Broadcaster John Derry spoke to Sonny Sandoval, the veteran frontman of hard music survivors P.O.D.

P.O.D.

Hard music survivors P.O.D. were recently in Britain to undertake a brief tour. After major ups and downs the San Diego-based foursome, fronted by Sonny Sandoval, returned in 2012 after a four year absence from the album release schedules with the 'Murdered Love' set. John Derry caught up with Sonny at a club in Southampton.

John: How do you find the British crowds?

Sonny: I think it's the same as any non-US country. In the US, we're so spoiled with music. They love you today, hate you tomorrow: they want to be entertained. The moment you cross the seas - South America, UK, Europe - they're ready to go to a rock and roll show. That's the school that I come from. I didn't start listening to music because I wanted to be entertained, I listened because it was my lifestyle and I identified with the artist and with what they were saying. Yesterday in London it was a dirty, sweaty little club - it was bananas. Download, same thing. What's awesome about music is you always have that connection with a complete stranger, you're closer than you think - more alike than you think.

John: You've been going 20-plus years now.

Sonny: I think going on 21. It all blends.

John: Is it still something you're passionate about?

Sonny: For sure. We took off almost five years. In doing that - me personally - I wanted to get away from this business, the music industry in general. It was a rebirth, my spiritual walk with the Lord. I didn't want to believe I was saved because I said a prayer a few years ago. I got caught up so much in this industry. It's an experience, you learn, and all of a sudden your walk with the Lord becomes a routine thing. I love what we do so much that I was willing to put it down, and if God said, 'Pick it up' then I would; but in my heart of hearts I did put it down and it allowed me to do a lot of cool stuff, charities, outreach. Ultimately God put it on my heart, he's given me a platform to go out there.

John: When you started, did you have any clues that you'd get this big?

Sonny: No, I don't think we looked that far. We just started making music as teenagers in our garage, and a lot of it was to stay out of trouble - do something positive, something good. We were discovering our own relationships with the Lord. You get thrown into it because you're open about your faith: this is your ministry. I already had a ministry before I learned what it meant to walk with God. It was a growing experience, growing up in the music as well as growing up in my faith and the balance between Christian music, regular music, Christian scene: a learning process. We basically played wherever they let us play. If we made music, spoke from our heart, it would mean something.

John: Is it hard touring as a Christian band?

Sonny: I think that the only reason you're asking me that question is because I'm in a band. If you're a bus driver or a doctor or you pick up trash for a living, you still have to walk your faith out with the Lord. God's called you to use you, to be a servant. With music, we've just been so open with our faith, and because it is this kind of music - it's very aggressive, in your face - people pay attention to it. I wasn't raised in the church: most of my friends are either dead, in prison, or drug dealers - and I love them, I'm called to be their friend, to walk with them, to pray for them, to be waiting for them when God speaks to their heart. It's the same thing with music: all I can do is be me, be a servant of Christ, be a good husband, be a good daddy - and these guys see that. It's God's Spirit that draws people to him. 21 years later people come up that have watched, or that we've been friends with so long, and it's like, 'Hey, man, I know you talk to God, I know you believe - I just [want to] ask you something'. It's those opportunities that are real and genuine, that I don't force-feed by trying to be the Spirit of God and go out just to say I did it. You can be on the stage at Download Fest and you give the basic Christian-ese speech and altar call just so you can get praise from the Church. It's not real. Obviously if the Spirit of God does that, so be it.

John: How do you find balancing touring life and family life?

Sonny: It's hard: that's why I took some time off. I love being a dad. If I could pay my bills just being a daddy, I would. That's my first ministry, that's what I love doing the most. We've always toured, but I have three kids now. That's the hardest part. We try to spread it out: it's not like I'm gone eight months in a row. I think I was gone six weeks last summer, but my son was with me. I keep my little boy with me, home-school him on the road.

John: Has your latest album, 'Murdered Love', been well received?