Rock Star Poway High Grad Launches Nonprofit To Help Bands Give Back

Poway High graduate Mark Maigaard is a rock star drummer who describes himself as an "entrepreneur by day, bartender and musician by night."

The 39-year-old drummer for Louis XIV and marketing professional Erin Gross recently started the nonprofit Sound Off Apparel that takes "the power of music one step further" by creating limited edition T-shirts for bands, with the proceeds going to a charity of the band's choosing.

"My co-founder, Erin Goss, and I wanted to launch a project that integrated music with something that had a positive impact on our community," Maigaard told U-T San Diego. "We’ve known a lot of bands that are passionate about different causes, but that didn’t always have the avenue to maximize their impact on the charity."

About 40 percent of the proceeds from the T-shirts go to the band's cause, according to Sound Off Apparel's website. The bands also help co-design the shirts, show fans the design process and explain why they were inspired to pick the charities that will benefit from the project.

Right now, Maigaard and Gross are working with San Diego-based rock band Transfer. Their T-shirt will help San Diego's Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit that helps the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

In a video about the project, Transfer guitarist Jason Cardenas said they chose the Center because the effects of sexual violence are widely felt.

"A lot of people view this as a woman's problem, but it's not. It's everyone's problem," he said.