See also "Korn and Six Other Bands Join ShipRocked 2012" -- plus "Godsmack's Robbie Merrill Talks ShipRocked Cruise, Tequila, Gambling, and Sushi."
God forbid the ship sinks ...
But if the big, bad, heavy music behemoth known as ShipRocked happens to go down during P.O.D.'s set, maybe the band's positive Christian message will help save your soul before you get gobbled up by the fishes.
This cruise is going to send so much heavy rumbling musical carnage through the Caribbean that the groupers will be headbanging, the dolphins will be moshing, and the sharks will bloody the entire Atlantic ocean in the name of rock.
Here's what Sonny from P.O.D. has to say about chillin' with the people, averting suicides, and his last cruise ship experience.
Crossfade: How's it feel to be doing a show on a cruise?
Sonny Sandoval: Uh, I've been on one and only one, and it was amazing. I went with my wife for our honeymoon 16 years ago and we had a blast. You know, I hear the horror stories. They say, "Those things sink." But I ain't trippin' on it. A cruise is probably one of the best vacations I've ever been on.
You looking forward to the fan interaction?
It's cool. It's nothin' for me. I'm like that anyway, always hanging out, walkin' around. It's like a big thing for these other bands that stay behind the stage getting claustrophobic. A lot of these rock guys ain't people anyway. They're just tryin' to live this image of a rock-star life. I don't come from that place.
So you're down to hang out with the fans then?
I like hearing the people talk about music and life. Or how some of our songs had a positive impact on their spirit and their soul. They say, "This music changed my life. I was gonna commit suicide until I heard this album."
Watch out ... People jump off the side of the cruise sometimes.
Warning before we go on: Don't jump. Like, they payin' to be there...
How does it feel to be surrounded by all that water?
I'm a water dude. I'm mixed-up culturally. Being of the Pacific Islands, I'm all about anything in the ocean. I love to swim all day long and fish. If you're not into water, then you're missing out on about 70 percent of life. There's a lot more water on this planet than there is land.
You ready to party?
I think you need to be careful. Too much of anything is bad. There's gonna be a lot of drunkenness. I've been through all that. And as I get older, I wanna be healthy. It takes its toll. But I'm not here to damper anbybody's fun. They grown-ass people. Me, myself ... I wanna remember my vacation.
You have plans for your set?
We be jamming out there. We not stuck to this track or that. We can play whatever we want. That's what I love about my band. We free to do whatever. We take requests and everything.
How do you feel about the smaller stage?
A lot of these big rock shows with like 50,000 with Public Enemy (Chuck D is still my hero) and Korn, you have this huge sea of people. And when we play the small, intimate joints, it's just as intense. That's the school we come from. I dig the intimate settings. We just did something in Texas somewhere playing a house show for a contest winner and 350 close friends. That's the real stuff for me.
So you been amped to do it?
Yeah, we lookin' forward to it. They hit us up like, "Yeah, we pay your flights, bring wifey." It's a no brainer. Everybody in the band saying, "I gotta get my workout on." We not tryin' to go there lookin' sloppy.
ShipRocked 2012 with Godsmack, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, P.O.D., Sevendust, and others. Tuesday, November 27, to Saturday, December 1. The MSC Poesia boarding at Port Everglades, 1850 Eller Dr., Fort Lauderdale. Visit getshiprocked.com.
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