Multi-platinum Rock ‘n Roll band, Payable on Death (P.O.D.) have spent the last 10+ years building up an ever growing audience (with the hardcore fans being dubbed “The Warriors”). After a brief rough patch during which the band and its founding guitarist parted ways, P.O.D. has rebuilt itself and is ready to continue the climb to the top.

Now with the release of their newest and self-titled album, P.O.D. looks to grow even further as their “Will You” music video hits the number one spot on MTV’s TRL. Although guided by Christian beliefs, P.O.D. tries to avoid being labeled as a “Christian Rock Band” as they’re more a rock band whose members have chosen the Christian faith. In fact, after sitting down with their latest album and digging through its lyrics, P.O.D. newest efforts create a dark and pained sound that remains highly energetic and covers the gamut of the human experience from hope to fear.

So what does this have to do with gaming? Their latest album also includes a new level for Amplitude, the sequel to FreQuency and an ingenious and addictive rhythm/action game available exclusively on the PS2. We had the chance to speak briefly with Jason and Traa of P.O.D about their involvement in Amplitude, the merging of the music and gaming industries among other topics.

GCM:	Well let’s just start off with basics. Would you please introduce yourselves?
P.O.D.:	(Jason) I’m Jason and I play guitar in the band. (Traa) And I’m Traa and I play bass in the band.

GCM:	Okay, and for those unfamiliar with your work, could you please tell us a bit about your music and especially your new album?
P.O.D.:	We’re a rock band, we’re from San Diego California, we’ve been together for 12 years. This is our third major label album. We’ve had four previous independent albums before that and the new album in coming out today actually and we’re just straight Rock’n Roll and if you like great music, man, just pick up the album—its got a lot of great stuff on it

GCM:	Would you consider yourselves and the rest of the band to be “gamers”?
P.O.D.:	I play and so do most of the guys in the band but mostly on the road. We’re on the road so much during the time when the album is out that we spend, I don’t know, thirteen to fourteen hours sometimes flat on our butt; perfect time to play video games. It’s a good time killer and a great way to make a little extra money on the road

GCM:	And so what are you guys playing right now?
P.O.D.:	(Jason) Well, pretty much, I know I’m particularly looking forward to hitting the sports, a lot of the football action, even soccer… anything where there is really a chance to humiliate somebody. That’s the games I like to play, man. (Traa) I mostly do Role-Playing games, like, I don’t know… anything that’s Role-Playing: Halo, Red Faction. I like “shoot ’em up” games.

GCM:

Okay. Well, how did you become involved with Amplitude?

P.O.D.:

Amplitude was a game that we got the opportunity to have one of our songs put on a video game. I think we got onto the first Amplitude. I think it was us, Pink, and a few other acts… I can’t remember exactly what they were. That was how we got introduced to Amplitude and I think when it came time for us to have a discussion about our packaging and, man, we thought it would be cool--especially with all the downloading and all the stuff that’s happening in music these days--to offer something [more]. I mean, with everybody talking about lowering the price or whatever, they always put it back on the record label. We decided instead of complaining about stuff, why don’t we just offer more. So that was how it came about. There you have it.

GCM:

What’s it like to see your music expressed in a new entertainment medium?

P.O.D.:

I think it’s great, man. It’s a sign of the times and with, you know, technology being kind of an evolution, we have to adapt or get out of the way and we decided to adapt and utilize an arena that we probably wouldn’t have been able to do on our own. And then when you see the game and you hear our song playing and the way it’s all formatted? I think it’s brilliant and it opens up an avenue for a lot of bands to follow, I would imagine.

GCM:	Your new album includes a new level for Amplitude...
P.O.D.:	Yep, yep.

GCM:

Can you please tell us a little about the song, the level itself, and why you decided to go this route?

P.O.D.:

The song itself is called “Space”. It was one of the songs that was actually probably going to be a “B-Side”. We actually really liked the song a lot, we just weren’t sure where we were going to place it after we got done recording all fifteen of our songs. This song seemed like it would be the perfect song for a game because it had so many different levels of music. We realized we could do a lot with the song as far as adding other vocalists who were friends of ours. The song can be as stripped-down as you want it or as involved as you want it to be and we actually have different drum patterns…. everything. So it’s a game that actually allows the player take the song and completely edit it into something totally different from way the song actually even sounds right now which I think cool. So maybe latter on we might have contests to see who can make the most innovative edits or whatever. It’s cool, man.

GCM:

You mentioned something earlier about combating the downloading of music by offering the consumer more in order to boost sales. Could you tell us a bit more about that?

P.O.D.:

(Traa) I just think that we’re in a different age, man. I mean, kids are not the same kids they were twenty years ago. I mean, they have some much technology disposable to them. They have video games, they have computers… every kid I know owns some type of MP3 player so I think in this day and age, man, we needed to offer something that was conducive to this time. We’re not in the days of eight tracks and cassette tapes anymore. I think it was our notion and our plan as a band that we needed to offer more and offer something to break the mold. People have been selling CD’s the same way for years so like it’s like, “It’s the year 2000, let’s do something that is a little bit more innovative,” and, instead of complaining about the downloading, our first priority was to was to write the best album that we could write musically and to put everything we had into it emotionally and then also to offer something extra without changing the price. So our priority was to keep the price the same but offer more for that price.

GCM:

Do you feel that the music and gaming industries can merge just as the movie and music industries have merged (music videos)?

P.O.D.:

(Jason) I would say as far as art is concerned, I’m not a big fan of any boundaries. Anytime new mediums can mix and mash to create new genres, then by all means; the sky is the limit. You might as well utilize what we have to work with and if people get into it, you know? It is up to the masses: if they want to accept they will, if they don’t, then they won’t. But where we’re at, like Traa was saying: it’s the age of technology and kids are so computer savvy that it’s just time for stuff like this to happen. Yeah, I think it’s a great art medium and hopefully it will lead to something new that we haven’t discovered yet.

GCM:

So can we expect to see P.O.D. working with the gaming industry in the future?

P.O.D.:

(Traa) Absolutely, man. I think, again, we don’t have any boundaries. The beauty of art is that it’s a place of expression but also a place of innovation. Art has come a long way from where we were 2000 years ago to where it’s at right now. You live for the time, man. (Jason) You do. Just think about what the video did for music. Before that, music was what one person could imagine and then they envisioned what they saw when they heard the song. Now you’ve got videos and this huge area that takes you in beyond what the song can do on its own. Now you’ve got video games and, man, we’re open to trying all sorts of new stuff so hopefully we’ll be involved in this stuff in the future.

GCM:

Okay. Please forgive me for this incredibly lengthy question but I’d imagine that the music and video game industries are both under the same pressure to appeal to the largest number of people by way of pandering to the lowest common denominator. P.O.D. is somewhat different in that, while from an audio and visual standpoint the band is accessible, your music also includes a moral messages that might not always be the “in” thing. Nevertheless, you’ve found success and a sizable audience. With that in mind, what would your message be to artists in both industries who feel pressured to maintain the status quo rather than express their moral beliefs?

P.O.D.:

Shame on them. You know what I say to people like that? I say, “Man, the bottom line is to be true to yourself.” I can speak for the guys in the band we I say, “Look, man. We have family and children.” Man, you know what? I don’t know about other people but it does matter to me what my kids hear. It does matter to me what they take in, in this world, man, and I don’t want to be part of something that is not conducive to the further development of my children’s morals. I’m a parent. I’m a parent first before anything else and I have to put all that stuff into perspective whenever I’m doing anything I do. You know? Be true to yourself, man. That’s it… and if you don’t like what P.O.D. is laying down then don’t listen—it’s not for you. (Jason) If I had to send a message—if that’s what you are asking for--this is what I’d say: The gaming industry, the music industry, any industry… all of this stuff is just a fleeting moment in your life and it needs to be made up of something more than this because this is all going to fade away. At the end of the day, what you have are your values, you have your family, and your faith. Those are the things that last forever. This is a tool; we utilize it, we make the best of it, but if this is what your life consists of then I don’t know how you can got to sleep at night, because this is all just a way to try to make money and survive. So like Traa said, if you’re going to write or be creative you need to express in honest what you are and what you believe. If it sells? Great. If it doesn’t? You know what, too bad for the rest of the world because they may have been wrong. (Traa) And again, I’m not knocking people who have different views than we have either. [both sound their agreement] People may expresses themselves in the most craziest, wildest and wackiest ways they want to, man. (Jason) If it’s honest then good for them. (Traa) If it’s honest and that’s your gig then that’s you gig you know? But for me, I’m going to be true to myself [rather than] just say what the world wants me to say or what anyone wants to say just to sell albums. (Jason) Yeah. If you’re seeking the sale then I don’t think you’re going to get it.

GCM:

Great. Well, thank you for your time. Any last thoughts that you’d like to end on?

P.O.D.:

Don’t take everything that you listen to too seriously, man. Enjoy music for what it is. Just because someone says… I don’t know, “go out and eat seventy hamburgers,” don’t go out and do it. If anything—and this may go against the grain—at some point put the headphones down and at some point put the game down and live life. Use the game and use music as a chance to take a break and get a little positive into your life, but at some point, go out and live your own life. Keep a balance.