So I, along with a few hundred thousand New Orleanians, am still reeling from the Saints’ overtime victory against the Vikings Sunday in the NFC Championship… but I figured it’s time I get back into the Groove of things. Friday, January 22nd, Offbeat Magazine held their annual Best of the Beat Awards celebration at the House of Blues. Apart from the awards, the event also featured performances from some of New Orleans’ finest musicians including Galactic, Bonerama, Anders Osborne, MyNameIsJohnMichael, the Honey Island Swamp Band, DJ E.F. Cuttin, Shamarr Allen, Nova Nola, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, and the Panorama Jazz Band. Earlier in the week Offbeat began the festivities at Harrah’s Casino, awarding local icon Deacon John Moore with a Lifetime Achievement Award as well as handing out individual accolades and awards in music business. Big winners at this year's Best of the Beat included: the Honey Island Swamp Band (Best Blues Album, Best Emerging Artist), Theresa Andersson (Best Rock Performer, Best Violin/Fiddle player), Terence Blanchard (Best Contemporary Jazz Performer, Best Contemporary Jazz Album), Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet (Best Cajun Performer, Best Cajun Album), Terrence Simien (Best Zydeco Performer, Best Accordionist), Allen Toussaint (Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Traditional Jazz Album, Best Pianist), and Paul Sanchez and John Boutte (Best Country / Folk / Roots Album, Best Song, Best Songwriter *Sanchez, Best Male Vocalist *Boutte). Music studio The Music Shed also took home awards for Best Recording Studio and Music Business of the Year. For the full list of winners, see below…

Here’s a big announcement for all of you New Orleans music lovers… Yesterday, Offbeat magazine announced the nominees and opened voting for the Best of the Beat Awards. As the title would suggest, the annual showcase honors the best musicians in the Big Easy. This year’s show will be held at the House of Blues on Friday, January 22nd and will feature performances by Galactic, Bonerama, Anders Osborne, MyNameIsJohnMichael, the Honey Island Swamp Band, DJ E.F. Cuttin, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs, Nova Nola, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, and the Panorama Jazz Band. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, December 12th. Remember, voting is open to EVERYONE. There are nearly 40 categories that span the genres of blues, rock, funk, folk, hip-hop, jazz, Cajun, zydeco, and more. Also, you’ll find this a great opportunity to discover many incredible artists or catch up on what you may have missed out on in ’09. So, for now…  CLICK HERE to vote for your favorite New Orleans musicians.