On the last night of January, the staff of OffBeat and a thousand or so of our closest friends from the music industry gathered at the House of Blues for the first annual "Best of the Beat" Music Awards Gala. As with OffBeat Christmas parties of the past, the event gave people from all segments and genres of the local music community - both musicians and behind-the-scene players -- the chance to meet and mingle while sampling food from some of the area's finest restaurants. As an added bonus,...