The Dirty Grindstones

The Dirty Grindstones. Louisville, KY.

Q. How did the project come into existence? We started the band in 2006 and have had the same members with the exception of an addition to the band in 2008.

Who are the members of the band if any and please tell us about it? The band consists of Austin Roush (lead guitar/vocals), Brandon Roush(Lead Vocals/harmonica/percussion/keyboards), Mike Jones(Rhythm Guitar), Tyler Blair(Durms/percussion), Brandon Schleter(Bass/vocals), and Zach Grider(Keyboards/trumpet). We have been together for nearly 6 years. The Roush brothers usually write the songs that are then arranged and tweaked by the whole band.

Q How would you describe your sound/genre? You could describe the Dirty Grindstones sound as funky blues rock. We have been referred to as the illegitimate love child of Led Zeppelin and the Parliament/Funkadelic, however it is difficult to really pin hole our style. We have so many diverse influences that have an equal effect on our tunes.

Q. What formal training or previous experience do any of the members have? All of the members of the band have played their instruments for more than ten years. We all have great experience though we are all still very young: Brandon Roush is 18, Austin Roush is 21, Mike Jones is 22, Tyler Blair is 20, Brandon Schleter is 20, and Zach Grider is 19.

Q. Are you working w/ a producer on your upcoming album? We currently do not have a producer for our next project.

Q. Who would you say has been the biggest influence on the bands sound or that you have used as inspiration for your music? Are music is greatly inspired by our diverse tastes. We love everything from Pearl Jam, to James Brown, to Black Sabbath, to Hall and Oates, to Frank Zappa and everything in between. The everyday experiences in life that we all can relate to are big themes in our music as well. We simply love to make people happy and that’s also a big contributor to our music. Everyone should have a good time listening to our music.

Q.What advice would you give to others starting out? The best advice we could give anyone starting out in music is to practice, practice, practice, and oh yeah practice. It’s the only way you’ll get better and develop your sound. Our sound has changed so much in the 6 years we’ve been in this band and it’s because we’ve been constantly playing and molding our sound.

Q. Where can people go to learn more about you and hear your music? People can check us out on facebook, at www.myspace.com/thedirtygrindstones, and on sonicbids. We are currently working on an official web page that should be up and running very soon.

Q. If you could play anywhere in the world or with anyone you wanted where and who would it be with? If we could play anywhere and with anyone we would play at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival in Manchester, TN with fellow Kentuckians My Morning Jacket.

Q. What has been your greatest experience so far either individually or as a whole? I think the greatest thing about being in this band is the opportunity to play in front of people. If it wasn’t for live performances I probably wouldn’t play. We just love the transfer of energy from us, the performers, and the audience. There’s not a better feeling than getting a crowd to get up and dance and have a good time.

Q. Do you have any upcoming events or news you would like to tell our readers about? We have some great gigs lined up for the spring and summer that you can find more about by visiting our facebook or myspace page. Also, we are currently in the process of recording a short ep that should be released in the coming months. We are very excited about it because it definitely the best collection of songs we’ve recorded so far.

Q. Where do you see yourselves or hope to be in about 5 years? In 5 years I hope that we are touring consistently and getting booked in great venues and for festivals across the country. I’d also hope that we will have created some buzz outside of Kentucky. We’d love to cultivate a devoted fan base outside of the one we have found here in the state of Kentucky. We’ve seen great success so far with little to know backing so I believe that if we got a little shove in the right direction we could really do something great.

- Aj-n-dbs

Battle of the Bands’ a success
In March 3 Issue

The 2011 Pop-Country Rock' N Roll Revival Battle of the Bands, held at the Russell County Schools Auditorium Complex on Saturday, was a major success, according to Susan Melton, the events coordinator at the auditorium.

Sponsored by the auditorium and 1st National Bank of Russell Springs, the event saw more than 250 spectators in attendance throughout the day.

"The all day competition was a huge success for our first event of this nature," Melton said. "If you are searching for a band to entertain your picnics, reunions, birthday parties look no further than Russell County. We were surprised there were this many backyard entertainment acts. Some of the bands have been together since childhood and some have just formed over the last few months."

The grand prize went to Dirty Grindstone, comprised of Brandon Roush, Austin Roush, Brandon Schleter, Mike Jones, Zach Grider and Tyler Blair. They won $1,000, plus they will be the opening act for country recording group Halfway 2 Hazard on April 30th at the auditorium complex.

Dirty Grindstone have been together for four years and recently won the Battle of the Bands at the state fair in Louisville as well as the Lake Cumberland Battle of the Bands in Somerset in 2008. The group formed by just being good friends with one another, enjoyed music and wanted to compete against fellow bands.

The first runner-up was Gravel Switch while the second runner-up went to Sovereign, Melton said..

Other bands competing were Cobblestone, Boss Tweet, Southern Uprising, Wolfcreek and scheduled to compete but had to cancel due to sickness was The Hannah Ellis band.

"Several bands were approached after the show to discuss demos of their music and song writing abilities," Melton said. "This was truly an event to get some local talent noticed in the competitive world of the music industry."

Judge Bob Brickley of Triangle Talent said he was impressed with the quality of talent displayed Saturday while Judge Mark Noter of Downtown Recording Studio said he was in awe of the originality of a couple of the groups.

Judge Jeff Vice, formerly of Dreamworks and now president of Canopy Records in Nashville was so impressed with the facility and organization of the event he has scheduled a concert here by the duo Aly'an in September.

"He stated this duo is so good on April 26th country music sensation Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry will endorse and host their CD release party at his restaurant in Harrodsburg," Melton said.

Vice and Andrea, half of the duo, did live interviews Friday with 92.7 WHVE, 99.9 the BIG DAWG and 93.5 WAIN.

Ted Beckmann of 92.7 and 99.9 said "of the artist they had interviewed Aly'an is a true standout, spot on artists."

Lisa Clark, morning personality of 93.5, said "Aly'an will be very successful in the music business. They are original with a hot southern rock sound."

Vice was extremely complimentary of the local radio stations and their hospitality.

Staff organizers at the auditorium complex wish to thank the following sponsors of the event: Premium Sponsor-1st National Bank of Russell Springs, Partners in Prevention and Jamestown Resort and Marina.

Vendors at the Saturday event included Café on the Square in Columbia, the Laker Swim team-concessions, Mark Robertson with BOBOSLOGOS-T-shirts, Tonya Stargel / 31 and Scentsy, Russell County Middle School's 21st CCLC Y-Club-concessions, Kathy Foley-Avon, Gravel Switch-band merchandise and The Hannah Ellis Band-merchandise.

Melton said tickets for the upcoming events are on sale now at the Russell County Schools Auditorium Complex. One can call 270-866-6300 or email rcanc@russell.kyschools.us for more information.

Upcoming events for the facility include national country music recording artist Easton Corbin on March 26, Halfway 2 Hazard featuring opening act Dirty Grindstone on April 30, nationally-known comedian Carl Hurley on May 13 and national recording artist Justin Moore on May 19.

- The Times Journal

Vote for the ‘Grindstones’
In April 14 Issue

Local band “The Dirty Grindstones” are competing against more than 700 bands and acts from across the nation for a chance to play at the 10th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. on June 9-12.

Band member Zach Grider said Friday, April 15 is the last day to download a track via Facebook from any of the bands in the Road to Roo challenge as that counts as a vote.

The top eight downloaded artists will move on to be reviewed by Bonnaroo's music supervisors and two will be booked to play at Bonnaroo. As of presstime, The Dirty Grindstones set at the nine spot, one spot away the cut off for review by the event's music supervisors.

The two winning bands will get $1,000 and take the stage at Bonnaroo alongside artists like Eminem, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne, Robert Plant, Mumford & Sons, Alison Krauss, Gregg Allman, Wiz Khalifa, Mavis Staples, Bruce Hornsby, The Low Anthem and many more.

To vote, while logged into your Facebook account go to http://bonnaroo.sonicbids.com and select The Dirty Grindstones in the top downloads box to the left. Once you reach the band's page, hit download to cast your vote for The Dirty Grindstones.

The band is comprised of Brandon Roush, Austin Roush, Brandon Schleter, Mike Jones, Zach Grider and Tyler Blair. Grider said the band turned in an application through sonicbids, a website helping to sponsor the music festival, and voting began last Tuesday.

"Anybody that has a Facebook can vote," he said. "It is just like you're downloading a free song of ours."

He said as long as they stay in the top eight this week, they'll be in good shape.

The band also recently won the 2011 Pop-Country Rock' N Roll Revival Battle of the Bands at the Russell County Schools Auditorium Complex and will be the opening act for country recording group Halfway 2 Hazard on April 30th at the auditorium complex.

"We're definitely excited about it," Grider said. "It will be one of the bigger shows we've done. We're really pumped about that."

The group has been together for four years and won the Battle of the Bands at the state fair in Louisville last summer as well as the Lake Cumberland Battle of the Bands in Somerset in 2008.

In the summer of 2009 the band appeared at the prestigious Master Musicians Festival alongside the likes of Richie Havens.

Grider, who plays keyboard and trumpet, said the group's genre is alternative rock mixed with some blues and funk.

"All kinds of people would enjoy it," he said of his group's music. "You won't be able to sit still; we'll have you up and dancing.

The group is made up of members from both Russell and Pulaski counties and formed by just being good friends with one another. They enjoyed their own style of music and wanted to compete against fellow bands.

"We appreciate everyone who votes for us," he said. "If you haven't heard our music you can visit our Facebook page or our Myspace page or come out to the Halfway 2 Hazard show, we'd love to have as many as we could out."


- The Times Journal

Magazine Interview. Follwo URL - The LIST Magazine

The Dirty Grindstones Named 2011 Last Band Standing


Courtney Matthews, Z97.5 Reporting

news@clarksvillenow.com


CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Local radio station Z 97.5 held their third annual battle of the bands style competition, Last Band Standing, pitting 10 bands up against each other for a $1,000 prize and the title of Last Band Standing.

(To view the photo galleries from Last Band Standing, click here.)

Bands submitted a demo through www.z975.com and then were selected to be in the top 10. Those bands were given a time slot to play either on Friday or Saturday during the Rivers and Spires Festival. Due to inclement weather, none of Friday’s acts were able to take the stage, making Saturday an action packed day, with all 10 bands performing.

Ultimately, The Dirty Grindstones of Somerset, KY were named 2011 Last Band Standing. The 6 piece band beat runner up The Kris Bell Band to claim the title.


- Clarksville Now

The news that Richie Havens was going to be at the Master Musician’s Festival this year excited me so that I sent off for tickets on the day I found out. The day of the festival I had my hearing aids turned up so I could try to blow out the rest of my hearing this year.??

I think one of the things I like about the festival is the mixing of the generations. It provides me with a sense of continuity that seems to be more important as I age. I noticed parents and grandparents taking children of an early age up to the stage so they could absorb some of the vibe given off by Richie and his music.??

Richie is a true relic of an age when many of us were young and unspoiled by the world. A time when we reveled in the connectedness of our youth and vision and were sure we had a message for a struggling world. It was with just this mindset that I enjoyed Richie when he came to the stage igniting memories of 1969. I thought this was a perfect opportunity for a photo and snapped one just before a lady in black, I think she was probably NSA or Homeland Security, informed me that no photos would be permitted. She told me this twice, apparently reacting to the dumbfounded look on my face. I must admit I was taken aback that this icon of the freedom of my youth would restrict my enjoyment of his music. Then I noticed that no one else was being restricted and I got over it. Hearing his music and the message of peace and love again was well worth the price of admission.??

Friday night was a better opening night than most. Of the four acts we saw I think, besides Richie, the local group, No Tale Lights was far and away the cream of the crop. They have a very strong band behind the vocals of the lead singer who is a phenom.

The rhythm section laid down a strong and heavy groove that carried the music so well it gave the vocals and lead guitar a lot of room for expression. I accused one of the members (I have grandchildren older than them I believe) of sneaking out their grandparents old vinyl and absorbing it. He just looked at me kinda funny but I heard snippets of the old San Francisco psychedelic sound, the Stax soul music, Southern Rock, Motown and AC/DC (complete with the Angus antics). This is a band that has all the ingredients to move to the top if they get the breaks and avoid the pitfalls.??

The Lee Boys showed us that praise to God is not limited by musical form. The pedal steel guitar led the attack that emphasized the heritage that is apparent in some of Carlos Santana’s music.??

My surprise of the night was Scythian. Just as with the Avett Brother’s last year, I did not recognize the name but the young people seemed to know them quite well. I don’t know how. I suspected they were just there for the party until they started singing with the band. I decided at least some of them were fans. It was cathartic (and groovy) to see the youth dancing without restraint just as my generation did at Woodstock, now forty years distant. The ebullience of youth is still alive and I am relieved.??

Saturday began with The New Familiars. Like many of the Festival acts they were quite proficient and interesting to listen to. I felt like the Blue Edmonson Band fell into this category also but I liked the Steve Johnson band better as Big Leg Emma. I had heard a lot of hype about The Duhks but, honestly, I was underwhelmed. At first I was not too crazy about The Greencards but they kinda grew on me. I got off on the wry humor of the British guy with his remark about retail sales. Even though I have always enjoyed a wide range of music the international flavor of some of their music was a bit hard to get a grip on. “On the Avenue” had a strange sense to it I am still trying to put my finger on but it was familiar from somewhere in my memory. I was probably won over by the Patty Griffin number the girl in the pink slip did. They exhibited a musical range greater than any group there. Any ya gotta love a group that loves the American scene.??

The Dixie Bee Liners were crowd favorites largely due to their familiar music and the local roots of the lead singer, Brandi Hart. All of the members were talented and the fiddle player had a bit of extra flair but it was their treatment of some of the traditional mountain sound that won me over. Many groups tend to take the traditional songs too much into the bluegrass genre and the mountain sound has its heritage in the old music of the British Isles. While I love Bluegrass I have come to love the Mountain Sound also.??

I have no doubt that the Felice Brothers performed the worst music I have ever heard in a public setting. They somewhat redeemed themselves by being vastly entertaining and energetic. I suspect the lead singer was right when he said they were “just a bunch of losers on a bus.” What I took from their performance was the thought that if they can succeed then anyone can do it with enough nerve to try. I decided at least they were green relying on ethyl alcohol for propulsion. ??

Which leaves Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue. I can’t say enough about this group. Highly energetic, Farris reminded me of Mitch Ryder with a gospel bent. The McCrary Sisters made me think of The Staples Singers and it is difficult to imagine the show without them. A horn section and a rhythm section that would not stop puts them over the top. What a show and praise to boot. Felt like church on Saturday night. Since James Brown is dead I nominate Mike Farris for the title of “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.’??

I would hate to follow either Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue or No Tale Lights. Truly festival giants that thrive on live performance.??

The festival was a musical success but it remains to be seen about the financial health. I join the festival board and urge support for this very worthwhile community effort.??

That’s my take, what’s yours???•••

Published July 22, 2009

- Commonwealth Journal (www.somerset-kentucky.com)

Sixteen youth bands, including one from Casey County, took to the stage in the Young Adult Project (YAP) Tent sponsored by Ticketmaster on Aug. 28, competing in a revival of a long-lost tradition, the Kentucky State Fair Battle of the Bands.

Hundreds of fans watched the performance live, while nearly 5,000 views were tallied for the streaming broadcast on iHigh.com. The bands entertained the crowds with a wide variety of performances, from rock/alternative, to pop, to Christian, to folk, but the winning band — The Dirty Grindstones — brought an original funk/blues vibe to the stage.

The Dirty Grindstones, formerly No Tale Lights, is a Somerset band with players 17 to 21 years of age. They formed their band in 2006. Band members are Austin Roush, Brandon Roush, Tyler Blair, Brandon Schleter, and Mike Jones.

- The Casey County News