ARTIST

P.O.D.

Straight out of San Ysidro, California, P.O.D. brought a fresh mix of hard-rock, hip-hop, Latin and reggae grooves, and their Christian beliefs to the rock scene after forming in 1992.

Guitarist Marcos and drummer Wuv formed the band, recruiting Marcos's rapping cousin Sonny, and bassist Traa. Initially P.O.D. was strictly an underground sensation, selling three homegrown EPs on their own label. By 1998, with the band selling more than 40,000 copies of their self-made releases, the major labels began to take notice, with Atlantic ultimately signing the band.

After one final indie release, The Warriors EP in 1998, P.O.D. made the jump to the majors with The Fundamental Elements Of Southtown, the title a nod to their homies in San Ysidro. The album, produced by Howard Benson, created a substantial buzz Down South with P.O.D. nailing several awards at the 1999 San Diego Music Awards. The rest of the world was also feeling it. The album eventually went platinum with sales of one million copies and the band landed a slot on the highly influential OzzFest tour. It also gained exposure in movie theaters, with "School Of Hard Knocks" landing in Adam Sandler's Little Nicky.

All of that, however, was just a primer for things to come. Its second major label album, Satellite, released in 2001, launched the band into star orbit thanks to the hard-rocking anthem "Alive." The song managed to become a top 10 hit on mainstream and modern rock radio stations. A follow-up track, "Boom," didn't fare quite as well, but "Youth Of A Nation" marked the band's second top-10 mainstream rock hit.

Strangely, there was little celebrating in the P.O.D. camp. In February 2003 the band announced that Marcos had amicably split from the band to pursue his own musical vision. With Satellite reaching sales of more than 3 million copies, the band recruited new guitarist Jason Truby as a replacement, and recorded a track for The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. The band re-emerged with a new album, Payable On Death in the fall of 2003.

Written by Craig Reason