Grammy-nominated
Platinum-selling singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, who writes and sings under
the pseudonym band name Five for Fighting, is announcing an exciting
milestone in his "CD For the Troops" project. The CD, a free music compilation
of hit songs, contributed by 13 major music artists, was released exclusively
for the 2.4 million active duty members of the U.S. Armed Services and for
military veterans around the world. It is available for download from the
Army & Air Force Exchange Service website (http://www.aafes.com/) for military
members and veterans with a valid military ID number, and today John announced
it has surpassed the 250,000 downloads mark.

John agreed to
answer some questions for us about this project and why it is so important to
him.

Q: Putting this CD
together must have been a tremendous undertaking. You have top talent – songs
from artists like Melissa Etheridge, the Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Joel and others.
What compelled you to embark on this project?

JO: A year
ago I was asked to write a forward to a CD of local musicians who were sending
music to Iraq.
I thought what a great idea and started enlisting fellow singer/songwriters.
Beyond the fact that music can have a positive effect on the morale of our
troops and their families, I feel we all need to express our thanks to those
whose sacrifice secures our liberty.

Q: Clearly the response has been terrific – you just
surpassed a quarter of a million downloads from the Army and Air Force Exchange
web site. What can you tell us about the response? Did you have a distribution
goal when you began this project?

JO: If you would of told me when we started this project that we would
have distributed 200,000 hard CD's as well as having over 250,000 songs
downloaded I would have been thrilled. I had no idea once we launched the AAFES
site what the interest would be.

Q: Have you heard any personal stories or feedback that you
would share with us?

JO: I have received kind notes from troops and family
members though frankly I feel it's the least we can do. I have been honored to
sit with many of our soldiers and veterans and hear about their lives. I wish
every American could spend some time with our troops and their families. It is
inspiring as it is illuminating.

Q: Creators provide so much joy in people's everyday lives,
whether it's from a song or a favorite television show or a magazine. What
obligation do creators have to give back to the community through efforts like
this one?

JO: I feel we all have an obligation to do what we can to
make a difference in this world. Celebrities, for better or worse, have a
platform that allows a voice. Along with that platform comes responsibility, as
a role model for children, and as an example at large. In a perfect world,
Medal of Honor Recipients, Philanthropists, and Scientists would join actors
and musicians on the cover of People Magazine. That said, the arts do provide a
unique medium to communicate and express our values and beliefs as a culture.

Q: Your song "100 Years" is on the CD and is one of the
great songs of all time. What is next for Five for Fighting?

JO: Back to the drawing board! (and perhaps a CD for the
Troops II)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 9:46 am by and is filed under creators, philanthropy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.