P.O.D. - Brown

The Raw Interview [Uncut & Unedited]

Having edited a magazine like HM for over 11 years, I wish I came across more bands like P.O.D. Their youthful enthusiasm reminds me of Barren Cross circa 1986. Their determined focus on ministry brings to mind past interviews and conversations with the members of Bloodgood. The tight musicianship and bent for groove and jazz improvisation causes one to scratch their head for a reference. The closest thing that comes to mind in this category is the loose tightness that Scaterd Few had in its heyday. Live, they pound home the intensity in a ferocious way.

Unlike some who deliver the goods in a heavy manner, these guys are light on their feet when it comes to attitudes. Instead of cockiness, the air around these guys is more like a travelling AA meeting, where confession and brutal yet honest love prevails and their conversation is often seasoned with Scripture.

It was with some uneasiness that I approached the band's motorhome in the parking lot of the gig the night of their performance, because I didn't know if I'd interrupt some big, important band business meeting or something. What I found was some business going down, but I was welcomed and handed a Bible as they were beginning a short time in the Word before their gig. Having been "equalized" by the Word, the interview that followed became more of a fellowship/sharing time than an "I'm the media/You're the band" affair.

Rescue Records thing happened, and Brown has come out. Why don't you just take us on a brief history of what's gone on, what's happened to get us from there to here?

"Basically," answers Noah, "what's happened is, since then, God has placed a vision in my dad -- he's Noah Sr. -- in his life, as far as the whole record thing. POD and Rescue Records just kind of grew together. We got a lot of offers to do a lot of things, but we just really felt that it was God's calling in our lives to make us more free to do what God wanted us to really do. And that was to go out freely, anywhere we wanted to, make a record anywhere we wanted to, and just go out and do what God wanted us to do.

"With that, we had Snuff the Punk, and we played Snuff the Punk for about 2 or 3 years, and then we wore that album out. And recently we recorded Brown, but since that time, Rescue Records has grown financially and spiritually, as far as musicians. We have like 15 acts right now on Rescue Records.

And basically, what Rescue Records comes down to, is we're not a record label that cares about music or money or anything like that. We're a ministry first, you know what I'm saying? We talk to that bands that we sign, and we try to find out what they're all about, you know, if they're just doing it for music, or if they want to really use the tool that God's given them to really go out into the world that their music reaches, and tell people about God in their community or wherever.

Basically, God just shows us what bands to sign and what bands not to sign. Basically, Rescue Records has grown up, and POD right along with it. And we recorded Brown, probably about 4 or 5 months ago. It's not out yet, but we have it on tour. It's not in the stores yet, because we're still working out some things.

But we feel like it's our best project, and since then, God's used us to play with a lot of big bands -- secular bands. We feel our calling is for the secular world . . . God seems to open up more secular doors than he does Christian doors, for whatever reason, but that's where God has us, so that's what we do. That pretty much brings you up to date on POD."

What has been the motivation behind this tour, and what do you hope to see happen?

"That's one hard thing, because this is a Christian tour, and stuff. We want to encourage the body, and we hope that we could just encourage them to live for Jesus and be bold about what they stand for, and be real. And if there's unsaved kids here, that's why we know we're here. We feel it's our ministry, to go out into the lost and dying. That's why we do a lot of secular shows -- that's how we started.

"I didn't know there was a Christian industry when we started. We were playing keg parties, and sharing the Gospel to our friends in our local city. Then the Christian industry found us, a new band. So that's how we started doing Christian shows, but every opportunity we get, we 're in the secular market. Nothing changes with us. Our whole stand for the Gospel, with Jesus is number one, in everything we do.

"We play, but we're not here just to give a show and entertain people. We're here to encourage 'em if they believe, and if they don't, we lay down what Jesus has for 'em. And if they accept it, then praise God. If they don't, then maybe God has a different timing. We want to be used by the Lord. We want to talk with these kids here. We just want to learn to serve people around us. We want to know that God is favoring what we're doing, and He's . . . you know, that we're doing something real for the Lord."

In a nutshell, how would you wrap up your message, when you say you're bringing and laying down what Jesus has for 'em, how would you wrap that up in a nutshell?

"We've always considered ourselves a ministry, not a band," explains Marcos, "because a lot of people out there, that's what they care about the most. And it's hard for us sometimes, because we tend to get caught up in the band thing, in sound, and all that stuff. But that's not what our hearts' desire is. Our hearts' desire is to go out and be an evangelical band -- not an entertainment band. To some kids, that's, like, very hard to understand. Like, when they talk to us and stuff they're just like, 'Huh?' They don't understand it. So, we just try to show them love, and tell them that Jesus loves them, and that Jesus gave us this gift to play this music, so we're just giving it all back to him."

NEXT PAGE
All Pages | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Return to Internet Exclusives

Related Stories :

Comments