Again within the Nineties, Nationwide Town wasn’t the type of position you examine within the information books. A trifling stone’s throw from the touristy enclaves and glittering sands of San Diego’s Coronado Island and Imperial Seaside, and a 20- minute automotive journey from Tijuana, around the border in Mexico, the world’s nickname displays its infamous previous: Nasty Town. “It’s not anything to gloat about, however in 1994 this space had the next crime charge than New York Town,” says P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel.
These days, taquerias, strip department stores and home neighbourhoods humming with colourful Mexican tradition dominate this sweeping area south of downtown San Diego. It’s right here that we’ve organized to satisfy one of the vital town’s maximum a success and sturdy musical exports for a excursion in their fatherland and the puts that experience formed them.
Marcos is first to reach, greeting Hammer with an electrical smile and an enthusiastic bro hug. Bassist Traa Daniels, at first a Cleveland local, is subsequent, achieving out with a handshake and a smile, the quiet guy of the band. Ultimate to show up is singer Sonny Sandoval. Humble however susceptible to laughter, he’s an international clear of the spitfire determine engaging in the mayhem at P.O.D. presentations.
The band are gearing as much as liberate their eleventh album, Veritas. It’s their first in six years, and their pleasure is palpable. The name is the Latin phrase for ‘truthfulness’. “We made up our minds we had been going to put in writing an old-school taste, P.O.D. rock and steel document,” says Marcos. “That’s what ‘veritas’ is to us.”
P.O.D. were inextricably connected to San Diego – a town of one.4 million citizens, pristine seashores and mouthwatering Mexican delicacies – since their formation in 1992. Their 2001 music Increase integrated a shoutout to town they referred to as ‘The Giant SD’. Fittingly, our first prevent is their outdated practice session house, Sweetwater, an nameless, three-storey development tucked away in a business park a couple of miles off of Freeway 54. The band rehearsed right here from 1992 till 1998, paying $500 a month for the privilege.
“That is the scene,” says Sonny, gesturing to the development with a flourish. “All of the South San Diego bands use this practice session spot.”
Inside of, Sweetwater is a labyrinth of modest practice session areas — glorified garage rooms with padlocks and soundproofing. It’s right here that they spun the uncooked subject matter in their tough concepts into one thing pulsating with energy and function. Marcos eyeballs the bulletin board at the first flooring the place P.O.D. and the opposite bands would put up gig flyers.
“That is the primary time we’ve been again in a minute,” says Sonny. “It’s totally modified. It’s company now. I imply, it’s nonetheless ’hood however the entirety is blank. We idea we’d come again to sticky flooring and jacked holes within the wall.”
All through their time right here, P.O.D. launched 3 albums – 1994’s Snuff The Punk, 1996’s Brown and 1997’s Payable On Dying Reside – by the use of their very own Rescue Data, funded by means of authentic drummer Wuv Bernardo’s father. Then, as now, the band made no secret in their Christian religion, and all through that point they constructed up sufficient of a buzz to attract a tidy $100,000 be offering from a Christian label. Lifestyles-changing cash for 4 children protecting down day jobs, however they became it down.
“We’d been approached by means of numerous indie Christian labels and stuff,” says Sonny, “however we by no means felt like that was once our scene. We didn’t need to be a Christian band. We weren’t looking to be the poster kid for Christian rock.”
“Not anything towards the ones bands,” provides Marcos, “nevertheless it wasn’t what we had been referred to as to do.”
It’s time to move to the following prevent, Tribal Clothes, the long-lasting San Diego streetwear model whose fortunes are intertwined with the ones of P.O.D. “I’ll force,” gives Marcos, as we pile into his truck, a gloomy gray pick-up with two decals at the rear window: a brown and gold sticker of the state of California with the letters ‘SD’ within the heart (the colors are the ones of the native baseball staff, the San Diego Padres), and a picture of Iron Maiden’s Eddie.
San Diego is a town of contrasts. At the side of its chilled surf tradition, it’s additionally an army stronghold, surrounded by means of battleships, fighter jet coaching bases and a large defense force inhabitants. Political divisions run deep, as do the cultural divisions throughout San Diego County, together with the song scene. P.O.D. represented one nook of the town’s musical triangle.
“The North was once Blink-182,” says Marcos, “the East was once [funk-edge punks] Sprung Monkey and we represented the South Bay.”
P.O.D. are one of the vital few bands to get massive and keep in San Diego. We park on a facet boulevard of San Diego’s gritty East Village and go via a retractable wrought iron gate into the courtyard of Tribal Streetwear, the place a grinning, dreadlocked guy with a spliff the scale of a carrot greets the band with giant hugs.
“Tribal is a San Diego primarily based streetwear model,” explains Sonny, who’s dressed in an on-brand Tribal zip-up jacket nowadays. “They’re massive. They’ve at all times been just right to us, whilst an area band bobbing up, and also you’d see that Tribal brand on Cypress Hill and numerous West Coast teams. You began seeing them on Korn and Limp Bizkit, however as a result of we had been homegrown, they had been at all times throwing shirts our means and so they at all times hooked us up, so we had been at all times rocking Tribal.”
Certainly, P.O.D. returned the affection by the use of Tribal, the slamming hardcore rap monitor on their fourth album, 1999’s The Basic Components Of Southtown. Inside of Tribal, Beyoncé’s Texas Grasp ’Em bumps during the PA. Each wall is arrayed with dazzling graffiti and boulevard artwork. There’s a small level, workplaces and a bar downstairs, whilst 15 other tattoo stalls are positioned upstairs, at the side of a DJ sales space and founder Bobby Ruiz’s workplace.
Sonny’s son Justice tags alongside and, the use of his iPhone, motion pictures the band giving shoutouts to the towns on their upcoming US excursion. As Sonny motion pictures a promo, Marcos and Traa munch Cheetos, drink Cokes and make fart noises, carrying out their objective of constructing Sonny chortle.
Despite the fact that P.O.D. pre-dated nu steel, they stuck the updraught. Mashing up steel, punk, hip hop and reggae, The Basic Components Of Southtown was once their step forward document. The primary P.O.D. album to be launched on primary label Atlantic, it went platinum in the United States, promoting greater than 1,000,000 copies.
“I don’t assume we make a mindful effort to combine this or that style,” says Marcos. “That’s simply who P.O.D. is. Once we get started writing, these kind of songs simply roughly pop out.”
That good fortune escalated with follow-up Satellite tv for pc, a document that rejected the longest of odds. It was once launched on 9/11, 2001, the day of the fatal terrorist assaults on New York’s Global Business Middle and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Through rights, the album must were lifeless within the water towards that backdrop, however its underlying message of positivity hooked up with a country in turmoil.
“[Satellite’s first single] Alive was once already out,” explains Sonny, “and it was once heading to No.1 on radio and it was once No.1 on MTV’s TRL [Total Request Live show], it was once giving other people hope. When 9/11 took place, that music simply stood out. It gave other people hope and, with all of our song, it doesn’t topic how heavy it’s, we at all times need to be hopeful.”
That sense of hope was once obvious within the album’s different marquee music, Formative years Of The Country. It was once impressed by means of a college taking pictures in March 2001 in Santee, San Diego, through which 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams killed two of his fellow scholars and wounded 13 extra. P.O.D. had been in a close-by studio on the time, writing songs for Satellite tv for pc.
“We had been two blocks clear of Santana Top Faculty when the taking pictures took place. Unexpectedly we see ambulances and helicopters and we became at the information, as a result of there have been no smartphones, and we see what’s occurring.”
Propelled by means of Alive and Formative years Of The Country, Satellite tv for pc rose above the tragedy that fed into its advent, occurring to promote greater than 3 million copies in the United States. Each songs stay central to their setlist to this present day.
As we poke via t-shirts on the skate store, a spirited debate erupts: the place must we get tacos? Being from North County, Hammer’s enter is roundly rejected. Sooner or later, the band decide on a spot within the Gaslamp district, a couple of blocks away. We arrive at Taco Centro, a vibrant blue and white taqueria in the midst of the Gaslamp, the place a lady in the back of a tall glass window lays out selfmade tortillas on a grill and intoxicating spices arrest the senses.
Marcos right away takes level, stepping as much as the sign in and taking everybody’s order. “I’m going with the ‘Mar y Tierra,’” he says as Hammer pulls as much as the counter. “That’s the surf and turf. You received’t be dissatisfied.”
We go for the bean and cheese burrito. “Vegetarian, huh?” he accurately guesses. “They were given nopal right here – cactus. It’s actually flavourful.”
Unfortunately, cactus is a plant too some distance for Hammer. Because the cashier rings us up, Marcos waves away our try to pay. He treats the entire crew. One one that is conspicuously absent nowadays is Wuv Bernardo, the band’s authentic drummer and co-founder, and Sonny’s cousin.
In step with P.O.D.’s Wikipedia web page, he hasn’t been a member of the band since 2021. Elevating the topic elicits a short lived however heavy silence. “Wuv isn’t recently within the line-up and he would possibly go back or he would possibly by no means go back,” says Marcos, making no try to disguise his unhappiness. “We’re nonetheless circle of relatives, however we’re no longer recently running in combination.”
They received’t be drawn any longer at the topic (Wuv’s position on Veritas is taken by means of studio drummer Robin Diaz). Nonetheless, all 3 core participants are understandably enthused by means of the brand new album. “Circles was once written in a extra of another steel/poppy sense,” says Marcos, relating to their closing album, launched in 2018. “We decided to be extra heavy rock in this.”
Earlier P.O.D. information have noticed them taking part with everybody from Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta to Dangerous Brains frontman H.R.. They’ve hit the touch guide once more for Veritas. Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe seems on opening monitor Drop, whilst Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmayluk visitors on Afraid To Die.
“Everyone’s like, ‘What does that imply?’” says Sonny of the latter music’s name. “Afraid To Die signifies that I’m status up for myself and prepared to die for what I imagine in. And that’s true, however the following line in truth says, ‘No longer simplest am I no longer afraid to die, I’m no longer afraid to are living.’ I’m no longer frightened of lifestyles. So it’s actually extra encouraging and looking to empower other people.”
Religion has been central to P.O.D. because the starting. They put on their spirituality on their sleeves, infusing their songs with messages of hope and redemption with out succumbing to the preachiness that from time to time characterises different bands who establish as Christian. It’s this subtle stability that has allowed them to achieve a large target audience, interesting to each secular and spiritual audiences. Nonetheless, the ‘Christian band’ tag has from time to time been extra hindrance than assist during the last 30 years.
“We had been by no means Christian sufficient for the establishment of Christians,” says Sonny, “however we had been too Christian for the secular international. If any person’s interviewing me and so they ask, ‘Do you imagine in Jesus?’, I’ll say, ‘In fact!’ As a result of in my neighbourhood, that’s no longer a nasty factor. That’s no longer a shameful factor. Dude, we’re a rock band! We adore God and we adore other people. Other folks simply desire a poster kid, however you’ve gotta are living your individual lifestyles, guy. We’re no longer choirboys.’’
Wrapping up for the day, we stroll previous Taco Centro once more, the place a Mexican circle of relatives are consuming at the patio out of doors. The daddy right away clocks P.O.D. and runs over to shake their fingers and ask for a photograph together with his circle of relatives. Sonny, Marcos and Traa are glad to oblige – amid beaming smiles and booming laughter, pictures are taken, fists are bumped and hugs disbursed.
We flip to go away, heading up the block against the vehicles sooner than we realise that Sonny is MIA. Turning round, we see him again at Taco Centro, taking away his jacket and draping it around the father’s shoulders. He whispers one thing to him and, sooner than the person can stand up, Sonny jogs again over to us. It’s evidence of simply how enmeshed San Diego is in P.O.D.’s DNA – and vice versa.
This town made them, and in go back they’ve been repping The Giant SD world wide for greater than 30 years. House? Positive, however greater than that. “That is the place we constructed our personality on all fronts,” says Marcos. “Culturally, spiritually and artistically. It’s a part of a tradition – the Hispanic tradition. A large number of other people world wide don’t comprehend it, nevertheless it’s a part of daily lifestyles. It’s a part of the sound! How may just we ever depart when that’s what we’re?”
Veritas is out now by the use of Mascot.
