Although P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel grew up listening to a mixture of rhythm & blues and Latin music with his parents in San Diego, when he decided to play guitar, he wanted to do it all.
"One of the artists we listened to all the time was Carlos Santana," Curiel said during a telephone interview from his home in San Diego. "When my mom and dad asked me if I wanted to be like him, I said, 'No, I want to play everything.' "
Also known as Payable on Death, P.O.D. — featuring Curiel, drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, singer Sonny Sandoval and bassist Traa Daniels — will play Saltair on Saturday, Oct. 20. Fenix, Tx, Little T & the One Track Mike and Blindside will also take the stage. Show time is 7 p.m. Tickets are available through Smith'sTix at 467-TIXX.
When Curiel started getting serious with the guitar, his mother had some reservations, he said. "She was really conservative. She tried hard to understand why I wanted to play hard music. But since then, she and the others in the family have grown to be proud of us."
And Curiel's family has good reason to be proud. The band's two major-label albums, 1999's "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown" went platinum (sold more than 1 million copies). And the band's recent album "Satellite" is only a few copies shy of the 1 million mark.
"We never wanted to write the same album twice," Curiel said of following up ". . .Southtown." "We write albums because we like what we're doing at the time."
Another aspect of P.O.D. that surprises some people is that it is considered a Christian Rock band. The album is also in the Top 10 on the Contemporary Christian charts.
"We consider ourselves a rock band that happens to be inspirational," Curiel explained. "We wanted our music to be different and positive. Regardless of what people say, they can always relate to being happy and being alive. It's that kind of connection we hope to make. Especially these days."
It was sheer coincidence that "Satellite" was released Sept. 11, 2001. "We had the date set a few months ago," Curiel said. "And what a day it became. We had no idea how relevant our album was going to be.
"There are people hurting, but I think the things that have happened on that day will toughen us and make us better. And hopefully, our album will help people see a positive side of life."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com