Dave Lavender: Plenty of local rock happening live and on the airwaves

For those about to rock and for those who've just rocked on national radio we salute you.

OK, first to the latter.

A nationwide Stone Machine

Got to give some major props to the nationally syndicated radio show Lex and Terry for last Friday serving up some southern-fried rock goodness straight out of Kenova rock city.

Stone Machine is an all-star band put together by veteran Kenova native guitarist and songwriter, Dirk Blevins (formerly of Ten Years Gone), featuring Blevins' Les Paul-crunched classic rock riffs melted down by Split Nixon's killer lead vocalist Jason Mays and a host of other local top-shelf musicians including Scott Ross of Split Nixon, Ten Carp Lie's guitarist Matt Parkins and drummers, Jeremy Hall and Rodney Crisp.

Lex and Terry toss in a different regional band's CD every week during their "Music Meeting," and usually blow rocket-launcher-sized laughs into the tunes. They got thrown for a loop when they put on Stone Machine's "Dirty Sweet," and got their ears blown back comparing May's melodic power growl to Sammy Hagar.

"I want to make fun of it so bad but I really really like it," Lex said. " ... This genre is ice cold right now but this is good. If I was hanging out somewhere I could listen to this all night."

Not only did the boys get part of three cuts played on the national radio show, but Gary Kesling, owner of the Ashland-based studio 2 Cats Studios and 9 Lives Records, which put out the CD, came on the show and gave Lex and Terry more info about one of the region's coolest and mostly-studio-based supergroups.

Following the appearance on Lex and Terry, which is heard locally on 92.7-FM and 98.5-FM, The Planet, Blevins stopped by The Planet studios Friday to chat it up with Reeves Kirtner.

Lucky for the rest of us, Stone Machine ain't done recording yet, as Blevins had just popped me over three new songs, "Use You Up," "Slow Down" and "Cornbread," that the band recorded, and of course, Mays and the Split Nixon boys are about to make some more noise come 2011.

In the meantime, you can go on iTunes and get the CD, or drop in at www.2catstudios.com/9lives. Click onto store and get the CD for $12.99.

Rock the Shamrock's

Forget about rocking the Casbah, you can rock the Shamrock's tonight, Dec. 10, and Monday, Dec. 13, as it has got two cool shows.

Sly Roosevelt, which tore up a hot set out at the Huntington Music and Arts Festival back in the summer, is on stage with North Carolina-based rock act, Discordian Society, which is making its third trip to Shamrock's.

Ian Thornton, the local musician and promoter who books Shamrock's, calls them an eclectic combination of funk, jazz and rock, with influences that range from Zappa and John Zorn, to Jaco Pastorius and Les Claypool.

The Mantras are also on the bill.

You can hear some at www.myspace.com/discordiansociety and www.myspace.com/slyroosevelt and www.myspace.com/themantras.

On Monday, it's a national act night of hard-core as New York City hardcore legends Madball bring their Empire tour through.

The band, which just released "Empire" has been all over the East Coast with support by several acts including Bitter End and Lionheart.

In between dates in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, Madball brings the tour to Shamrock's Pub, 2050 3rd Ave. Tickets are $13. If all those bands weren't enough, Toronto's Cancer Bats, whose 2010 CD was named one of the years best hard-core records by Metal Hammer magazine, is dropping in on this tour for one night.

Check out Saturday's The Herald-Dispatch when I've got an interview with Cancer Bats lead singer Liam Cormier.

Go online at www.myspace.com/luckypub for more info.

A few Grammy notes

Grammy nominations came out late last week and as always we've had some native folks picking up some nods.

Lawrence County, Ky., native bluegrass band leader, Ricky Skaggs, went alone in 2010 to record what I think is one of his best and certainly most personal records yet, "Songs My Dad Loved," and that Skaggs Family Records CD was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album.

Paintsville, Ky., songwriter and whiskey-throated singer Chris Stapleton, is one of the powerhouse performers who make up the super group, The SteelDrivers. They are nominated for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for the song, "Where Rainbows Never Die."

And The SteelDrivers are also nominated for Best Bluegrass Album for "Reckless," as Stapleton is up against another Highway 23 star, Patty Loveless, the Pike County, Ky., native who is nominated for "Mountain Soul II."

In addition to all these Tri-State native folks nominated, there are a ton of artists nominated who motor through this area quite often whether on Mountain Stage or shows here at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Particular props to Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum and Jamey Johnson for scooping up a ton of country nods and a frequent visitor to Mountain Stage, Ray LaMontagne, who picked up several nods for his "God Willin' and the Creeks Don't Rise," recording.

Some Monday fun.

Last but not least, we've been giving away a six-pack of CDs weekly in the music column (through Christmas) and this week's trivia question concerns the NYC-based band, fun., which is bringing its head-bobbing power pop to the stage of the historic Paramount Theater in Ashland on Monday on its final date for 2010. Tickets are $15 to $25 for the show that also features Steel Train, festival frequenters who have recently appeared at Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza, and pop rockers The Postelles.

In the meantime, you can go online at www.paramountartscenter.com to download a free song, "Walking the Dog," off of the band's debut album, "Aim and Ignite," and see a cool flash mob dance at the Ashland Town Center last weekend that promoted the show.

OK, question is ... this band just joined a label that launched Gym Class Heroes, Paramore, Panic! At the Disco and Cobra Starship. What college food is this label Fueled By?

Be the first to e-mail me at lavender@herald-dispatch.com or call 304-526-6686 and win a six-pack of CDs including Stone Machine.

Dave Lavender writes about music for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact him at lavender@herald-dispatch.com.