`2 Grammy nominees have local connection`

By Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer

Two musicians with local ties have been nominated for Grammy Awards.

Nine Inch Nails, the industrial rock band of which Mercer native Trent Reznor is the only permanent member, and polka star Walter Ostanek, who calls the Hermitage homestead and recording studio of John and Martha Krizancic his ``second home,'' were honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

NIN is up for the song ``The Perfect Drug'' in the Hard Rock Performance category. Also nominated are ``Swallowed'' by Bush, ``Monkey Wrench'' by the Foo Fighters, ``People of the Sun'' by Rage Against the Machine and ``The End Is the Beginning Is the End'' by the Smashing Pumpkins.

``The Perfect Drug'' is from the soundtrack to the little-seen David Lynch movie ``Lost Highway.'' If it signifies his musical state of mind, Reznor, 32, is moving into using more traditional instrument sounds, as opposed to the studio-fabricated tones that have marked his work.

NIN won Grammys in 1993 for ``Wish'' and in 1996 for ``Happiness in Slavery,'' both in the Metal Performance category.

NIN was nominated in 1995 for ``The Downward Spiral'' in the Alternative Music Per-formance category and in 1996 Reznor received a nomination for ``Hurt'' in the Rock Song category, a songwriter's award.

Last year, Reznor was named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential people and was called Artist of the Year by Musician magazine for 1994.

A spokeswoman for Formula Artist Development and Public Relations of New York said Reznor is working on a new album. A release date has not been set.

In November, Reznor released the double home video ``Closure'' featuring music videos and concert footage.

Ostanek, 62, of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, is a perennial nominee, with three wins in 11 nominations under his belt. His ``Moments to Remember'' album is up against ``Home Is Where the Heart Is'' by Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push, ``Duty Free Polkas'' by John Gora and Gorale, ``Living on Polka Time'' by Jimmy Sturr and ``Songs of the Polka King'' by Frank Yankovic and Friends.

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Updated Jan. 7, 1998
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