An Interview With Drowning Pool: Brad Lidge's Favorite Band

Chris RadezMay 2, 2008

We at TheScoreBoards.com were invited to obtain press passes at a Phillies game a couple of weeks ago. Our own Tyler Adams and Tom Warren happened to be available to attend.

The goal was to interview the band Drowning Pool along with Brad Lidge and Brett Myers, but unfortunately ESPN took up too much of the Phillies players' time and they were only able to talk to Drowning Pool, but it was still a cool experience. Ty recapped the interview on TheScoreBoards and I thought I'd share it here with my friends at Bleacher Report.

Enjoy!

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613

TheScoreBoards.com Meets Drowning Pool

April 20, 2008 By: Tom Warren & Tyler Adams

On a surprisingly hot April afternoon, while groundskeepers readied the field of play, Philadelphia Phillies pitchers Brad Lidge and Brett Myers chatted with a group of guys one would not expect to see on the baseball diamond: the band Drowning Pool. Normally, one would expect to see the band standing at the top of the Phillies dugout about as often as one would see the Philly Fanatic in the mosh pit at Ozzfest. Today, however, Drowning Pool showed up at the request of major league pitchers (and Drowning Pool fans) Lidge and Myers.

Drowning Pool, veterans of the Ozzfest circuit and modern rock radio charts, have found their calling performing for and honoring the men and women who serve our country over seas. After two successful USO tours, which included shows in Iraq, Kuwait, and Germany, the band was inspired to write the song “Soldiers”. It was this song that brought Drowning Pool to Philadelphia, as Brett Myers would be jogging out to it later that day. It was a moment that reminded one of what was so special about America in a way that only baseball can.

TheScoreBoards.com was lucky enough to interview the band before the game:

TheScoreBoards.com: How did you guys end up in Citizens Bank Park today?

"C.J. Pierce (Guitar/Vocals): How did this all come about? We don’t even know what we’re doing here. [Laughter]"

"Steve Benton (Bass/Vocals): Brad [Lidge] is going to come out to “Soldiers” today if he gets the opportunity, so we’re representing today."

"Ryan McCombs (Lead Vocals): Brad has been coming out to “Soldiers” for some time, so when we got the invite to come out, we just jumped on it. We’re big sports fans so we definitely jumped on the opportunity to come out here and meet the guys and see what it’s all about."

TSB: Being from Texas, did you guys first come in contact with Brad when he played in Houston?

"Ryan McCombs: [Laughs] No, not actually. I think when he was down there he probably played a Philadelphia band."

TSB: Seeing that you guys had not met Brad or Brett before today, were they a little star struck when they met you?

"Mike Luce (Drums/Vocals): I think we were more star struck to meet them."

"C.J. Pierce: They were blown away. They were down on their knees and said “We’re not worthy!” [Laughter]"

"Ryan McCombs: It’s hard to tell. We’re sports fanatics. I think the star struck was the other way around."

TSB: What teams do you follow?

"Ryan McCombs: Phillies now. [Laughter]"

"Stevie Benton: Big Phillies fans."

TSB: Would you like to tell us a little bit about the song “Soldiers”?

"Ryan McCombs: We wrote that after we got back from our first trip to Iraq in November of 2005. We were in the process of writing a new record at that point in time, and we’ve always been a band that writes about what we’ve experienced in our lives. It was just what was at the forefront of our minds at that point after having come over and heard the stories and met the troops over there, so this was just part of the natural response from it all. We learned also at that same time that there was that point to us that after hearing the stories, meeting the people, that we wanted to give something back. These are boys and girls, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters are over there doing this job for the United States of America. We wanted to pay homage to them."

TSB: Have you kept in contact with any of the soldiers you have met over there?

"C.J. Pierce: We see a lot of people coming out here stateside that we played for in Iraq, a lot of people."

"Stevie Benton:Every night at the shows over there, Ryan would say on the microphone, “When we see you back in the states, at the shows, CJ is going to buy you all shots.”"

"C.J. Pierce: I’m about twenty-grand in the hole right now, but, hey it’s for the troops. [Laughter]"

TSB: Do you have anymore plans for future trips back overseas?

"Ryan McCombs: We’ve been trying for about a year now. We want to get to Afghanistan this time as well. There is just so much red tape. It seems as soon as we get a date lined up, something happens over there."

"C.J. Pierce: We almost had it lined up to go this past Thanksgiving, but the trip fell through."

"Stevie Benton: It was so much easier before the new album came out. We were over there twice in maybe a year and a half, but once the album came out, we had a tour, promotions, and other obligations. Once we had an open window to go over there, it closed before we could take advantage of it. I’m sure we will get over there again some time soon."

TSB:Why do you think your music lends itself so well to sports and entertainment such as Major League Baseball and the WWE?

"Ryan McCombs: It’s up tempo. It’s got a little bit of aggressiveness to it. It gets you fired up and you see that in the crowd every night. You see the energy that it causes."

TSB:One last question, what changes would you make to the Philly Phanatic to make him more “metal”?

"[Laughter]"

"Ryan McCombs:Give him a mohawk."

"Stevie Benton: Give him CJ’s haircut."

"C.J. Pierce: Yeah, give him a little tail in the back. I’ll let him borrow it. He can just glue it on. And give him some spikes on a wristband. "