We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we're sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. (And hey, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

Today's musical moments come from Jon AD, Gabe Vodicka, Matthew McLean, Nathan Walker, Zac Jacobson, Ross Beach, Neal Morgan, Saxon Baird, Zachary King, David Hutchinson, Sean Spellman, Jason Leonard, Nathan Jr., Mo Troper, Tracie Davis, Jason Leivian, Gavin Castleton, and Gina Altamura. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

Arkona at Hawthorne Theatre—I'm sure things would have been even better has it not been at the Hawthorne Theatre, and had been headlining, and thus not had to keep to a single short set. Masha, the vocalist, is like the female, Wolf Skin-wearing, pagan metal version of Bruce Dickinson at his greatest, and they didn't let the tiny (by metal standards) room or dodgy, feedback-generating PA get in the way one bit. I imagine there are a pile of Youtube videos up, if anyone maintained their composure enough to shoot one.
—Jon AD (Losonofono/LoDubs/Anthem Records)

Pickathon helped this southern boy fall in love with music—and mother nature—all over again.
—Gabe Vodicka (Portland Mercury)

The Shins at Doug Fir Lounge on August 10, 2011.
—Matthew McLean (Monqui)

Favorite moment of 2011 was hearing the haunting and gorgeous song "Tonight" by Sibylle Baier, thanks to my friends the Lightman twins from Tasseomancy. Either that or finally looking stubborn or old enough that when I say I'm supposed to on the list, door folks tend to believe me.
—Nathan Walker (Riot Act Media)

Favorite moment in TV in 2011:

The last few minutes of the last episode of Season 4 of Breaking Bad. The reveal is devastating. Oh, also the music video for Duck Sauce's song "Big Bad Wolf" is brilliant. Sorry, had to put that in there too.
—Zac Jacobson (Wax Fingers)

Favorite show: Man or Astroman? at Doug Fir, February 23rd, 2011.
—Ross Beach (PDX Pop Now!/Ross and the Hellpets)

It's a tie. My favorite new Portland artist Tonality Star was astonishingly good at the Alberta Street Pub in October. The Nurses record release performance in September was that rare treat when you see a band in truly top form.
—Neal Morgan (solo artist/Joanna Newsom/Bill Callahan)

Barrington Levy killin' it in NYC (I was really wasted).
—Saxon Baird (Prefix/Afropop Worldwide)

All of the Therapists' blacked out performances. Hard to just pick one. I expect that whole pigeon carcasses will make a return in 2012. Don't let me down boys.
—Zachary King (Garageland/Zach’s Books/Burning Yellows)

Harry K's Love Is Blind, Lingerie Is Braille .
—David Hutchinson (fuckbadmusic.com)

Getting lost at Pickathon.
—Sean Spellman (Quiet Life)

My favorite musical moment of this year was actually seeing Mavis Staples speak in the workshop barn at Pickathon. It was crazy packed and hot, and a friend and I were standing in the doorway for an hour waiting for it to start because there were no seats left. The porch outside was literally caving in outside and a staff lady kept coming around telling everyone there was no room and that we had to leave. And I kept telling her I wasn't leaving, that I just wanted to hear Mavis talk and then we were leaving the festival. She talked about growing up in the Civil Rights movement, singing the Gospel, and being in love with Bobby Dylan. It was a magical moment, and we ended up staying the rest of the night to see her perform. How could you not? She's a legend and lives up to the name.
—Jason Leonard (Loch Lomond)

Lewi Longmire album release, at The Woods. Not only is Lewi's record one of the best of the year, his live show is consistently fantastic. No one in town works harder or sounds better, and there are a bunch of us trying. He and Ned and Bill destroyed, DESTROYED, my power trio belief system, and this new Holy Trinity reattached my face in their image. The Left Coast Roasters... I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you.
—Nathan Jr. (Duover/Fruit Bats)

Concert highlights include: Randy Newman, Saves The Day and Weezer. Absolutely most surreal musical moment of 2011 was watching Typhoon (who along with Starfucker have become an "I saw them when" band) and Sallie Ford (I've had sparkling cider in her kitchen!!) perform on Letterman.
—Mo Troper (Your Rival)

As with listening to new material I’ve had little time to catch live acts either so my pic is a televised show… and it might have been the tryptophan or cheap Cook’s champagne but I was genuinely glued to A Very Lady Gaga Thanksgiving. Maybe I just appreciated her not "wearing" any of the meal. And Tony Bennett is still a rockstar.
—Tracie Davis (Rockshields)

Pulp reunion show at Primavera Sound (Barcelona). [LINK]
—Jason Leivian (Oregon Rocks!/LaVa/Floating World Comics)

**The morning of December 19, Jason quickly wrote back to add:**

oh shit hold the press
the (2nd) best show of 2011: Muscle Beach @Tonic Lounge, c. 12/18/11

Mr. Bungle vs. you're at a bar there's a dude in a wheelchair, pump him full of heroin, he gets on stage and is the lead vocalist of jesus lizard
no memory after that except awesome

Finally getting to see Van Hunt play (live at the Doug Fir).
—Gavin Castleton

James Blake dominates my romantic memory of musical moments this year.

I was so captivated watching him play in a chapel in Austin during SXSW, this fragile, soulful voice rising up from this boy who seemed too petrified to look at any of us. Then, I got to see him again this Fall, where—after nonstop touring—he joked and charmed us and seemed, finally, totally confident in his skin. That night, he did an absolutely arresting performance of his Joni Mitchell cover, "A Case of You."

To borrow from Roland Barthes, James Blake reminds us of the "grain" of the voice: "The 'grain' is the body in the voice as it sings... what I shall attempt to say of the 'grain' will, of course, be the impossible account of an individual thrill that I constantly experience in listening to singing."
—Gina Altamura (Holocene)