P.O.D. Interview: Sonny Sandoval Talks New Album, Summer Tour + More

2018-06-27

Story by Anne Erickson

Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. speaks with Anne Erickson about the new album from the band and their summer tour with Buckcherry, Alien Ant Farm and Lit in this interview

The guys of P.O.D. are out in full force this summer, as the band tours North America with fellow rockers Buckcherry, Alien Ant Farm and Lit. The tour, which is powered by Loudwire, kicks off June 28 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and runs through early September.

What’s of extra interest to P.O.D. fans is that the guys are also putting the finishing touches on a new album, which will mark the band’s follow-up to 2015’s “The Awakening.” P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval spoke with Anne Erickson from Audio Ink Radio about the summer tour and how the new music is shaping up to have a different vibe for the band.

Anne Erickson: P.O.D. is out with Buckcherry, Alien Ant Farm and Lit for a major North American tour this summer. What made you want to be part of this tour?

Sonny Sandoval: We’re all friends, and we’ve all known each other a long time. It seems like a fun summer tour! It’s four bands, and it’s a full lineup—everybody has platinum records and hits, so it’s going to be a fun night.

What should fans expect from P.O.D.’s set on this tour? Will you play any new material?

We are shooting to play a few—maybe two new songs. I just finished vocals (on new songs) a couple of days ago. It’s a mellow vibe on this tour, and we have a mix of songs from singles that people know to heavy stuff, because we go out with heavy bands and hold our own, but this is more of a mellow summer vibe. So, we’ll pull out songs people know, some more reggae songs and lighthearted, fun songs.

You guys recently signed with Mascot Label Group. Does that mean a new album is on the way?

Yeah! I just finished a couple vocals, and once it gets cleaned up put together and the label hears it, it will go to mixing, and hopefully we’ll have an album by the end of the year.

That’s great news! What can you tell me about the direction of the new music?

We did something different this time. It’s not like it’s a surprise– because if you listen to the early stuff even from the early ’90s, we had a DJ and were mixing in certain sounds like reggae, punk, hardcore, rock and even poppy stuff – so, it’s not like a surprise, but on this record, we worked with a group called Heavy, and it’s the first time we were in the studio vulnerable and open for more of a writing session.

We ‘ve always written our own music before, and we still wrote our music, but we were more open to change, or at least them adding their feel to it. They have worked with Dirty Heads and Sublime with Rome, and they have more of a — not younger but cleaner, poppier tone to it. So, we went in open-minded, and when we were at the end of the record, we were like “We don’t even have a really heavy song!” Everything is fun, the vibe… It’s fun, it’s catchy and I definitely think it’s P.O.D. 2018.

The Loudwire Gen X Summer Tour will offer a live stream pay-per-view performance from the tour’s July 3 concert in Miramar, Florida. For information on the tour, visit the tour’s official website. Follow the Audio Ink Radio podcast on iTunes here.


Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Alternative, Features, Interviews, Music, Rock

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