2008 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

D.R.U.M. (4 p.m.)
Nominated in: Best World Music
www.myspace.com/drumtheband

D.R.U.M., which of course stands for "Divine Rhythm, United Motion," is about as entrenched in Houston as it gets. Formed as an Afro-percussion ensemble by leader Alaafia Ifalade in 1988 before expanding to its present configuration in 1991, the six-piece has taken its Afro-pop/reggae hybrid and ever-uplifting message to Asia, Europe and Central America, is a regular on the nationwide Bob Marley Fest circuit and, of course, was front and center at this year's Africa-themed iFest. With 12 HPMAs already under its belt, D.R.U.M. has one of the most crowded trophy cases in town. — C.G.

Miss Leslie (5 p.m.)
Nominated in: Best Miscellaneous Instrument (Leslie Sloan), Best Country
www.myspace.com/missleslieherjukejointers

Leslie Sloan possesses a classic honky-tonk voice that mesmerizes the ear and plucks the heartstrings. Whether it's barroom tonk or something that swings like Bob Wills, she and her cohorts bring to Houston stages some of the most legitimate country music being made anywhere today without any hint of retro or Nashville's by-the-numbers saccharine. Her new album, Between the Whiskey and the Wine, solidifies her position as Houston's honky-tonk queen, and her ace band the Juke Jointers keeps her on the throne. — W.M.S.

Pale (6 p.m.)
Nominated in: Best Songwriter (Calvin Stanley)
www.myspace.com/palerocks

Houston indie-electronica boys Pale can never be accused of humility. "There has never been a rock/alternative band to come out of Texas that matches our caliber," claims the band. For all its bravado, though, Pale just might be correct. Guided by Calvin Stanley's thoroughly honest lyricism, Pale has had critics besieging them with compliments since 2005's debut album Here. Perhaps more telling of Pale's impending stardom, however, is its lethal red-suit/black-tie combination. Has a band ever rocked that outfit and not won a Grammy? — S.S.

Tontons (7 p.m.)
Nominated in: Best Local Album (Sea and Stars EP), Best New Act, Best Female Vocalist (Asli Omar)
www.myspace.com/thetontons

Together less than a year, the Tontons have already invaded aural cavities and nestled comfortably in auditory synapses all over town. It's rare to find a band so young with such a focused and developed sound, but vocalist Asli Omar's knockout, seductive tone perfectly complements the quiet strength of the other three members' sturdy, psychedelic blues-rock. Besides, it's hard not to love a band that thinks the best song to ever come out of Houston is "Bootylicious." — B.B.Z.

Los Skarnales (8 p.m.)
Nominated in: Best Bassist (Shawn Supra), Best Punk, Best Rock en Español, Best Male Vocalist (Felipe Galvan)
www.myspace.com/skarnales

Felipe Galvan has put Los Skarnales back together again so many times we'd call them Humpty Dumpty — except they come out more like the Bionic Man: stronger each time. Galvan remains the most dynamic frontman on the Houston scene, a one-man cause of rock and roll pandemonium. With roots that mash up pachuco dancehall music, border-bar classics and brutal punk, Los Skarnales hits the stage like a roadside car bomb before they build to amazing finales. That's why it's been a Houston favorite for more than a decade, something not likely to change anytime soon. — W.M.S.

Thee Armada (9 p.m.)
Nominated in: Local Musician(s) of the Year, Best Local Song ("Rock, Shock, and Load"), Best Male Vocalist (Joshua Caddy, aka J-Cad)
www.myspace.com/theearmadamusic

We'll admit it: Before listening to Thee Armada, the cutesy quintet that gobbled up showcase nominations like little pop-rock marbles, we wanted to hate them. We had snide remarks all prepared and everything. We were gonna say how the only things more showy than their snappy drums were their neon T-shirts, and that the only part of them that looked well-rehearsed was their hair, and so on and so forth. But then we heard them, and wouldn't you know it, they were good. Damn good. But their shirts are still stupid. — S.S.

In 1983, Blade Runner came out on video, Martin Luther King Day became an official holiday and Albert Rowan became DJ Bizz (10:45 p.m.). It's hard to tell exactly which was history's greatest moment, but Mama Bizz's vote was easy to cast. "She saw all these news stories about kids breaking their necks while they were break-dancing and was like, 'What do I have to do to get you to stop dancing?'" her son says. "I said, 'Buy me some turntables.'" Deal — but all this year's Best DJ Nominees have similar stories. For example, we heard that Josh Dupont (1 a.m.) only sees in infrared like the Predator, and DJ Ceeplus Bad Knives (10 p.m.) used to go by "Ceeplus Good Knives" until a band of cannibals kidnapped his grandmother, prompting him to make a more intimidating name change. Naturally, we assume both of these to be true. Perhaps even more impressive, though, is what these vinyl magicians can do on the turntables. If previous years' line-ups were tough, this year's reads like a Houston-DJ version of Murderer's Row. Ceeplus starts off the Mosaic mix massacre, with Bizz (Pandora, Zeppelin, Open City) coming on behind him. DJ Red, two-time reigning HPMA winner, fills the 11:30 p.m. slot, while the incomparable DJ Jessica Lozano (Mosaic) utilizes the home-club advantage next (12:15 a.m.), and Dupont (Bar Rio, Mosaic, Davenport) shuts down the whole damn thing. Lame Movie Review Guy says: You might've paid $10 for a whole seat, but you're only gonna need the edge. — S.S.