BRANDON CHIZ and BEATIRZ E. VALENZUELA

January 30, 2008 - 3:21PM

Music lovers from across San Bernardino County will converge on the Riverside Municipal Auditorium tonight for the Fourth Annual Inland Empire Music Awards.

Among the 100 nominees are two High Desert bands, Waiting for Decay of Hesperia and Joe Kidd and the Gash of Apple Valley.

Dewayne Clifton of WFD, who took first place in the alternative category last year and will be performing live this year, is still excited and slightly incredulous of their success.

"The first time we sent our CD and then we found out we’d been nominated, we were like, oops," said Clifton.

Their band was nominated for Best Classic Rock.

WFD has also played local venues and won awards from RockCity News.

"We understand that if we want a lot, we have to give a lot." said Clifton.

"It’s about the songs, not about how much money the bands have for studio time," said Martin Brown, founder and producer of the IEMA.

Joe Kidd and the Gash has played various High Desert hot spots and recently took first place at fresh!fest and crowned the Best in the Desert.

"I’ve always thought we were a good alternative to a band," said Joe Kidd. "It seems like people don’t know what to make of our music. They like it but don’t know where to place us."

The IEMA will be presenting more than 20 awards all starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will include a compilation CD of the bands performing at the event. The Riverside Municipal Auditorium is located at 3485 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside.

For any additional information on the bands visit www.WaitingforDecay.com or MySpace.com/joekiddandthegash