Photo by Clara Balzary

The Lumineers

Kendrick Lamar

Grizzly Bear

Alabama Shakes

Dr. Dog

The Walkmen

Japandroids

The Spinto Band

Kopecky Family Band

Tonight, Foster the People, the band that won the world over with their single, “Pumped Up Kicks” from their album Torches, is playing at the Mann Center. They have already had stellar success playing with The Beach Boys at the Grammy’s this past year and just finishing up an appearance at Bonnaroo.

Gina Vespa from diffuser.fm says about their next album:

The band is piecing together ideas for the follow-up to their 2011 studio release of ‘Torches.’ While they’re still in the beginning stages of planning the new record, they have high and exciting hopes for it. As Foster commented to Billboard, “I think it’s going to take a lot of left turns … It’s going to be really celebratory … I think there’s going to be more grit, and I think it’s gonna be extremely percussive.” He also mentioned that the new music will likely be greatly influenced by what he’s been listening to lately, like the Kinks and the Clash.

Tokyo Police Club and Kimbra open for Foster the People at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts tonight at 7:30 PM, tickets are $29.50-36.50, all ages

Below, check out a video for “Warrior” that lead singer, Foster did with A-trak and Kimbra for the new edition of 3 artists 1 song.

And over at Johnny Brenda’s, The Swollen Fox and R5 present These United States, the alt-country rock band who just released their new self-titled album are playing with Juston Stens & The Get Real Gang. Purchase tickets for the 21+ show here OR, enter The Swollen Fox’s ticket give away here.

From NPR Music:

Los Angeles’s Foster the People seemingly appeared out of nowhere, taking the blogosphere and Top 40 radio by storm with the viral single “Pumped Up Kicks,” a breezy summer jam with a subtly sinister edge.

Bandleader Mark Foster grew up in Cleveland and moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. After years on the fringes of the industry, Foster and his band finally broke through with the polished, genre-hopping sound that made them a WXPN “Artist to Watch.” Foster the People’s debut album, Torches, continues to ride high on the pop charts. Hear the band perform songs from its new album on today’s World Cafe.

You can listen to Foster The People’s recent appearance on World Cafe here.

“Pumped Up Kicks” is told from the perspective of the main character Robert. The lyrics are scattered in the verses, painting pictures of the thought process and every day life of an American teen losing his mind. The phrase “pumped up kicks” represents the cool kids but it’s really just a metaphor for any “fill-in-the-blank adversary” They wear the trendy shoes. He’s probably got his dads tattered old cowboy boots. It’s a story that is happening more and more often. Bullying is a tragedy that gives birth to tragedy.

“Helena Beat” may continue the controversy surrounding the band in that it contains some images and a storyline that some viewers may disturbing. Foster had this to say to MTV about it:

It’s like a short film, really. It’s post-apocalyptic, ‘Lord of the Flies’ meets ‘Mad Max,’ so, it’s a bunch of kids, and they kidnap us and take us into this warehouse, and there’s a really crazy twist at the end. But it’s super-visual, and it’s a mixture of really, like, bizarre circumstances — it’s dark, but it’s also pretty tongue-in-cheek and fun.

Friday, September 23rd
The Shins
Cage The Elephant
Elbow
Panda Bear
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Company of Thieves

Saturday, September 24th
Pretty Lights
Girl Talk
Foster The People
Cults
Charles Bradley
The Vaccines
The Budos Band
Mates Of State
Black Landlord
Rakim
Black Thought & J. Period Mixtape
Kreayshawn
Zee Avi
Patty Crash

A limited number of Early Bird two-day passes ($90) and Early Bird two-day VIP passes ($175) are on sale now through Thursday, June 23rd, at 10 p.m. Use the code: POPPED (for two-day passes) and code: VIPPOPPED (for two-day VIP passes) at the Popped! wesbite or at Ticketmaster. VIP passes include a special viewing area near the stage, a separate entrance, bar/food/restroom areas. Regular price two-day passes ($110) and two-day VIP passes ($200) go on sale this Friday, June 24th, at 10 a.m. at the Popped! website and Ticketmaster. Charge by phone at 800-745-8000, or the Electric Factory Box Office located at 421 N. 7th Street. (No service fees for cash purchases!)

SATURDAY, APRIL 9
The members of Black Lips embody modern punk rock in the sense that they vomit and urinate onstage, and yet still struggle to offend anyone. Case in point: the band’s supposed detainment in India for indecent exposure during a January 2009 performance turned out to be significantly less scandalous—and interesting—once the rumors were cleared up and the facts set straight. (One could argue that the romantic comedy (500) Days Of Summer—playing at The Sundance Film Festival right around the same time, and featuring Black Lips’ “Bad Kids” on the soundtrack—was actually more offensive than any onstage antics the band pulled in India.) More recently, the band ditched its grimy, self-produced ways to team up with scarf-wearing, Andy-Warhol-look-a-like superproducer Mark Ronson. The new album, Arabia Mountain, is due out in June and will feature Ronson beats, some horns, and a theremin; a few prereleased tracks have an unmistakable Ronson aesthetic, but still manage to maintain Black Lips’ minimalist sound. Black Lips performs with Vivian Girls and Moon Women at 9 p.m. at The Trocadero; tickets to the all-ages show are $17. —Dave Simpson

Also playing: David Liebe Hart + Power Animal, Snow Caps at First Unitarian Church (7:30 p.m., all ages, SOLD OUT); Colin Hay + Chris Trapper, Paul Dempsey at The Keswick Theater (8 p.m., $27.50-$33.50); Ezra Furman And The Harpoons + Tristen, The Apache Relay, Bulletproof Tigers at North Star Bar (8:30 p.m., 21+, $12)

SUNDAY, APRIL 10
Foster The People doesn’t have a proper full-length record under its belt yet—just an EP and some Youtube videos with, you know, several million views. The L.A.-based trio’s biggest song, “Pumped Up Kicks,” is perpetually hailed as an “indie anthem”: a laid-back, electronic, summertime song with a catchy hook. (Don’t let the poppy whistling and video—which features surfers and dancing band members—fool you: the song is actually about an unhinged teen shooting his classmates.) Despite having spent several years writing music for commercials and television shows, frontman Mark Foster seems in no rush to similarly cash in on Foster The People (for the time being); since the band’s formation in 2009, it’s been content with buzz-generating performances at major festivals and success on college radio stations. Questions about how much that will change—if at all—after the band releases its debut full-length, Torches, will have to wait until it comes out in May. Foster The People performs with Grouplove and We Barbarians at 8 p.m. at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets to the 21+ show are SOLD OUT. —Dave Simpson

Also playing: Loudon Wainwright III + Carsie Blanton at World Cafe Live (7:30 p.m., 21+, $28); KT Tunstall + Jesse Ruben at Theatre Of The Living Arts (8 p.m., $20); Birdie Busch + Brittany Ann, Vanessa Reddin, Natalie Acciani at Tin Angel (7:30 p.m., 21+, $10); Capillary Action + HUME, Scott Churchman at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, $10)