Forget the Academy Awards, or the Grammys, or, heck, even the Tonys. Below, you’ll find The Santa Barbara Independent’s all-inclusive guide to the events, artists, and creations that swept us off our feet in 2011. As in years past, we’ve collected highlights from editors, staff writers, and contributors, and the results are as vast and varied as ever. Here, you’ll find everything from dazzling visual exhibits and adorable kids’ books to off-the-charts live concerts and shouldn’t-be-missed movies, all of which graced our streets, eyes, or ears in the past dozen months. We hope you’ll take it as a great excuse to look back, reminisce, and compile a list of your own, just in time for the New Year.
Aly Comingore, Pop Culture Editor
Best New Area Band: Ghost Tiger
Best New Album: Future Islands’ Smoke Ring for My Halo