February may be the shortest month of the year, but with Valentine’s Day smack dab in the middle, it’s still the most important when it comes to romance. Anyone wanting to get a head start on the lovers’ holiday, or simply wanting to have a romantic evening that goes beyond the traditional band-and-a-snack outing will want to check out the “Electric Love” event being held on Friday, Feb. 3 at Electric Ladyland in Ocean Beach. The night promises to be feast for the eyes and ears. Hosted by Middle Eastern-influenced trio and dancers Danyavaad and the Shimmy Sisters, there will be “Love potions” by Hugh T. Alchemy, tarot-card readings, art on display from local artists, including Adelaide, Jon Sprague and Duckman, as well as sweet bites provided by the folks from Plant Powered Living. With Danyavaad providing the soundtrack, in addition to The Shimmy Sisters, on hand will be Hoop Charmer “The Love Blaster,” aerial artist Tammy Firefly, acrobat David Booker and fire dancer Anja Indirani. The event culminates with an open jam. Guests are welcome to bring instruments and participate, but Danyavaad guitarist/sitarist Greg Vaughn has stocked the session with well-known local musicians, including Krista Richards (Stone Train), Santiago Orozco (Todo Mundo) and Zoe Tantrum (London Below). “This is going to be a full-sensory event,” said Vaughn. “Usually when people see us for the first time, they’re pretty blown away. If they’ve never really seen belly dancing with live music before, then their minds are totally blown. It’s almost too much to process, because they can’t relate it to anything.” The group plays largely original music from their 2008 album, “March of the Gypsies,” with a new disc in the process of being recorded, but it has been known to include some off-the-wall song choices in its sets as well. “Most of the songs we do are not very obvious, just something that works well in a belly-dance setting,” he said. Vaughn said Nirvana’s “All Apologies” and “Mountain Song” by Jane’s Addiction, as well as Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride,” are live favorites. He said the Danyavaad trio and the Shimmy Sisters takes a different approach than the typical belly dancing backing music. “Most Middle Eastern live music is a lot more low key,” Vaughn said. “It’s not like a Jimi Hendrix or Van Halen concert, which is more so where I’m coming from, so it’s more like a rock show.” Vaughn even uses a wireless guitar unit to allow him to jump on tables or interact with the audience. “I would say that a big part of what we do is like participatory theater,” he said. “We’re really trying to engage the audience. Our performances don’t have that wall there, where you’re just sitting there watching a show. We’re going out into the crowd and every show we’re trying to pull people up and be part of the event. At some point, we’ll try to get the whole audience up and dancing. We really want to pull the audience in to the show and have their energy and their input be a part of how we react or even what songs we play or how the improvised jams happen.” For Vaughn, this audience-involvement approach is key to keeping the music fresh. “You take that philosophy, then it doesn’t get boring because every audience, every venue is going to have a stamp on that show,” Vaughn said. “It makes it interesting for people to come see you again and again, because you never know what’s going to happen.” Vaughn is clear that audience participation is key to getting the maximum enjoyment from a Danyavaad and the Shimmy Sisters performance. “Being inclusive has been what we’re about from Day One,” he said. “If someone has never been to a show like that, it’s a pretty eye-opening experience.” • Electric Love: 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at Electric Ladyland, 4944 Newport Ave. $20 or $30 per couple. For more information, visit www.danyavaad.com.