"There's nothing to do in Santa Fe." It's a battle cry that made sense once upon a time but, in recent years, has become downright preposterous. Downtown venues chug along as they always have (it goes in cycles, folks), wooing partiers and music fans of various musical and event faiths and, thanks to the stalwart efforts of the young-ish, midtown and the Southside have become burgeoning artistic hubs in their own rights. Winter, of course, still comes with Santa Fe's trademarked doldrums—but even then, our nightlife manages to wrest out fun goings-on. In other words, we're straight hoppin' these days.
Downtown
With venues like The Underground (200 W San Francisco St.) bringing punk, rock and metal shows to town regularly, standbys like Cowgirl (319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565) and Evangelo's (200 W San Francisco St., 982-9014) hosting bar bands (read: rockin' blues, Americana and its ilk) and promoters like AMP Concerts (ampconcerts.org) taking over the Railyard with free movie and music nights in the summer, downtown Santa Fe is as good as it's ever been. "Each business has their own thing to offer," Skylight (139 W San Francisco St., 982-0775) co-owner Kate Kennedy tells SFR. "Depending on the night, someone who is willing and able to hop around can have a very diverse and fun nightlife experience."
Kennedy explains that Skylight has adapted to a fluctuating market by transforming its upstairs space, Skylab, into a pool hall called The Corner Pocket and by adapting the overall business plan for the main stage room. These days Skylight functions as a nightclub from 10 pm-2 am Thursday through Saturday, but as a restaurant and entertainment venue the rest of the time. It's not uncommon to see anything from rock bands and house DJs to drag shows and standup comedy sets in a single week at Skylight. They've also welcomed celebrated flamenco acts, big-name touring bands and more. Still, Kennedy sees the spreading out of nightlife as an overall positive for the community.
"A lot of the focus and activity has gravitated toward the Rufina Arts District and the Southside for a good reason," she says. "The new venues that have opened in the last couple years have brought a lot of life to those neighborhoods and commercial districts; they have provided the customer base and entertainment in Santa Fe great options when it comes to going out."
Midtown
One such Rufina-area venue is, of course, Meow Wolf (1352 Rufina Circle, 395-6369), the sprawling perma-installation that jumpstarted Santa Fe's renewed love affair with the Siler Road area when it opened in 2016. In addition to MW's audio-visual arts aesthetic, it has a built-in music venue which, in a relatively short timespan, has hosted the likes of Sage Francis, Angel Olsen, Jonathan Richman, DJ Tennis and local acts such as Detroit Lightning, Hedonism Bot and others. "The energy centered around performances in our space is always high," MW employee Alison Gamache tells us. "People are excited to perform, and we are equally excited to have them. The vibe is just exceptional."
Just around the corner you'll find Duel Brewing (1228 Parkway Drive, 474-5301), one of the first businesses to provide service-based options in the Siler area. With a handful of home-brewed Belgian beer choices and a sandwich with waffles instead of bread, they've also been known to host music in the rock and Americana genres.
Midtown+
Nearby, Second Street Brewery (2920 Rufina St., 982-3030) recently opened a third location in Santa Fe with a more focused emphasis on live music than their previous spaces (Original, 1814 Second St., 982-3030 and Railyard, 1607 Paseo de Peralta, 989-3278). The newest iteration houses an honest-to-goodness stage, and with promotions being handled by local musician/Matron Records founder Eliza Lutz, we're forecasting less Americana-in-the-corner and more rock and effing roll.
"Santa Fe is straight killing it but, truly, we always have been," says Lutz. "There has never been a lack of talented musicians, but rather a lack of spaces to hold them." No specific plans have been laid out for programming just yet, but Lutz' promotions work in other local venues is a proven track record of unique yet accessible shows from bands near and far. Stay tuned for more.
Southside
Things get a little more DIY the further south you go, but if you've ever asked yourself whether attending a show at spaces like The Cave (1226 Calle de Comercio) or Zephyr Community Art Studio (1520 Center Drive, Ste. 2) is worth it, the resounding answer is a big fat yes.
"We love being a community space that anyone can engage with, and we continue to be an open collaboration," Zephyr co-founder Alysha Shaw says. "One of the beautiful things I love about DIY is the inclusivity and ease with which we can collaborate and make things happen." Totally. This basically means that if you've got a great idea for a visual arts show or your friends in some faraway band want to come to town, this is how you make it happen.
And all the rest
Of course, this merely scratches the surface, and part of working out a positive nightlife experience is sussing out and curating your own good time. SFR will obviously be around with our trusty culture calendar and coverage of the local scene, but even just a cursory glance through this piece should prove a veritable cornucopia of options. Get partying, everyone … get partying.
A week's worth of tips
Obviously we can't decide for you, but here's a brief overview of ongoing events that may just kickstart your nightlife fun.
Mondays @ 9 pm
Karaoke at the Cowgirl with Michéle is so beloved, it's been on the docket since the dawn of time. Or, y'know, that last decade-plus.
Tuesdays @ 8 pm
For a mix of tapas and wines both fine and affordable, El Mesón (213 Washington Ave., 983-6756) offers a weekly tango milonga on Tuesdays since ... well, since the dawn of time really. Beginning dancers and veterans frequent the event, so it doesn't matter where your skills fall on the tango spectrum, you'll fit in just fine.
Wednesdays @ 6:30 pm
Swing Night at Skylight comes with a lesson for those who don't already know the moves, and then a good old-fashioned swingin' time afterwards.
WEDNESdays @ 8 pm
Hump day is so fun we picked two recurring events. Geeks Who Drink at Second Street Brewery in the Railyard is not just for pop culture nerds, it's for everyone. Form a team!
Fridays @ 7:30 pm
The Three Faces of Jazz bring in special guests for classy Friday nights at El Mesón.
Saturdays @ 9 pm
If Monday didn't slake your karaoke thirst, Tiny's (1005 S St. Francis Drive, 983-9817) has one of the most popular weekly karaoke-offs in town.
Sundays @ 6 pm
Mellow out at La Boca (72 W Marcy St., 982-3433) with tapas and Nacha Mendez' smooth Latin vocals and guitar. And sangria, if you swing that way.
