VOA常速英语2007年-Texas Hard Rock Band, Drowning Pool, Has Come '

By Larry London
Washington
13 November 2007
 

Drowning Pool's 2001 debut¹ CD, "Sinner", featured Dave Williams, who died in 2002 of heart failure, just a day after performing at Ozzfest. The band's music has appeared in films like "Saw III", "The Punisher", and "The One", starring Jet Li. Drowning Pool stopped by the VOA studios to introduce its new lead vocalist and talk about its latest tour. VOA's Larry London sat down with the band.

It took only six months for "Sinner" to sell a million copies in the U.S.  Drowning Pool is back with its third CD, "Full Circle." The album features new lead singer Ryan McCombs, formerly² of Soil.

"The band was based around a family feel. When Davy (Williams) was part of the band, it was that family, that cohesiveness³ of a family. I have heard the guys say it, so hopefully I'm not stepping on anybody's toes. We feel like that family feel is back again. We were just a bunch of brothers out there having a good time. Now we are actually able to have a good time for a good cause," said McCombs.

Drowning Pool's current tour is called "This Is For The Soldiers." From every ticket sold, 50 cents goes to the United Service Organization or U.S.O., a non-profit corporation that provides welfare and recreation activities for U.S. servicemen and servicewomen, and 50 cents goes to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to help them re-acclimate to life after war.

Todd Bowers⁴, of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, tells us, "It allows us to build up our database⁵ to let all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans know to join us … to basically push forward. We are the first and the largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' organization. We are the ones here on Capitol Hill with groups like Drowning Pool trying to implement⁶ change. We are not here to give you a membership⁷ card or a cool DVD or anything. We are here to implement change for both veterans and their families when they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. That's our number one goal."

Drowning Pool has performed around the world and remains⁸ a favorite of the U.S. military.

McCombs says, "We have spent our whole careers doing a lot of shows and having a lot of opportunities to play amazing historical events as far as some of the European festivals and playing in front of huge crowds. I know I can speak for everybody when I say that nothing compares to those shows that we have done over in Kuwait, in Iraq, and even South Korea. You are playing on these bases for two hours (and) these boys and girls are at home at a rock show."

Drowning Pool will remain on tour for the next year to support the new CD. During their travels they will continue to work on songs for their next album.

"I think it's (the next album) really just taking off where this one stopped," McCombs says, "We are having a lot of fun I think at this point in time exploring different directions, not just being that freight⁹ train [an American expression for a ride that heads in one direction]. There are songs on this new album that are just so left turn [something out of the ordinary, totally unexpected] from where you would typically think I would have done back where I come from or where Drowning Pool would have went to. In a lot of ways, just like everybody out there, we have been there and done that, and we are changed by it and I think the music is representing it, as we grow older.

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

3 cohesiveness   

n. 粘合，凝聚性

参考例句：

• The Bogor Goals concern APEC's credibility, cohesiveness and future development. 茂物目标事关亚太经合组织的信誉、凝聚力和未来发展。
• One of the most important properties of a work team is cohesiveness. 工作小组的最重要特征之一是凝聚力。

4 bowers   

n.（女子的）卧室( bower的名词复数 )；船首锚；阴凉处；鞠躬的人

参考例句：

• If Mr Bowers is right, low government-bond yields could lose their appeal and equities could rebound. 如果鲍尔斯先生的预计是对的，那么低收益的国债将会失去吸引力同时股价将会反弹。 来自互联网

5 database   

n.数据库 （=databank）

参考例句：

• I discovered some new information in the database.我在资料库里发现了一些新信息。
• We planned to build an online database.我们计划建一个联机数据库。

6 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

7 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 freight   

n.货物，货运；vt.运送（货物）看，装货于

参考例句：

• Tons of freight were flown into this airport every day.每天有许多吨货物被空运到这个机场。
• There is ten yuan in the bill for freight.发票中包括运费十元。