P.O.D.
While P.O.D. began as an informal jam session in the band’s hometown of San Diego, Noah “Wuv” Bernardo and his bandmates eventually became one of the most popular nü-metal bands of the ’90s, and right through to the present day. What started with informal jam sessions between Wuv on drums and Marcos Curiel on guitar blossomed quickly once they recruited Wuv’s cousin, Sonny Sandoval, to fill in on vocals and Traa Daniels to play bass. Wuv was already an experienced drummer during these early P.O.D. days, as he began playing drums as a child. Growing up listening to bands like Cream, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC, Wuv had always had his sights on becoming a heavy-hitting hard-rock drummer.
In the early ’90s, P.O.D. released two albums, Snuff The Punk and Brown, on Rescue Records. These albums showcased the band in its heaviest nü-metal form, an approach that would inform some of their later albums, but would never be quite so aggressive as on these albums. The band was eventually signed by Atlantic Records in 1998 and released their first major-label record, The Fundamental Elements Of Southtown, in 1999. The singles “Southtown” and “Rock The Party (Off The Hook)” made a huge splash on radio and pushed the album sales to platinum status.
After gaining some mainstream success with the release of The Fundamental Elements Of Southtown, P.O.D. released Satellite in 2001. The singles “Alive,” “Youth Of The Nation,” and “Boom” were hugely successful, causing this album to be the band’s best selling ever. After an ambitious tour in support of Satellite, P.O.D. went back into the studio to work on their next album, Payable On Death, which featured hit single “Will You,” was released in 2003. Marcos Curiel had left the band earlier that year and was replaced on the album with Living Sacrifice guitarist Jason Truby, though Curiel eventually rejoined P.O.D. in 2006. Since this time, P.O.D. also released Testify (2006) and When Angels And Serpents Dance (2008).
Wuv is known for blending the styles of hip-hop, hard rock, and reggae in his playing, a style that has been described as “ghetto beats.” He has never received formal training, but instead taught himself to play drums by feel and by ear.
—Greg Dawson
BAND P.O.D., StillWell
DATE OF BIRTH February 24, 1974
FACTOID He is co-owner of the Chula Vista Skate Shop, “The Orphinage.”