All the time, even before we had mainstreamed, it was like we were never really Christians because of the way we looked. Or, you know, we were never Christian enough, or we're too Christian at times. You can't please people.
— Sonny Sandoval
I go to the local record store to buy my albums.
When I joined this band, I never thought of myself as a singer. I just did whatever I could, which was rap. And then, over time, I've grown, and we've developed and tried different things. It all happened gradually and naturally.
When we first started, and I jumped in this band, I was like, 'I'm not a singer.' I didn't go to school to sing. I just played to have fun. But these guys teach me, and they show me stuff and give me courage to try new stuff.
When we first started, I didn't know there was Christian rock or Christian music. I just thought we were a rock band that stuck to our convictions... Like every other hardcore band out there sang or screamed what they thought, we did the same thing.
It's important to tour with bands that you get along with.
We have people on the road with us - our wives, our families and pastors. We come alongside each other, and we're always in prayer.
Rock and roll has become entertainment that just says what the consumer wants to hear. There's no more edge or rebellion that sets it apart from the norm.
Some kid who thinks he's cool can say, 'Hey, I'm down with Jah.' It's the same thing as saying, 'I'm down with God.' If it's easier for you to relate that way, then cool.
We never claimed to be a Christian band; we just were outspoken about our faith. It's not like we knew there was a scene.
With rock n' roll and touring comes a lot of good and bad decisions. These guys who are 21, they're out there, and they're not indestructible. The history of rock n' roll tells us, and so a lot of these guys are on this road to destruction.
We're all confused and have problems and struggles.
I was never growing up saying, 'Dude, I want to sing in a band.'
At every Ozzfest show, there's horns and devils somewhere; there's some kind of darkness somewhere. But the thing is, this is a stage, homey, and those fools are entertainers. And you know what, it shows! It's fake.
Whoever is in charge of the artist will always have the upper hand. They act like it's the artists' world, but it's the other way around, so they're going to do whatever they want to do.
Even before the mainstream knew about P.O.D., we were going for several years underground. For me, those were the times where it really was about the music and really about the fan base.
We don't need a resume to come to God. It's not our good deeds. We come broken, and we need a savior.
'The Awakening' is meant to be listened to in its entirety. Every song ultimately explores a character dealing with life, making mistakes, fighting, trying. But we also live in a singles-type world, and it works on that level, too.
We are all negative people, born negative people, so we concentrate on the good things in life, and that's what makes us smile.
People are buying music from 12-year-olds. No one realizes they didn't create this. They didn't write this. They didn't make this. All they have to do is press play, and you have a band.
Music and video games go hand in hand.
If we do a record, and there's a reggae song, it's not shocking to us. If we do an all hip-hop song, it's not shocking to us. We all listen to that sort of music. It's not about what's in at the time; it's what feels right to us and what we're comfortable in doing.
I grew up in Imperial Beach, surfing and going to the beach - my son plays baseball at the park.
I know God is watching out for me, and he's saying, 'OK, son, watch your step now. You can be in these places, but just be careful. Keep your guard up.'
We want to be one of those bands that made their own way - a U2, a Led Zeppelin, a Red Hot Chili Peppers. I don't want to be a 'Behind the Music.'
Jah, for me, is just short for Jehovah. It's a short name for God.
I think we've connected with our fan base on more than just a rock n' roll level. We really do care about our fans who come out. We have love for people, and we're just trying to spread that good message.
We were never Christian enough for the Christian world, but were always way too Christian for the rock world.
I became a Christian when I was 19, and it wasn't like I was raised with the church.
You got to look the part. You have to look like all the successful rock bands look. This is what they do. That's never been us. You know, it's a hard game to play: at the end of the day, we are just a rock band and have so many different cultures of music that we have grown up on, because we are fans of all different kinds of music.
When you become a Christian, all of a sudden you start to live on this rapture mentality, like tomorrow the world's going to end. You live in that frenzy. We come from the streets, so the mentality was like, 'Yo, dude, what's up? You're not going to tell me I'm not down with God. What's up!'
Some bands sound like one song the whole album through. We've been all over the place because we are punk, hardcore, rock n' roll, metal, reggae - and I think sometimes it might be too much diversity, and kids are lost.
I'm the dirtiest of the dirty. I mess up all the time. I suck as a Christian. I can't stand religion. But I love Jesus, and I'm trying.
It's religion that killed our King, you know what I'm saying - that religious idea that has distorted the love of God, and now the world doesn't want it. They don't want religion. They want Jesus in their heart. They want Him. They just don't want the religion.
When we first started playing shows, we were all 17. Everybody started somewhere. There were guys throwing shows in condemned houses and backyards just for the love of music and for the love of what bands were standing for.
We don't tell you what to think or believe in. That's not our job. We're rock musicians. Our job is to rock.
It's a dying art to play live anymore and just play raw. Who cares if you make a mistake? That's punk rock. Just go out and go for it and make some noise.
A lot of bands just entertain you. I'm all about entertainment - I do it every day - but there's only certain things in your life that stick around. I think P.O.D. has done that for a lot of people, and I'm happy for that.
We realize all the struggles we have and all the things that catch our attention and our hearts - if we're not ready for it, it will take control of us.
To know that so many people have our backs and support us is an awesome thing. You need people saying, 'Hey man, I'm with you all the way.'
We want to represent the things we believe.
Someone like a Bob Marley - he was singing Scripture.
To me, Christianity was so conservative and stuffy, but for me, it was just a relationship with God. The Church relationship was just so stuffy.
P.O.D. kind of built that brand name. We came out and have been open about our faith. We've always been a positive band in a world that's pretty crazy and wild.
Christian bookstores have banned our records, but we don't need them.
I love rap, and I love the angst of hardcore music and punk rock.
I'm really not the biggest metal fan as it is. I'm more of a hard-street-punk kind of kid, but I also loved hip hop and reggae music, so we have always sort of refused a street style that is something that we are used to. Something that makes us comfortable and sounds good to us.
If you look at these bands like The Beatles, they did something that was new for that time, whether it was shocking or just a new direction that they were going.
My hope for young bands, honestly, is that they do it because they love it, they do it because it's real.
It is the power of God that keeps us rolling on. It's real good. When you know it to be real and true, that's when you have to share it with whoever will listen.
