P.O.D. Discuss Religion in Music – Rock on the Range 2012

San Diego, California-based band P.O.D, or Payable on Death visited with me and got right into the topic of religion and how they are negatively labeled a "Christian rock" band.

Drummer Wuv Bernardo and Bassist/back-up vocalist Traa Daniels were very outgoing and down-to-earth. They opened up to explain how they are always referred to as a 'Christian rock genre' and how much it gets under their skin sometimes. They explained how they've been together for 20 years now and don't like organized religion and never have. They don't think religion should be combined with music, ever. "We try to just worry about ourselves," they said, and not let other people's opinions affect them in any way. "I think we have opened the door for other bands," said Wuv.

Keeping with the religion theme, I went on to ask the boys what they thought about people who do pick their music preferences based on their religion. They both replied they were against it, and that every individual should go with their heart, not what their mind prefers. Wuv went on to say that the band are true to who they are, which is up-scale scumbags from San Diego, he said while laughing. Traa added that they just do what they love and they do it for fun.

Changing the subject, I turned to Murdered Love- their eighth studio album which will be released July 10. I mentioned I loved the album title, and the members said that it represented historical figures who were murdered for love and for their beliefs, such as Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King.

The album features guest artists and "homies" Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed/Kingdom of Sorrow) and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. Not only do the band collaborate with other well-known artists, they also get a ton of feedback and offers for guest appearances during the making of their albums. "We're very proud to mean something," concluded Wuv and Traa.