Valentine's Day is coming up this Thursday, and there are quite a few musical ways to celebrate with your sweetheart. Of course, V-Day isn't for everyone—so if you're avoiding pink hearts and boxes of chocolate like the plague this week, I've also included a few eardrum-blowing punk and hardcore options. Take your pick. And most shows are either free or under $15.

As always, you can find more suggestions over on the Current's event calendar.

Monday, February 11

Dead Man Winter

Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis

7:30, $15, 18+

Dave Simonett will take advantage of a lull in touring with Trampled by Turtles to play a show with his too-good-to-be-just-a-side project band, Dead Man Winter. The 4onthefloor's frontman Gabe Douglas will open with a solo set.

Brain Tumors

Memory Lanes, Minneapolis

10 p.m., free, 21+

One of the Twin Cities' hardest-touring thrash metal bands returns home to headline punk rock bowling at Memory Lanes. If you've never been to one of these nights, it's well worth checking out—the stage is set up right over the middle section of bowling lanes, and fans can bowl on either side of the bands as they play. Plus? It's always free. Tonight's bill also includes Total Trash, A**-Bastards of Mordor, and Bangkok Twins.

Tuesday, February 12

Fat Tuesday with the Jack Brass Band

Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul

9 p.m., free, 21+

What better way to ring in Fat Tuesday than with the Twin Cities' only New Orleans-style brass band? This Mardi Gras celebration will include a crawfish boil and warm-up music from the McNasty Brass Band.

The Chord and the Fawn

331 Club, Minneapolis

10 p.m., free, 21+

Folk-pop group the Chord and the Fawn return to the 331 for their second of four Tuesday-night gigs this month, this time with openers Andrew Jay and the Lost Forty in tow.

The Magnolias and the Pinsch (opening for Paul Collins' Beat)

Turf Club, St. Paul

8 p.m., $8, 21+

Not only is this show a chance to catch Paul Collins (formerly of pioneering power-pop band the Nerves) revive old songs and explore new material with his group the Beat, but it's also an opportunity to catch pioneering Minneapolis rock vets the Magnolias and spunky new punk band the Pinsch. DJs Jazzed Up and Bonkers will be spinning power-pop records throughout the night.

Wednesday, February 13

We Are the Willows

331 Club, Minneapolis

9:30 p.m., free, 21+

Like a kite wafting in the breeze, Peter Michael Miller's otherworldly voice flies high above the treetops as he sings songs about love and loss. There's a reason why I catch We Are the Willows live every chance I get; their songs just don't sound much like anything else happening in folk music right now.

Thursday, February 14

Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles and Big Trouble

Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis

7 p.m., $14 adv/$16 door, all ages

Now a yearly tradition, Lucy Michelle and Big Trouble return to the Cedar for their Valentine's Day extravaganza. This time around, they'll perform a "live mixtape" of love songs; Side A will feature Big Trouble with guests like deVon Gray, David Campbell, Matt Latterell, and Brian Just, and Side B will find Michelle and her Velvet Lapelles playing a selection of their favorite romantic tunes. Additionally, the musicians are asking fans to bring their own mixtapes to swap with one another at the show, and will have a table for dropping off and picking up homemade mixes.

Broken Bicycles EP-Release Show

Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis

8:30 p.m., free, 21+

Formerly a more roots-oriented folk group, Broken Bicycles have re-emerged with a poppy new indie rock aesthetic for their latest EP, Physics of Sound. What a difference an electric guitar can make. They'll celebrate the release of the new EP at the Kitty Cat with support from Exiles, 10,000 Blades, and the Persian Leaps.

Anonymous Choir

Icehouse, Minneapolis

10:30 p.m., $5, 21+

Join Nona Marie Invie's all-female choir and cover band the Ventures for a night of classic soul tunes. As the Facebook event promises, "It's gonna be such a classy night."

Friday, February 15

Usonia Album-Release Show

7th St. Entry, Minneapolis

8 p.m., $8 adv/$10 door, 18+

Funky, fun-loving indie-pop band Usonia celebrate the release of their new full-length, What's Fresh. Also on the bill is Golden Bubbles and the Envy Corps.

Breakfast Anytime EP-Release Show

Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis

Throwback synth-pop act Breakfast Anytime will release their debut self-titled EP with support from Vague-a-Bonde, the Trends, and Apparition.

Saturday, February 16

Xavier Marquis

Triple Rock, Minneapolis

8 p.m., $10, 18+

A solid bill from start to finish, two runners-up in last year's Are You Local? best-new-band contest—hip-hop and pop artist Xavier Marquis and the recently reconfigured Japhies—will perform alongside inventive soul and funk act MUNQS and rapper Dem Atlas.

Up, Up, Up: A Concert for Zach Sobiech

Varsity Theater, Minneapolis

6 p.m., $10 adv/$15 door, all ages

Lakeland, Minn. 17-year-old Zach Sobiech has made headlines nationwide for his heart-wrenching yet inspiring story, and was even flown to New York City recently to sign with BMI. At this hometown show, dozens of musicians will rally around Zach and help raise money for research into his rare form of cancer, including Kevin Bowe (with guests Alison Scott, Chris Koza, Gabriel Douglas, Molly Maher, and Eric Koskinen), Apollo Cobra, Squares, Swedish Revival, and more. Sobiech himself will perform, and the night will also coincide with the release of his new EP, Fix Me Up.

Buildings

Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis

10 p.m., $5, 21+

Powerful noise rock trio Buildings will take a break from their relentless tour schedule to headline a hometown show, with support from Hot Rash and Total Trash.