P.O.D.
Chill
2008-01-15
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When you think “rock star with worldwide album sales topping seven million and a laundry list of radio hits,” Sonny Sandoval doesn’t exactly come to mind. Well, in a sense he does because he and his band POD happen to have accomplished both of those things, but he just isn’t the kind of person who fits very well into that whole “self-important, hooker-addicted asshole with a sock down the front of his leather pants” stereotype. Sonny comes off immediately chill and grounded—moreso than most of the people you know whose job isn’t fronting a phenomenally successful rock quartet. Recently, he took a few moments to share his thoughts on the latest developments in his life.
POD: Christian band or not?
A lot of times, I don’t like saying, “We’re a Christian band,” because to some people, that means that they can’t listen to our music because they’re not Christian. But that’s not true at all. I didn’t even know that this was a Christian rock band until someone said it was. This music is for people; it’s for everybody, no matter what you believe. There’s goodness in this music.
Your previous album, Payable on Death, was certified gold, but its predecessor, Satellite, went triple platinum. What accounts for that discrepancy?
Payable On Death was all over the rock charts. It had a number one video on MTV and we were on the number one tour of the year with Linkin Park. We just finished another amazing video then we found out that no one at the label even worked it, because the label was merging and everyone was getting fired.
Because of that, did you feel any pressure recording the new album, Testify?
Unsaid, I think there are probably pressures. I want this record to do well, and I want people to hear it. I hope this record does well enough that people will give the last record a shot.
This record was produced by Glen Ballard. Tell me about working with him.
He’s an old school hippie. We recorded at his studio at his old house. We walked in and he’s got his Grammys everywhere and his platinum records everywhere. The first night, we sat down and he just said, “Hey, every night we take time from our process and sit around and have a dinner.” And every night we had the most beautiful dinner with all these bottles of wine, and we’d just soak in his vibe.
You guys are currently on Fall Brawl touring with Staind, Taproot and Flyleaf. How does this tour compare with others you’ve been on?
We’re having fun so far. We do a 45 minute set, so we get to play songs that most people know. Another big thing for us on this tour is that we’ve got two hired musicians on stage with us that are filling in the gaps from another guitar player to keyboards/percussion. It’s new for us, but the feedback we’ve been getting is amazing.
You guys often refer to your fans as “warriors.” How did that come about?
I remember saying something to the audience like, “It takes a warrior to stand up for the things they believe in when the rest of the world doesn’t.” All of a sudden kids started taking this pride in the things we stand for, our faith and our beliefs and some of them started painting their faces and calling themselves warriors. But it’s not like you have to be a fan of POD to be called a warrior. That’s just who we are as people.
POD: Christian band or not?
A lot of times, I don’t like saying, “We’re a Christian band,” because to some people, that means that they can’t listen to our music because they’re not Christian. But that’s not true at all. I didn’t even know that this was a Christian rock band until someone said it was. This music is for people; it’s for everybody, no matter what you believe. There’s goodness in this music.
Your previous album, Payable on Death, was certified gold, but its predecessor, Satellite, went triple platinum. What accounts for that discrepancy?
Payable On Death was all over the rock charts. It had a number one video on MTV and we were on the number one tour of the year with Linkin Park. We just finished another amazing video then we found out that no one at the label even worked it, because the label was merging and everyone was getting fired.
Because of that, did you feel any pressure recording the new album, Testify?
Unsaid, I think there are probably pressures. I want this record to do well, and I want people to hear it. I hope this record does well enough that people will give the last record a shot.
This record was produced by Glen Ballard. Tell me about working with him.
He’s an old school hippie. We recorded at his studio at his old house. We walked in and he’s got his Grammys everywhere and his platinum records everywhere. The first night, we sat down and he just said, “Hey, every night we take time from our process and sit around and have a dinner.” And every night we had the most beautiful dinner with all these bottles of wine, and we’d just soak in his vibe.
You guys are currently on Fall Brawl touring with Staind, Taproot and Flyleaf. How does this tour compare with others you’ve been on?
We’re having fun so far. We do a 45 minute set, so we get to play songs that most people know. Another big thing for us on this tour is that we’ve got two hired musicians on stage with us that are filling in the gaps from another guitar player to keyboards/percussion. It’s new for us, but the feedback we’ve been getting is amazing.
You guys often refer to your fans as “warriors.” How did that come about?
I remember saying something to the audience like, “It takes a warrior to stand up for the things they believe in when the rest of the world doesn’t.” All of a sudden kids started taking this pride in the things we stand for, our faith and our beliefs and some of them started painting their faces and calling themselves warriors. But it’s not like you have to be a fan of POD to be called a warrior. That’s just who we are as people.
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