Forget about Macklemore, this past school year has brought some seriously talented musicians our way. Sure, most of them didn’t play Matthew Knight Arena, but they rocked sweaty, sold-out crowds at the McDonald Theatre and the WOW Hall.

But it’s tough to reflect on an entire year’s worth of music considering how varied everyone’s tastes are. Regardless, there were a few stand out shows that truly brought something special to Eugene these past few months.

To start the summer off right, Pretty Lights and Emancipator rocked the Cuthbert Amphitheater just a few weeks before the school year kicked off. But of course with Eugene’s sound curfews, the show ended right before midnight. But hey, it was a great show nonetheless. The Cuthbert also played host to the Shins, Tegan and Sara and Typhoon. In October, the venue hosted a questionably scheduled and very cold Dirty South event.

In October, Big Gigantic, Griz and Figure nearly brought the McDonald Theatre to the ground with one of the most impressive live electronic music performances touring the country these days. Complete with drums and saxophone, Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken took control over the night and turned the McDonald Theatre into a massive sweat box.

The winter months were fairly dry with music, but that’s not to say that local artists weren’t rocking the house around town. Halloween night saw Medium Troy’s party at the WOW Hall with Acorn Project and the always stellar Hamilton Beach opening. In January, Hamilton Beach was invited to play Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Definitely be keeping tabs on the local music pulse in the coming months and years because there is some serious young talent in this community.

In March, STS9 kicked off their national tour in Portland and then made their way down to Eugene via Seattle. For being only the third show on a tour that spanned then entire United States, Sound Tribe threw down one of the best shows Eugene has seen in my four years in Eugene. And later that month, Umphrey’s McGee rocked the McDonald Theatre on a Friday night in a truly exceptional way. The band catered to both long-time die-hard fans and new fans alike. The McDonald offered up a great selection of jam bands to enjoy this spring and for that we should all be thankful.

Also let’s not forget about Empancipator, Little People and Odesza at the WOW Hall. It was a night of forward-thinking electronic music, something that the Eugene music scene should start embracing more and more rather than the simplistic and frankly, boring electronic music that’s taking hold of popular culture.

KWVA hosted its first annual Betterfest in May at the WOW Hall. With artists like the Helio Sequence, FUZZ and more, the WOW Hall was the place to be for three straight nights of new-age yet-to-be-discovered rock ‘n’ roll music. And the fun doesn’t stop there, with the advent of summer, music festivals and outdoor concerts are cropping across the state with some of the finest musicians offering up superb performances in some of the most beautiful venues that Oregon has to offer.

So be on the lookout for your favorite artists making stops in the Northwest this summer because there will be plenty of music to hold you over until next year in Eugene.