, Steve, October 3, 2011, The dark meaning of Foster the People’s lyrics in Pumped Up Kicks,articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-03/entertainment/ct-ent-1004-foster-lyrics-20111004_1_school-shooting-pop-music-song, Chicago Tribune, it was labeled as a “sleeper hit” and eventually peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 starting with the week of September 10, 2011.MAGAZINE, Chart History – Hot 100,www.billboard.com/artist/foster-the-people/chart-history/hsi/, November 10, 2020, Billboard, It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in February 2012.WEB, 2019-11-19, Foster The People,www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/foster-people/10594, 2020-11-11, GRAMMY.com, en, 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.WEB, Garrad, Susie, 27 October 2017, How an entire hipster generation fell for Foster The People and their irresistible debut Torches,hhhhappy.com/how-foster-the-people-tricked-an-entire-generation-with-torches/, HappyMag.tv, 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.WEB,www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-foster-the-people-supermodel-story.html, Foster the People goes political with ‘Supermodel’, Martens, Todd, Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2014, 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.“WEB,www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/foster-the-people-interview-sacred-hearts-club-mark-isom-how-to-listen-stream-buy-tour-dates-a7852416.html, Foster the People interview: ‘This record had its own pressure’, The Independent, July 21, 2017, In 2017 and 2018, Pontius worked with Gabe Simon under the name Mr Gabriel. The two produced a series of tracks together, including “Holy Water,” a song produced at Pontius’ Tennessee studio, Fat Horse Ranch, which includes archival drums and bass performed by his late father.NEWS, 2013-06-05, Obituary for LARRY PONTIUS (Aged 73), B5, The Orlando Sentinel,www.newspapers.com/clip/37916804/obituary-for-larry-pontius-aged-73/, 2020-11-11, WEB, Bound, Chris, April 23, 2018, INTERVIEW: Gabe Simon discusses his new project Mr. Gabriel,www.mysticsons.com/article/interview-gabe-simon-discusses-his-new-project-mr-gabriel#.X6jsdS-faf0, 2020-11-11, Mystic Sons, He left the band in 2021 to focus on his family.WEB,www.nme.com/news/music/foster-the-people-drummer-mark-pontius-exits-band-after-over-a-decade-3070340, Foster the People drummer Mark Pontius exits band after over a decade, Alex, Gallagher, NME, 2021-10-14, 2021-10-14,

Personal life

Pontius has one daughter.INSTAGRAM, carolinewalkup, BxY47DdnBxm, I became a mom just around a month ago when she entered the world fast and furiously, like a spring storm. We’ve been quietly celebrating life with her, absorbing all the love and learning we can. Our eyes have been opened (sorta 😴) and our hearts are full. Sunday Lane Pontius (our Sunny!), thank you for choosing me to be your mom., 13 May 2019, He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.WEB,www.good-saint.com/10/post/2016/01/mark-pontius-of-foster-the-people.html, Mark Pontius of Foster the People, GOOD SAINT, en, 2019-12-04, WEB,www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-0611-young-innis-loft-20160606-snap-story.html, An open, industrial loft in DTLA gets a cozy makeover, 2016-06-11, Los Angeles Times, en-US, 2019-12-04,

Discography

Studio albums

With Malbec

• Malbec EP (2006)
• Keep It A Secret EP (2007)
• Dawn of Our Age (2008)
• Answering Machine EPs (2008–2009); 5 EP project

As Delivery (solo project)

• Takes My Time (2010)

With Foster the People

• Torches (2011)
• Supermodel (2014)
• Sacred Hearts Club (2017)

As Suitnop (solo project)

• Phage One EP (2022)
• Phage Two EP (2022)
• Safe (2024)

Singles

With Mr. Gabriel

• “Holy Water” (2017)
• “Starlight” (2017) with Jai Wolf
• “Help Me Out” (2017)
• “Millennial Falcon” (2018)
• “Tambourine” (2018)
• “Civilized” {{small|(unreleased)}}

Other credits

• With Mark Foster, Stephan Altman, and Peter Barbee: “When You Find Love” (2015) for Little Boy; co-artist
• With Elephant Castle: “I’m a Loser” and “Life in Outer Space” (2020); drums credit
• Original music for the podcast Awakening OD by Jessa Reed (2020)

References

External links

• {{IMDb name|5365475}} (as musician)
• {{IMDb name|1665378}} (as filmmaker)
• {{Discogs artist}}