AS the February 15 ceremony draws nearer, details on this year's Meteor Awards show are leaking out. This is the equivalent of the Grammys on the Emerald Isle. The Blizzards, Cathy Davey and Future Kings of Spain are among the nominees for this year's Meteor Ireland Music Awards, which will take place in the RDS on Friday, February 15. The Blizzards were nominated for Best Irish Pop Act and Best Irish Live Performance, while Davey bagged a nomination for Best Irish Album and Best Irish Female. Future Kings of Spain are up for Best Irish Album, where they will also battle it out against Paddy Casey, Delorentos, the Flaws and Dave Geraghty. Best Irish Male nominees are Casey, Damien Dempsey, Declan O'Rourke, Glen Hansard, Geraghty and Duke Special. With his hit indie film "Once" and his ability to do amazing work with both the Frames and as a solo artist, Hansard is this reviewer's vote for the man to beat in this category. Top females include Cathy Davey, Dolores O'Riordan, Sinead O'Connor, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Andrea Corr and Roisin Murphy. The girls' competition is a tough call. Both O'Riordan and Corr released offbeat yet criminally overlooked solo albums this year. Let's hope a Meteor Award will bring attention to these deserving discs! For those of you like me who are nostalgic for eighties rock, you might be laying your money on Future Kings of Spain (FKOS), who released the excellent "Nervousystem" late last year. The disc recently showed up on iTunes and other digital outlets. The FKOS are all about echoing drums, killer goth-like melodies like "Kick in the Teeth" that recall late Cure and early Nirvana periods. Tuam's most famous and favorite sons, the Saw Doctors, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. They are in excellent company. Previous recipients of the award include Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Bob Geldof, the Dubliners, Aslan, the Pogues and Clannad. The Docs will perform at the awards show as a way of both saying thanks for the award and celebrating 20 years in the music business this year. The Saw Doctors have achieved international acclaim with hits such as "N17" and "I Useta Love Her," which holds the record for Ireland's biggest selling single of all time. I was lucky enough to be in Ireland for a wedding during their onslaught during the "N17" period. Not since Michael Jackson's "Thriller" period had I seen a musical act grip an entire country like the Saw Doctors did. Since then, they have headlined Féile, as well as performing at the Point, Oxegen Music Festival and countless sold-out gigs around Ireland. They have also played major shows outside of Ireland, including sell-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London and U.K. music festivals such as Glastonbury and T in the Park. Let's not forget what they do here in the States as well! It wouldn't be a St. Patrick's Day without the Dox, and this year is no exception. They will be returning to the Nokia Theatre in New York on March 14 and 15, with stops at Philadelphia's TLA on March 1, the Birchmere outside Washington, D.C. on March 5, Cleveland House of Blues on March 7, Chicago Vic Theater on March 8, and the Royal Oaks Music Theatre outside Detroit on March 9. Tickets are now on sale. The band's itinerary always builds as the tour draws nearer, so make sure you log onto sawdoctors.com for all the latest information.