When February comes around, bazillions of people across the globe are forced to recall how lonely they are.

Thank god for music—if anyone feels your pain, it’s musicians.

Joe Ray Sandoval and Dynamite Sol are branching out from their popular Reggae Party with Alchemy, a new event at Milagro 139. Starting Feb. 5, and every Friday thereafter, Milagro plays the host to what is bound to become Santa Fe’s next dance destination.

Santa Feans did their part at the Have a Heart For Haiti benefit show on Jan. 20 at Cowgirl. A who’s who of Santa Fe’s best musicians donated time and music in order to raise money for the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Crowds, the likes of which are rarely seen in this town, poured into Cowgirl and opened their wallets for the victims of the quake, donating more than $3,200.

Since it opened its Second Street location in 2002, Backroad has quietly been putting on some of the best shows in town. Musicians like indie-queen Mirah, rapper $amwise, my arch nemesis Casiotone For the Painfully Alone and even yours truly have rocked the pizza joint. But the regular bluegrass jam is something special.

If you’re a regular at The Matador, you’ve probably seen Johnny Pink, Santa Fe’s only greaser, sporting tattooed arms, a leather jacket and one hell of a pompadour. Pink works the bar during its daytime coffee shop hours and often works the door at night.

My friends and I attended a recent punk show benefitting Youth Shelters. The cause was just and the bill was promising. All was not well, however.

Love me or hate me, I’ll be with you in the new year to help you navigate the ups and downs of the scene—and surely to prove my self-worth. Looking back over 2009, I was left with several lasting impressions of Santa Fe and its music scene.

Yes, it’s winter and yes, it’s cold. However, a good number of us live through this year after year—it’s no reason to lock yourself in your house until March. In the List of Ways to Keep Warm, dancing ranks high—right after you-know-what. As it happens, Corazón has two new recurring dance events, so put on your jacket and head on over.

  Call me crazy, but I think music has gotten super strange in some areas. Back in the day, it used to be about how often your band toured and how good your songs were, not how many hits you have on YouTube. Allow me to break down the biggest problems facing music today.

I wasn’t looking for a show to review, or to even leave my house. Eventually, though, cabin fever set in. I found myself champing at the bit to venture into the world and, for the first time in a while, drink some beers. My travels were cold and I was moments away from throwing in the towel when I stopped by Cowgirl and, by chance, caught a band I’ve been meaning to see for a while.