Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Triple Threat: With three nominations, Killers join high-powered Grammy field

The Killers' Dave Keuning is approaching Sunday's Grammy Awards show with a simple philosophy. "I'll sleep at night as long as we don't lose to Hoobastank," Keuning said.

The 28-year-old guitarist was referring to this year's Best Rock Album category, in which his Las Vegas-based quartet will compete with Elvis Costello, Green Day, Velvet Revolver -- and, yes, mainstream rock outfit Hoobastank -- for a Grammy.

"So long as we don't lose to Hoobastank, I'm fine," Keuning reiterated.

The Killers are up for three awards, a significant accomplishment for a band that released its first album last summer.

On Jan. 11 that debut effort, "Hot Fuss," received a platinum certification for domestic sales of more than 1 million units. The disc will battle Costello's "The Delivery Man," Green Day's "American Idiot," Velvet Revolver's "Contraband" and Hoobastank's "The Reason" for the Best Rock Album trophy.

The Killers' hit single, "Somebody Told Me," which reached No. 3 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, is a finalist in two Grammy categories: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.

Keuning, who will attend Sunday's Grammy ceremonies at Los Angeles' Staples Center with fellow Killers Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci, said he's had a tough time sizing up the band's chances of winning.

"When we were first nominated, I looked at each (category) long and hard and thought about if we had a chance," Keuning said. "All I know is that we're up against some really tough competition.

"I'd be thrilled if we won even one, but I'm thrilled that we were even nominated. So I won't go home unhappy if we get nothing."

Another Las Vegas-bred act, the Crystal Method, is up for a Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album, a category introduced this year.

The Crystal Method, composed of Las Vegas natives-turned-Los Angeles residents Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, was nominated for its 2004 disc "Legion of Boom." Other artists in the category include Basement Jaxx, Paul Oakenfold, the Prodigy and Paul Van Dyk.

Locals can follow the Grammy's tape-delayed West Coast broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. on CBS (Channel 8). Those who can't wait that long can search for the results online early; the event goes out live to the East Coast at 5 p.m. local time.

Last week Keuning handicapped the Killers' three categories from a London hotel room between shows on the band's recent British tour:

Best Rock Album: Aside from the aforementioned Hoobastank comment, Keuning didn't have a solid handle on this one. How could he really, when the nominees range from a veteran critical darling (Costello) to a hard rock supergroup (Velvet Revolver) to a band of grown-up pop-punksters (Green Day)?

Keuning did say, though, that he covets the Best Rock Album Grammy the most among the three awards the Killers could win.

"That would the most honorable one to win, because it's saying our album -- our whole thing that we made -- is the best one for that year," Keuning said. "And that would be unbelievable. We could always say that about that album."

The guitarist added that Grammy voters ought to judge each nominee in the category on the strength of their entire album, rather than just its top few songs.

"You have to look at some of those albums song-for-song and say, 'How does this album stack up as a whole? Is this just an album with a couple of good songs on it?' " Keuning said.

Flowers was less diplomatic in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, offering this nugget: "You've got the votes for Velvet Revolver based on who they are, which kind of sucks for us. I've heard all their singles, and I can't remember one of them."

Best Rock Song: Along with the Killers' "Somebody Told Me," finalists are: Green Day's "American Idiot," Modest Mouse's "Float On," U2's "Vertigo" and Velvet Revolver's "Fall to Pieces."

"That's a tough one," Keuning said. "There's a little bit of old and young."

Keuning wondered whether U2's "Vertigo," which was featured in a TV commercial for Apple's iPod before the band's latest album was available commercially, might have played itself out.

"I think it's a little overplayed. I think people are sick of it," Keuning said. "I don't know if that will have a negative effect or not."

Keuning said he prefers Green Day's "American Idiot" album to its title track.

"I like the new Green Day album, but I will say I don't care much for that song," he said. "So if they win Best Album I'll be fine with that, but I hope that they don't win best song."

Ultimately, according to Keuning, the Killers' toughest competition here could be Modest Mouse, a veteran indie-rock band that finally made the mainstream take notice with "Float On."

"That one has got a chance of being a winner, I think. That's a really good song," Keuning said.

"Modest Mouse has been around for a while and are finally getting their due, so maybe people will feel like they deserve this because they've always been a good band and now they're finally being recognized."

Flowers agreed that Modest Mouse could be a favorite here, telling Rolling Stone, " 'Somebody Told Me' is great, but I think 'Float On' and 'Vertigo' are better."

Keuning rated the Killers' odds of taking home a Grammy for Best Rock Song at 10 percent, but added, "I think that our song is for sure better than two or three of them in there. I won't say who. But you never know what the people that vote for these things might be thinking."

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Somebody Told Me" is joined in this awkwardly titled category by "Costello's "Monkey to Man," Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out," Green Day's "American Idiot" and U2's "Vertigo."

"This is the most obscure one of the three," Keuning said. "When I first heard that I was like, 'Rock Performance? What are they saying that we did good at? Writing the song or playing the song or a live show?' I still don't know what it means."

Where Best Rock Song is a songwriters' award, with all four Killers' names listed in the nomination, Best Rock Performance recognizes the finished product.

"I'll care the least if we don't win that one," Keuning said. "But maybe that will be the one we win. Who knows?"

Taken from the Las Vegas Sun.

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