I’ve always been fascinated with those “laid end to end” factoids, like how it would take almost 7,600 nickels (or $3,795.60) to reach a mile. That’s the sort of thing that was running through my mind when putting together the HPMA ballot last week — that laid end to end, this ballot would probably make a really long list. It also made me think about how many of the four million people in the Houston area might be totally unfamiliar with our nominees, even moreso after someone Facebooked a comment Monday to the effect of, “I’ve never heard of any of these people.”

In some respects, that’s kind of the point. Every year during the awards cycle, we certainly encourage our readers to vote for their favorites, but we also hope they’ll spend some time discovering some of the many local acts they may be hearing about for the first time. So in that spirit, I looked up all 200 artists (give or take) who have been nominated for HPMAs this year, and — except for a handful who are really, really off the grid — have linked here to their social-media sites or, even better, Reverbnation, Bandcamp or Soundcloud pages. Start listening; there’s a lot of music out there. And then please vote for what you like.

Brad Absher & Swamp Royale: Soul/Funk/R&B
A Fistful of Soul: DJ Night 
American Fangs: Rock; Male Vocals (Gabe Cavazos)
Another Run: Rock; Bassist (Bob Lane)
A Really Kool Party: DJ Night
A Sundae Drive: Alternative
Back to Back: Punk
Jerome Batiste & the ZydeKo Players: Zydeco
Bri Bagwell: Country
BeatKing: Rap Video (“Stopped”); Rap Song (“Stand Behind Her” feat. DJ Chose; “Like a Pimp” feat. Gangsta Boo & Lil Flip); Best Rap Album/Tape (w/Gangsta Boo, Underground Cassette Tape); Rap Act; Producer
Beetle: Cover/Tribute
Biz Vicious: Rap Act
B L A C K I E: Experimental/Noise; Songwriter; Live Act; Local Musician of the Year; Local Recording (Imagine Yourself In a Free and Natural World)
Black Kite: Alternative; New Act
BLSHS: Pop; Other Instrument (Rick Carruth, beats); Female Vocals (Michelle Miers); Live Act
Bombon: Latin
Jewel Brown: Female Vocals; Local Recording (Roller Coaster Boogie)
Buxton: Roots, Bassist (Chris Wise); Male Vocals (Sergio Trevino); Songwriter (Trevino); Local Song (“Miss Catalina 1992”); Local Recording (Half a Native)
Camera Cult: Pop; New Act
Catch Fever: Alternative
Cassette Tape: Reggae/Ska
Cavern Hymnal: Roots
Annika Chambers: Blues
Gracie Chavez: Dance
Kristal Cherelle: Music Video (“Only Love”); Local Song (same)
Chedda Da Connect: Rap Video (“Flicka da Wrist”); Rap Song (same); Rap Act
C.J. Chenier: Zydeco
Children of Pop: Pop; Local Song (“Jealous Lover”)
Noah Clough: Producer (also as Josiah Gabriel)
Keeton Coffman: Songwriter
Shellee Coley: Songwriter
Cop Warmth: Experimental/Noise
Henry Darragh Sextet: Jazz; Keyboards (Darragh); Male Vocals (Darragh)
Days N Daze: Punk; Local Song (“Self Destructive Anthem”)
D-Boss: Rap Video (“Big Ballin' 2K14” feat. Slim Thug, Paul Wall & M.U.G.); Rap Song (same)
D.D.A.: Experimental/Noise
Deadhorse: Metal
Dead Rabbits: Punk; Other Instrument (Josh Raught, mandolin; Micah Raught, banjo)
Deep Cvts: Pop
Def Perception: Rap Act
Rich DelGrosso & Jonn Del Toro Richardson: Blues; Other Instrument (DelGrosso, mandolin); Guitarist (Richardson)
Delorean: Best Rap Album/Tape (Look Alive); Rap Act
Desecrate the Faith: Metal
Devil Killing Moth: Alternative; Guitarist (Anton de Guzman)
Die Young (TX): Punk
Disco Expressions: Cover/Tribute
Disfrutalo: Bassist (Rolando Fontalvo)
DJ Chose: Rap Video (“Everywhere I Go” feat. MC Beezy); Rap Song (same)
DJ Sun: Dance
Doeman: Best Rap Album/Tape (Stereotypes)
Jordan “Chili Sauce” Donald: Best Horns (saxophone)
Doughbeezy: Rap Video (“I'm From Texas”)
Kelly Doyle Trio: Jazz; Guitarist (Doyle)
Dress Code: Punk
Josh Dupont: Dance
John Egan: Blues; Guitarist
Electric Attitude: Soul/Funk/R&B; Horns (James Murphy, saxophone); Live Act
Elyze: Latin
Espantapajaros: Latin
The Fab 5: Cover/Tribute
Fat Tony: Music Video (“H-Town to L.A.”)
Fiddle Witch & the Demons of Doom: Bassist (Geoffrey Muller), New Act
Folk Family Revival: Roots; Local Song (“If It Don’t Kill You”); Local Recording (Water Walker)
football, etc.: Alternative
Fox & Cats: Rock
Free Radicals: Jazz; Horns
FLCON FCKER: Experimental/Noise
Fuska: Reggae/Ska; Keyboards (Richard Molina)
Future Blondes: Experimental/Noise
Funeral Horse: Metal
Grady Gaines: Horns (saxophone)
Nick Gaitan & the Umbrella Man: Roots; Other Instrument (Roberto Rodriguez, accordion); Bassist (Gaitan)
Ganesha: Rock, Guitarist (Ricky Dee), Male Vocals (Dee) http://artistecard.com/ganesha
George West: Experimental/Noise; Dance; Local Musician of the Year (Vik Montemayor)
Giant Kitty: Punk
Gio Chamba: Latin; Dance; Live Act; Local Musician of the Year
Glass the Sky: Pop
Goombotic: Dance
Grand Old Grizzly: Roots
Diunna Greenleaf: Blues
Nick Greer & the G's: Soul/Funk/R&B; Keyboards (Greer); Songwriter (Greer)
Gritsy: DJ Night
The Grizzly Band: Male Vocals (Chad Grizzly)
Guilla: Best Rap Album/Tape (Rap, Trap & Drums); New Act
Tianna Hall & the Houston Jazz Band: Jazz
Chase Hamblin & the Roustabouts: Pop; Male Vocals (Hamblin)
Matt Harlan: Roots
Hearts of Animals: Alternative; Songwriter (Mlee Marie Mains); Local Musician of the Year (Mains); Music Video (“Sea Babies”); Local Song (“Jesus Drug”); Local Recording (Another Mutation)
Hiram: Dance
Dante Higgins: Best Rap Album/Tape (Good Forever)
The H.U.E.: Soul/Funk/R&B
Idginis: Reggae/Ska
Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers: Zydeco
Davin James: Country
Brittany Johnson (Blaggards): Other Instrument (fiddle)
Arabella Jones: Country
Mark Jones & Twenty Paces: Country
Junior Gordon Band: Country
Keyun & the Zydeco Masters: Zydeco
Kinda Super Disco: DJ Night
Knights of the Fire Kingdom: Music Video (“Church of the Retarded”)
Kult Dizney: New Act
Le$: Best Rap Album/Tape (Steak X Shrimp vol.1); Rap Act
Libby Koch: Roots
La Orquesta Salmerum: Latin
La Sien: Latin
Lee-Lonn: Soul/Funk/R&B; Male Vocals
Linus Pauling Quartet: Metal
Los Skarnales: Latin; Live Act
Lost Element: Male Vocals (Omar Lopez)
Love Dominique: Soul/Funk/R&B; Female Vocals; Local Musician of the Year
Luther & the Healers: Blues
Maxo Kream: Rap Song (“Cell Boomin'”)
MFAH Mixed Media: DJ Night
Wolf Michels: Producer
The Mighty Orq: Blues
Mikey & the Drags: Rock
Moji: Soul/Funk/R&B; Female Vocals (Moji Abiola); New Act
Marzi Montazeri: Guitarist
Ruben Moreno & the Zydeco Revolution: Zydeco; Other Instrument (Moreno, accordion)
New York City Queens: Pop; Live Act
Nine Minutes: Metal
The Nirvana Experience: Cover/Tribute
No Refund Band: Soul/Funk/R&B
Oceans of Slumber: Metal; Keyboards (Beau Beasley); Drummer (Dobber Beverley); Female Vocals (Cammie Gilbert); Live Act; Local Musician of the Year (Beverley); Music Video (“Solitude (Candlemass)”)
Omotai: Metal; Bassist (Melissa Lonchambon Ryan)
Onehunnidt: Rap Song (“Screw Culture” feat. E.S.G. & Bee Honey); Best Rap Album/Tape (Field Sobriety); Rap Act
Only Beast: Alternative, Drummer (John Salinas); Female Vocals (Danielle Renee)
Outside at Night: New Act
Alicia Pattillo: Jazz (Alicia's Quartet); Horns (saxophone); Local Musician of the Year
J. Paul Jr. & the Zydeco Nu-Breeds: Zydeco
Picture Book: Cover/Tribute
Pleasure 2: Experimental/Noise
P.L.X.T.X.: Experimental/Noise
Project Armageddon: Metal; Female Vocals (Doomstress Alexis)
Pulse Rate Zero: Rock
PuraPharm: Alternative; Female Vocals (Tessa Kole)
Quiet Morning & the Calamity: Roots
Rads Krusaders 2.0: Jazz
Reverberations: DJ Night
Chris Rockaway: Producer
Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws: Zydeco
Rome Hero Foxes: Rock
Runaway Sun: Blues; Music Video (“Bad Bad Man”)
Fred Rusk & the Zydeco Hi-Steppers: Zydeco
Rusted Avenue: Blues; New Act
Mary Sarah: Country; Female Vocals
Sauce Twinz: Rap Album/Tape (In Sauce We Trust); Rap Act; New Act; Local Musician of the Year
Sauce Walka: Rap Video (“No Features”); Rap Song (“2 Legited” feat. Flame)
Say Girl Say: Alternative; Local Song (“What’s That Sound?”); Local Recording (Say Girl Say)
Second Lovers: Roots
Skatastrophics: Reggae/Ska
Some Nerve: Punk; Local Song (“Texas Massacre”)
The Suffers: Soul/Funk/R&B; Horns; Keyboards (Patrick Kelly); Drummer (Nick Zamora); Female Vocals (Kam Franklin); Songwriter; Live Act; Local Musician of the Year (Franklin); Music Video (“Make Some Room”); Local Song (“Gwan”); Local Recording (Make Some Room)
Surain: Dance
The Suspects: Reggae/Ska; Horns
Mike Stinson: Country; Songwriter
Sunrise and Ammunition: Rock; Guitarist (Tyler Saucier)
Talk Sick Brats: Punk
Telephantom: New Act
thelastplaceyoulook: Drummer (Mikey Garcia); Male Vocals (Nava); Live Act
T.H.E.M.: Rap Video (“Shaolin Blow”); Rap Album/Tape (Nonpareil); Rap Act
Thrill: Cover/Tribute
The Tontons: Guitarist (Andrew Lee); Female Vocals (Asli Omar); Music Video (“Pony”)
Tooloji: Cover/Tribute
Two Star Symphony: Experimental/Noise; Other Instrument (strings); Local Recording (Seven Deadly Sins)
T-Wayne: Rap Song (“Nasty Freestyle”)
Tydings: Reggae/Ska
Underworld: DJ Night
United Races: Punk
-Us.: Dance
Weezhur: Cover/Tribute
We Were Wolves: Rock; Drummer (Zach Elizondo)
Woody Witt/Mike Wheeler Quartet: Jazz; Horns (Witt, saxophone); Guitarist (Wheeler), Drummer (Sebastian Whittaker)
Wrestlers: Dance
Vanilla Sugar: Alternative
Justin Van Sant: Country
The Velostacks: Punk
Venomous Maximus: Metal; Male Vocals (Gregg Higgins); Local Recording (Firewalker)
Versa Nova: Metal
The Wheel Workers: Other Instrument (Allison W. MacPhail, theremin); Keyboards (Craig Wilkins); Songwriter (Steven Higginbotham); Live Act; Local Musician of the Year (Higginbotham); Music Video (“Yodel”); Local Song (same); Local Recording (Citizens)
Wild Moccasins: Pop; Guitarist (Andrew Lee)
Roosh Williams: Rap Act; Local Musician of the Year
Dan Workman: Producer
George Young: Rap Song (“Phat Beach”); Rap Album/Tape (Ventage)
Yellowjackets: Drummer (Will Kennedy)
Young Mammals: Rock
Zenteno Spirit: Latin
Zydeco Dots: Zydeco