Rolling with Paul McCoy of 12 Stones

(andPOP) - Paul McCoy, the lead singer of 12 Stones, isn't holding back how he's feeling, with the release date of his band's third album, "Anthem for the Underdog," around the corner.

"It's getting more exciting everyday," McCoy tells andPOP. "We love this album."

As well as a new album (in stores Sept. 18), 12 Stones are also welcoming two new members to the band - bass player DJ Stange and guitarist Justin Rimer.

Although reports have said that "Anthem for the Underdog" was written by the Louisiana band in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, McCoy - who performed vocals on the Evanescence smash, "Bring me To Life" - says that was not the main motivator.

"I don't think we set out to do that - to write an album about Hurricane Katrina," McCoy explains. It influenced some of the writing, he says, but it was not the main focus of the album.

The band and "Anthem for the Underdog" made headlines nearly three months before its release when the album was leaked online. Then, the song "World So Cold" was used in a tribute video to victims of the Virginia Tech massacre on YouTube.

"It's always tough when stuff is leaked before it is released," McCoy says.

"Someone put it out there because it meant something to them. I thought it was really respectful and done well."

"World So Cold" was written about a serial killer, albeit not the Virginia Tech killer. McCoy says the video on YouTube did not focus on the killer, but the people left behind.

"It's more about the people that were lost. It kept the meaning of the song," he says.

12 Stones are currently touring with American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry, who also plays on "Broken Road," a track off the album.

McCoy says it's great to be touring with Daughtry because of the amount of people who know who he is simply because of his appearance on "American Idol" a few seasons ago.

"65 million people now know who he is, as opposed to most bands, where you have your local fans, your regional fans, and then you branch out," he explains.

"That's still 65 million people who know who he is, and people will get to know us because of it."

12 Stones have existed for seven years, perhaps the shakiest years in music history because of the emergence of illegal downloading.

McCoy pauses when asked what he thinks about these changes in the music industry, especially when it comes to the Internet.

"I think it depends on how the majority of users use it," he explains.

McCoy says if the majority of people use the web to download free music, then it is not such a powerful tool as the band who has put in months of work sees no pay off.

"That's how we're trying to feed our families."

However, McCoy says there are other positive factors to the Internet such as MySpace, which he says is changing the fan/artist relationship.

"With MySpace, you get direct access to your fans," he explains.

McCoy continues that typically the only conversation a band would get with a fan is with those who wait at the stage door after a gig or at an autograph session; just a brief couple of minutes and then it's done.

Now because of the Internet and social networking sites, those few seconds of brief conversation can be continued.

"Anthem for the Underdog" hits stores Sept. 18.