SFR Picks—Week of Feb. 12

The Other VD

Valentine's Day isn't just for lovers—it's for partiers 

We've always secretly hoped people would ditch the ancient Valentine's Day ideals wherein dumb chocolates and toys are given and monogamous lovers share a smooch on the ferris wheel as it stops at its highest point, bright lights twinkling below and a city that seems to clap for the couples of the world.

Barf.

Instead, maybe just share a party with friends and lovers and whoever the heck else, and keep the train moving from venue to venue as you damn well please.

Start early, with the Alas de Agua Art Collective's Poetry of the People event at the org's new Southside space (5 pm. Free. 1520 Center Drive #2). Poet Fatima reads from a stash of gorgeous words. The Santa Fe Brewing Co. (37 Fire Place, 424-3333) has some good ones, too, with two shows; a free one at 5:30 pm (The Big Heart Trio and its folky goodness), and another, decidedly punker/more metal one at 7 pm at The Bridge (Blackhearts Social Club with The Illegal Aliens, The Blackout Pictures and Sabbath; also free).

That's also a bit of a tough call, though, because over at Second Street Brewery's Rufina Taproom (2920 Rufina St., 954-4068), there's another free 7 pm show with indie acts Holy Garden District and Born Twins plus surf punkers The Batrays. Plus, at 8 pm, Albuquerque rock quartet Red Light Cameras takes over Meow Wolf (1352 Rufina Circle, 395-6369; $16) for the bazzillionth time—we just mean they're popular, so relax.

You can even get pretty sexy with Desert Dogs Brewery and Cidery's Valentine's Day Foreplay (8:00 pm. $5. 112 W San Francisco St., Ste. 307, 983-0134), an evening of burlesque that's bound to be super-hot.

If DJs are more your thing, DJ D-Monic takes over the boom-baps and dunce-dunce-dunce at Boxcar (10 pm. Free. 530 S Guadalupe St., 988-7222) and VDJ Dany and DJ 12 Tribe bring Latin hip-hop, Top 40, reggaeton, EDM and more to the fine dancers of Buffalo Thunder (20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, 455-5555).

And that's no counting the restaurants, drink specials, private parties and all-around not-some-dumb-movie-version of romance events and happenings going down. Take some damn pressure off. Have a drink (if you want). Look deep into their eyes and be like, "I bet I love you." (Alex De Vore)

Valentine's Day in Santa Fe:
Various locations, visit sfreporter.com/cal for more info

Science Fiction (Oooh, oooh, oooh) Double Feature

The enduring life of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is almost undoubtably in its embracing of camp, pageantry and audience participation. Ditto the world of drag, which relies on creating so much over-the-top fun for participants that pretty much anyone with a soul can find a reason to love good drag. But what if both combined—and we mean in a way bigger than just the whole Tim Curry thing—to become one glorious show? That "what if" is now a "when." See, Albuquerque drag troupe Saint's Ball (they're amazing, by the way) has seen fit to throw together a drag show to play out during a screening of Rocky Horror. It basically takes the cult classic to new levels of radness—so bring your toast, squirt guns, rubber gloves, et al, and go wild. (ADV)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show featuring Saint's Ball:
8 pm Thursday Feb. 13. $17.
Meow Wolf,
1352 Rufina Cricle,
395-6369.

From Sea to Sea, Turtle Island Will Be Free

Too many of y'all in this town claim to love Indigenous art, yet the art that's most revered often reinforces colonial narratives about Indigenous people, and that's real shitty. When Diné artist Remy painted a mural depicting violence against Palestinians, your first reaction could have been, "What a great opportunity to practice empathy and solidarity with Indigenous folks and anti-colonial struggles worldwide," but instead, you called the cops at the H-Board. Yeah… that's not gonna fly. There's a rally at the mural location this Saturday to show community support for the artist and for Indigenous self-determination. If you took issue with the first mural, lemme just say… there's a ton more art coming.

Resist, My People, Resist Them:
1 pm Saturday, Feb. 15. Free.
Corner of Old Pecos Trail and Camino Lejo;
therednation.org

Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You (To Walk This Labyrinth)

My natal moon's in Sagittarius, which means I deal with emotional intensity by running away (or maybe I just have bad coping skills?). Since I discovered labyrinths about five years ago, though, I've been able to channel this tendency to flee into a much more introspective practice, and there's a huge community of labyrinthers here in Santa Fe, known as the Labyrinth Resource Group, who build and use the mazes for meditation. This Sunday, a group of folks are getting together to walk the labyrinth in the Railyard, with the intention of centering the heart. If you're nursing some post-V Day heartbreak or just need to organize your thoughts, throw your feelings into the center of the labyrinth and walk around 'em for a while.

Heart Centered Labyrinth Walk:
2pm Sunday, Feb. 16. Free.
Railyard Park,
740 Cerrillos Road.