The winner's envelopes are here and the room is starting to fill up as bands gather to find out who are the winners of this year's Houston Press Music Awards. Our staff has been milling around and have reported back to us these nuggest.

How was your showcase?

Ryan Gerth, A Dream Asleep: "Fantastic. We ended up blind drunk and had one of the best shows we've ever had -- a lot of people we'd never seen before. All in all, it was tits. Can't complain."

Chase Hamblin: "It was one of our best shows. Rebels has a very nice AC, so I was very pleased with that."

Robert Ellis "It was great. Awesome. People really liked it, and everyone was quiet. A lot of people from the showcase came out [to Walter's] that night."

Fat Tony, saving his words for the stage: "It was good."

Nick Cody, Wild Moccasins missed it. "I was really, really hung over-slash-wasted. I really fucked myself at Grand Prize and a CAM opening Friday night. I had a headache for 28 hours."

News:

Apparently Spin magazine is here doing some sort of story on Best Reggae/Dub nominees Idiginis.

Walter's is hosting a benefit Thursday, August 26, for Blake from Electric Attitude's sister, who was hit by a car leaving Pearl Bar two weeks ago and is still in critical condition. Electric Attitude, The Live Lights and Roky Moon & Bolt have confirmed, and Walter's Eric Dean says either the Sideshow Tramps or Spain Colored Orange will soon.

This is Los Skarnales' first time to perform at an HPMA ceremony. "I think they asked us if we could one other time, but we couldn't play," says singer Felipe Galvan. Skarnales release its newest CD, Dale Shine at Fitzgerald's next Friday, August 20.

Overheard:

"Are you in Staci's Edge?" "No."

"If you've got a white van parked out back, we need you to go move it"