FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
Rock music can offer an escape, and Drowning Pool provided such an outlet in 2005 and 2006 for American troops via the band's USO performances in Iraq, Kuwait and South Korea.

"They didn't have to worry about shooting at someone or being shot at -- for two hours, they were back home," singer Ryan McCombs tells Sounding Off. "That, and just how thankful they were that we didn't just come in and play a show and leave. We stayed until everyone got whatever they wanted afterward."

The hard-rock band's support for U.S. troops continues. Drowning Pool has teamed with the nonprofit organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for a campaign called This Is for the Soldiers (www.thisisforthesoldiers.org). The campaign's goal is to encourage Americans to back legislation for better mental health care for new war veterans.

Through this partnership, the band met Illinois Sen. and presidential candidate Barack Obama in September.

"When he saw us," recalls McCombs, "he came right up to us and was very interested to hear how the This Is for the Soldiers campaign was coming along, as he was already familiar with what we were doing. I think the best thing for me, though, was that he did not shy away from us due to our looks or careers. ... (Obama) was genuinely interested and concerned about our troops and their well-being."

Drowning Pool also is putting its money where its collective mouth is for the cause. One dollar from every ticket sold for shows on the band’s This Is for the Soldiers Tour is being donated to IAVA and the USO.

The tour's next stop is Wednesday (Nov. 7) at Starland Ballroom, 570 Jernee Mill Road in Sayreville. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show. For more information, call (732) 238-5500 or visit www.starlandballroom.com.

SXSW '08 UPDATE
Quit your procrastinating, Jersey Shore-area bands.

The final South by Southwest (SXSW) deadline for domestic artists is Friday (Nov. 9). If you're serious about trying to land a showcase spot in March during the annual music conference/festival in Austin, Texas, visit www.sxsw.com to fill out an online application (fee is $30) and upload the appropriate materials.

In other SXSW '08 news, Daryl Hall will be a featured speaker, and Sire Records president Seymour Stein will be an interview subject.