Page 6 | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

Free Will Astrology, Aug. 19-25

Astrology

Aug 18, 2026

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consider this your official alert that you’re close to getting too much of a good thing. To safeguard the lovely momentum you’ve built lately, be vigilant that genuine abundance doesn’t bloat into plain old overload. Say no to becoming indentured to your own brilliant ideas. Don’t let your victories drag you into depletion. Steer clear of grand gestures of generosity that are driven mostly by the urge to dazzle onlookers. You really can keep every delicious reward you’ve earned, dear Aries, as long as you begin installing some graceful new boundaries right now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1925, Taurus astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979) discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Famous astrophysicists of that era rejected her conclusions because she contradicted the prevailing theories. Nevertheless, she persisted in her claims and was eventually proved correct by other experts. Sound familiar, Taurus? If it doesn’t yet, I expect it will soon. Naysayers may insist you’re wrong when you know and I know you’re right. My advice: Be faithful to the truths you’ve directly observed even if they don’t match consensus reality. Your understandings are valid even if they’re inconvenient.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’re ready and able to commune intimately with the hidden source of power that fuels your life. Hallelujah! But first, acknowledge a humbling truth: You’re not entirely sure what that source is. You’ve made assumptions, of course. You’ve told yourself stories about where your vitality comes from: your work, your relationships, your creative projects, your spiritual practices. And while these channels do transmit energy, they’re tributaries of the ultimate spring. In the coming weeks, you’ll have exciting opportunities to trace these streams back to their headwaters. Start this way: Be alert for mini-breakthroughs when you feel unexpectedly energized or mysteriously restored.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The GPS system requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to work correctly. Satellites in orbit experience time slightly differently than we do on Earth’s surface. Without accounting for that time dilation, your phone would be off by 6.8 miles every day. Moral of the story: The practical requires the theoretical and the mundane needs the cosmic. I bring this to your attention as a useful metaphor, Cancerian. I suspect you’ve been trying to solve ground-level problems with ground-level thinking. But your current challenges require you to factor in some relativity: to recognize that different parts of your life are operating in different timeframes, under different rules. What works in one context doesn’t necessarily work in another. In the coming weeks, refrain from trying to apply universal solutions. Calibrate for context.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave is pretty gorgeous, but the edges aren’t sufficiently taut. What should you do, practically speaking? For starters, create firm boundaries around your work time, your rest and your availability to others’ demands.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I am nursing a hopeful dream that you will give yourself a fun surprise or two in the coming days—maybe even more than two. Not necessarily the most expensive delights, but those that would inspire your nervous system to relax and your spirit to celebrate. Possible options: a few hours of free time with no obligations, a hike where you adore and praise the sky, a conversation you’ve been craving, a daring yes, or a long-overdue no. Or how about finally starting a fun project you keep postponing, or setting down a burden you’ve been carrying for too long? You might ask yourself: “If someone who loved me dearly were in charge of my rhythm, what would they arrange for me?”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The first maps of Antarctica contained blank spaces labeled simply “unexplored.” Cartographers didn’t pretend to know what wasn’t yet revealed. This was a gift to future trailblazers, who didn’t have to overcome the confusion of false certainties. You could benefit from adopting a similar practice. Instead of explaining every mystery with confident opinions, designate a few regions of your inner world as magnificently unexplored. Your willingness to say “I don’t know yet” will be a fertile form of wisdom. The unanswered questions will be better allies than premature conclusions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In architecture, the keystone is the central, wedge-shaped stone positioned at the top of an arch. It’s often the last piece placed, and it’s what holds everything together. If it’s removed, the entire structure collapses. But the keystone itself is held in place by the pressure of the other stones. I love the fact that it’s both the most crucial piece and yet totally dependent on everything else. This is an excellent metaphor for you right now. You’re like a keystone: holding everything together and also being held by everything. Please accept my personal thanks for accomplishing the amazing feat of being both powerful and vulnerable! The structure needs you, and you need the structure. PS: Don’t overestimate your independence or underestimate your importance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t reorganize your junk drawers anytime soon, Sagittarius. Please? Refrain from scrubbing the oven, organizing your kitchen cupboards and untangling old extension cords. I’m begging you to believe me when I urge to allocate your energy toward the most interesting and important matters. The cosmic indicators are unambiguous. You will be happiest and most successful if you: 1. dare to access secret wisdom you’ve been hiding from yourself; 2. immerse yourself in almost too much beauty and truth; 3. let your imagination run wild as you visualize future scenarios that thrill you even if they’re also a bit unnerving.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long, as wide as 18 miles and a mile deep in some places. Through persistent erosion for millions of years, the Colorado River carved it. This massive creative project happened entirely through subtraction, not addition. I suggest you regard it as one of your role models in the coming months, Capricorn. Your goal is to wear away resistance and eliminate what’s unnecessary. The magnificence you produce will be very gradual and incremental.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In engineering, redundancy refers to the practice of building multiple layers of support into a system so that if one part falters, others keep functioning. Airplanes and spacecraft rely on this principle for safety. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in the coming weeks. By creating backup plans or additional reinforcement, you can move forward with more daring and flair, which I highly recommend. Artful preparation will strengthen your ability to experiment and improvise.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The ocean has different layers. Each has its own temperature, pressure and ecosystem. Many sea creatures are adapted to one specific stratum and don’t wander far from their chosen realm. But there are transition zones where the layers meet, and they’re often rich in biodiversity. I propose we use these areas as metaphors for your power spots, Pisces. You tend to thrive in thresholds and boundaries, where edges meet and overlap. That will be especially true in the coming weeks. To court good fortune and sweet delight, you should hang out at the borders where diverse influences mingle.

Homework: Upon waking for the next seven mornings, sing a song that fills you with feisty hope. tinyurl.com/a5a5a5a

Take a Chance On … Transcendence’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ in Sonoma

Harry Duke

Aug 18, 2026

Take a Chance On … Transcendence’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ in Sonoma

Transcendence Theatre Company closes out its 2026 “Broadway Under the Stars” series with the popular ABBA jukebox musical, Mamma Mia!

It’s the show’s first Sonoma County appearance after a couple of Marin County mountings including a 2018 production by The Mountain Play atop Mt. Tamalpais and a season-closing production just this past May by the Novato Theater Company. The Transcendence production, directed by Tony Gonzalez, runs outdoors on the Field of Dreams in Sonoma through Aug. 30.

One doesn’t have to like or even know the work of the Swedish pop music supergroup ABBA, but it sure helps as the audience is gonna hear about two dozen of their songs before the night is over. They’ve been worked, some more successfully than others, into a somewhat nonsensical plot about a bride-to-be’s wedding day plan to meet her heretofore unknown father.

After reading her mother’s diary, 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan (Karsten Lane Flake) has invited the three men her mother Donna (Allison Pierce) had a fling with 21 years ago to attend her Greek isle wedding: Sam (Blake Whyte), Harry (Matt Gibson) and Bill (Brian Ray Norris). In no time at all, she manages to invite all three to walk her down the aisle, deceive and alienate her fiance Sky (Elton J. Tanega) and tick off her mother. Fear not, all will be resolved by show’s end.

Folks don’t attend musicals like this for the plot, they attend for the music—and the cast gathered by director Gonzalez and the musicians gathered by music director Susan Draus and conducted by Kenji Harada deliver the goods.

Strong vocals are a hallmark of Transcendence productions, with Flake’s delivery of “I Have a Dream” and Pearce’s wrenching “The Winner Takes It All” good examples.

The ensemble pieces spotlighting choreography by Monica Kapoor, including “Money, Money, Money” and “Lay All Your Love on Me” featuring the famous flipper “ballet,” were highlights.

The cast is uniformly strong, but the fine comedic work by Lori Haley Fox as Donna’s friend Rosie really stood out. Fox has been affiliated with almost every iteration of the show including the original 1999 West End production, the Broadway run, the National Tour and the 2008 film. She’s a hoot.

Mamma Mia! is the theatrical equivalent of a popcorn movie in that it really serves no purpose other than to entertain and requires no great thought. The swinging and swaying opening-night audience was just fine with that.

Transcendence Theatre Company’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ runs Thu-Sun through Aug. 30 at the Field of Dreams, 151 First St. West, Sonoma. Venue opens at 5pm, show starts at 7pm. $44-$165. 877.424.1414. bestnightever.org

Third Eye Blind, the ’90s Stalwart Band at Graton Resort

Alan Sculley

Aug 18, 2026

Third Eye Blind, the ’90s Stalwart Band at Graton Resort

Thirty years ago, Third Eye Blind blasted onto the music scene with a self-titled album that went six-times platinum and included the enduring alternative-rock hits “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Graduate,” “How’s It Going To Be” and “Jumper.” A double-platinum second album, Blue, followed two years later.

Then the radio hits stopped coming, with 2000’s “Never Let You Go” marking the last top 10 single for the band. So it might seem surprising that Third Eye Blind still headlines outdoor amphitheaters and other large venues these days. In fact, on Aug. 28 the band performs at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park.

But Third Eye Blind’s popularity endures. And Stephen Jenkins, Third Eye Blind’s founding member, songwriter and singer, noted that turnout for his band’s concerts is actually bigger than ever. So how does it feel to live in this kind of welcome reality so many years after the release of the blockbuster, self-titled debut album?

“Implausible would be the word, probably,” Jenkins said in a phone interview. “Really, it feels like I’m on this ride, and more than anything else it reminds me about the basics. It reminds me of the things that I value, which is being musical, being authentic, being in a genuine exchange with the audience. All of those things are the things that remain the most important to me.”

The barrage of top-10 radio hits that launched the band’s career may have dried up after “Never Let You Go” (from Blue), but in other ways Third Eye Blind has actually experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past decade.

That span saw Jenkins and drummer Brad Hargreaves—the remaining members of the early Third Eye Blind lineup—enjoying a period of stability, with guitarist Kryz Reid and bassist Alex LeCavalier each now in their second decade with the band and keyboardist/guitarist Colin CreeV, a member since 2019, rounding out the current lineup.

With this unit, the personalities and the priorities of the band members aligned in a way that didn’t always happen with the original band.

“This band … we love each other,” Jenkins said. “We like to be together, and we’re like a bunch of puppies. I think what makes this band jam is our sense of empathy, really, more than anything else. We like to make space for each other on stage, and that’s what makes it jam.”

The current band members not only have the right chemistry, with Jenkins leading the way as songwriter—they’ve also been quite prolific. After releasing only two albums over the 15 years following the release of Blue in 1999, Third Eye Blind began releasing music at a steady clip, including three full-length studio albums: 2015’s Dopamine, 2019’s Screamer and 2021’s Our Bande Apart. In addition the band released two EPs, 2016’s We Are Drugs and 2018’s Thanks for Everything, plus Unplugged, a 2022 album with acoustic versions of songs from across the group’s catalog joining the band’s catalog. The group also released a concert album, Live at Red Rocks, in 2024.

Jenkins feels that along the way his attitude toward songwriting and recording loosened up, and that accounts for Third Eye Blind’s increased musical output.

“I think it’s really just a lack of judgment,” he said. “I think I was always being hard on myself in the past and I probably still am, but something has improved there. Something has gotten better in some ways and I’m less critical of myself and more able to get into it, to make music. So I think that’s the reason.”

He’s also pleased with the quality of Third Eye Blind’s output. In fact, Jenkins considers Our Bande Apart to be his favorite album to date. Largely written during the pandemic, that album found Third Eye Blind going old school by recording the songs live as a band in the studio, rather than recording instrument by instrument. The organic approach to recording is a key reason Jenkins is so fond of Our Bande Apart.

“Again, it’s kind of that lack of being overthought and judged,” Jenkins said. “The tracking of that record; we all just went in the same room and played the song. If it felt right, we kept it. If it didn’t, we all went back in the room and played it again. We didn’t go around changing and overdubbing our songs.

“So we resisted the urge for perfection, and when I listen to a lot of music now, I don’t feel anything from it because I don’t feel the human urgency of it,” he added. “A lot of it is just pitch corrected and tempo corrected. It’s all made on MacBook Pro, and it just doesn’t do anything for me. And we managed to make a record that wasn’t living in those kinds of constraints.”

The live-in-the-studio approach of Our Bande Apart proved interesting in that it followed Screamer, an album very much crafted in the studio, with plenty of modern, synthetic sonics incorporated into a set of songs that blended rock with a variety of other styles, including hip-hop, trap and electronica.

“It was exactly the opposite [of Our Bande Apart],” Jenkins said of Screamer. “It was basically as slick as I could make it. The whole point of that record was to almost beat pop in its own game. That’s what I was thinking about that one.

“I really like that record,” he continued. “I think it’s exciting. But definitely, it’s just a different approach on it.”

Exactly what songs Third Eye Blind plays while on tour this summer is an open question, as Jenkins said the band has plenty of options.

“We have a lot of music, and there’s a lot of different stuff that fans want to hear. If you go on Reddit and ask, ‘What do you want to hear this summer?’ if you get 50 different responses, you’ll get 50 different songs,” he said. “So we try to do things like almost being DJs, and we try to mix ourselves as a live band and weave in different things back and forth. So that’s how I’m looking at making this set.”

Third Eye Blind performs at 7pm on Friday, Aug. 28, at Graton Resort & Casino, 288 Golf Course Drive West, Rohnert Park. For tix and info, visit graton.com.

Engineering Distrust: Election (In)security

Open Mic

Ervin Hoskins

Aug 11, 2026

Engineering Distrust: Election (In)security

By turning voting machines, classified intelligence and alleged foreign interference into political theater, the Trump administration is preparing voters to distrust an election that has not yet taken place.

Donald Trump has never treated elections simply as contests to be won or lost. He treats them as tests of legitimacy whose results are valid only when they confirm his political authority. His national address on the “integrity” of voting machines therefore should not be dismissed as another attempt to relitigate the 2020 election. It may represent something more consequential: an effort to establish, before the 2026 midterms, a rationale for challenging any result unfavorable to Republicans.

The issue is not whether election systems should be protected. They should. Foreign governments have sought to influence American voters, spread disinformation and deepen existing political divisions. But election security becomes election sabotage when the government uses the language and institutions of national security to manufacture suspicion without presenting credible evidence.

A White House task force has been reviewing classified intelligence and law-enforcement material concerning alleged election irregularities. At the same time, the federal government has increased pressure on state and local election authorities.

Taken together—and placed in the context of Trump’s continued refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of his 2020 defeat—they suggest a political strategy: Create an atmosphere in which a future Republican loss appears suspicious before a single ballot is counted.

That strategy depends on blurring a crucial distinction between foreign influence and the technical manipulation of votes. The National Intelligence Council’s 2021 assessment found no indication that a foreign actor attempted to alter “any technical aspect” of the voting process. Reviews by the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security reached similar conclusions.

Technical vulnerabilities can exist without proving a stolen election. A responsible administration would identify specific risks, provide evidence, work with state officials and propose practical remedies. It would not use a prime-time presidential address to place an entire electoral system under a cloud of generalized vulnerability.

The objective would not need to be proving fraud. It might be enough to keep allegations alive. Suspicion becomes the product, not an unfortunate side effect.

Protecting elections requires vigilance against foreign interference. It also requires vigilance against a government willing to turn that threat into a weapon against democracy at home.

Ervin Hoskins is a freelance writer and an anti-war activist focused on justice, equality and analysis of international affairs.

‘Canairy’ Takes Flight: Santa Rosa Couple Builds App to Help People ‘Breathe Easy’

Daedalus Howell

Aug 11, 2026

‘Canairy’ Takes Flight: Santa Rosa Couple Builds App to Help People ‘Breathe Easy’

There are few phrases more freighted in the North Bay than “air quality.” Depending on the season, it might mean wildfire smoke, pollen, woodsmoke, exhaust or some atmospheric cocktail that turns one’s plans into an indoor activity.

Santa Rosa couple Jason Curtis and Jennifer Nunn decided that checking the air shouldn’t become a second job.

Their solution is Canairy, a neighborhood-level air quality app built by their two-person software studio, NunnCurtis Labs. Already available for Android, Canairy arrived on the Apple App Store in late July—putting the free app on essentially every species of smartphone just as we enter that charming part of the year when North Bay residents scrutinize the horizon and ask, “Is that fog?”

The name, naturally, riffs on the proverbial canary in the coal mine—only this one spells “air” right into the middle of it.

“We wanted to make an app that helps you understand the air,” Curtis noted during a recent visit to The Drive 95.5 FM. The trick was doing so “not where you have to obsess about it.”

That impulse comes from experience. Curtis and Nunn have lived in Northern California for nearly 30 years, and asthma in the family made air quality a concern even before wildfire smoke became an unofficial fifth season. And like many in Sonoma County, they’ve also had to evacuate due to fires.

“We felt the impact,” Curtis said of the 2017 Tubbs Fire. “It was the morning of my son’s birthday, and we had to pack up and evacuate, and we opened his presents up in some hotel up in Sacramento.”

The fires eventually raised a larger question for the couple.

“The wildfires are really the first thing that made us think, ‘OK, is this the area we wanna retire in?’” Curtis explained. Beyond the flames themselves, he added, years of smoke “made it really hard … to go out and do stuff outside, to do things around what you enjoy.”

Canairy turns the region’s existing air-monitoring infrastructure into something considerably easier to live with.

The app pulls data from PurpleAir’s network of community-operated sensors, EPA AirNow monitors and Google’s pollen forecast.

“There’s PurpleAir sensors all across this county,” Curtis said. Before Canairy, “you’d go to the website, refresh it, look at it. OK, that’s what it is right now.”

Their alternative was to make the information passive.

“We wanted to build something … that can let you relax and say, ‘Hey, this is gonna alert me when the air is bad,’” he noted.

Importantly, “bad” isn’t the same for everyone. Someone with asthma or other respiratory issues may want to know when the AQI moves above 50, while others might tolerate considerably more. Users can tailor their thresholds and monitor multiple places—for example, home, school or an elderly parent’s residence.

Canairy’s free version includes one saved location, push alerts and its pollen forecast. Paid Plus and Pro tiers add more locations, faster updates, text alerts and other features.

The app is also a calling card for NunnCurtis Labs, which represents something of a second act for its founders. Curtis spent years in the wine industry—including stints at DeLoach, Rodney Strong and Coppola—before moving into winery software. Nunn is an electrical engineer with interests in solar and air quality.

Together, they wanted to build technology with a slightly different mandate than the usual attention-extraction machine.

“Instead of just creating an app that consumes your time and doesn’t really add any value to the world,” Curtis said, “we wanted to do something that really hopefully adds value, makes people’s lives a little bit better.”

Canairy is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Learn more at canairy-aq.com.

World of Flavors, Pasta and Eggs With Phi Nguyen

Food & Drink

Amber Turpin

Aug 11, 2026

World of Flavors, Pasta and Eggs With Phi Nguyen

Phi Nguyen is chef de cuisine at The Madrona, marking an astoundingly speedy culinary path upwards over the 10 years since he emigrated here from Vietnam in 2016.

Rising up within the region’s dining scene, he gained experience at Flowers Vineyard & Winery, Montage Healdsburg and Farmhouse Inn before landing at The Madrona.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Phi Nguyen: I started cooking in my senior year of high school … when I signed up for the Culinary Arts program without knowing what “culinary” even was, and I got hooked by joining the catering club … where I met my first chef mentor, Gabriel Nahas. I went on to work with him at the DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park and moved my way up.

What is your favorite thing to cook (or eat) and why?

Pasta Bolognese is definitely my go-to meal and the first thing I would think of to eat or to cook. Back when I used to live in Vietnam, my mom always took me to Pizza Hut, and that was the only place I could find spaghetti and meat sauce. Later on, I got to work with the celebrity chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart, where I got to learn how to make all the homemade pasta and all the Italian meat sauce.

What ingredients do you use or eat the most?

In every Vietnamese household, we have key main ingredients that cannot be missing in our cooking, called “Mắm, muối, đường, bột ngọt,” which is “fish sauce, salt, sugar, MSG,” and this is what I use the most at home. At work, I always love to use garlic, butter, acid (especially lemon) and green peppercorn. There is one ingredient that I always try to not use too much, but it’s so hard for me not to use it, which is shiso leaves.

What are some of your go-to places to go out for a sit-down meal? What about take-out?

My go-to places for a sit-down meal are Sorella in San Francisco; their lobster lasagna by the incredible chef Fernanda is to die for. Sushi at Sushi by Scratch or Qimura in Windsor, dessert by chef Devin at Bear at Stanly Ranch, who is so incredibly talented, and ramen from Taste of Tea by chef Shayna, who is a close friend of mine.

For take-out, Bánh mì from Kelly in Santa Rosa is my go-to quick lunch when I am on my way to work. Phở from Pho Vietnam in Santa Rosa when I don’t feel like cooking at home. Tacos from the Delicias Elenita taco truck in Santa Rosa for late-night munchies. Lastly, a Double-Double from In-N-Out: There is no need for a reason… I just love it.

Last meal on Earth?

White rice with scrambled eggs (seasoned with fish sauce and MSG). Fish sauce glazed chicken wings always makes me happy. And lastly, sparkling water, any kind, with a shot of green Chartreuse to finish the meal.

The Madrona,1001 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, 707.395.6700, themadronahotel.com.

Around the Sun and Up the Wall

Crush

Weeklys Staff

Aug 11, 2026

Sebastopol
Trip Around the Sun

The jam-band universe circles back to Sebastopol for Another Trip Around the Sun, a benefit concert bringing together musicians with deep ties to the Grateful Dead extended family. Guitarist Mark Karan of Bob Weir & RatDog, keyboardist Scott Guberman of Phil Lesh & Friends, drummer Anna Elva of Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and bassist/vocalist JP McLean of Melvin Seals & JGB join forces for an evening built on improvisation, interplay and the loose-limbed spirit of the scene. Opening the show is Slowstring, the new folk project from Sarah Ryan and Jimbo Scott. Proceeds support the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center and its arts, education and community programs. 6:30pm, Friday, Aug. 21, at Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St. Doors open at 6pm. $25 advance. More information at seb.org.

Mill Valley
Shop for School

Back-to-school shopping gets the boutique treatment when Hanna Andersson brings its first immersive retail pop-up to the Mill Valley Lumber Yard. The children’s apparel brand will showcase a curated fall assortment for ages 2–8, including picture-day-ready outfits, classroom staples and seasonal layers designed to make the annual wardrobe reset feel less like an errand. Families can also personalize a tote with purchase while supplies last. Set against the Lumber Yard’s relaxed outdoor setting, the event offers parents a chance to browse, kids a chance to participate and everyone an excuse to make a little occasion out of stocking the closet. Noon–5pm, Saturday, Aug. 15, at Mill Valley Lumber Yard, 129 Miller Ave. Free admission. More information at hannaandersson.com.

Rutherford
‘Home’ in the Vines

Music, memory and Napa Valley history converge at Inglenook for Home: A Toast to Napa Valley, Music in the Vineyards’ annual fundraising gala. Held during the 50th anniversary year of the Judgment of Paris, the evening celebrates the region’s legacy through chamber music, fine wine and an al fresco dinner beneath the winery’s terrace pergola. The program features works by Aaron Copland, Antonín Dvořák and Kevin Puts, performed by musicians including the Miró Quartet, with musical surprises promised throughout the night. Proceeds support Music in the Vineyards’ performances, education and community programs across Napa Valley. 5pm, Sunday, Aug. 23, at Inglenook, 1991 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. $500. More information at musicinthevineyards.org.

San Rafael
Reach New Heights

Gravity Vault Marin celebrates five years of climbing, community and adventure with a weekend-long birthday party that’s as welcoming to first-timers as it is to seasoned crushers. Visitors are invited to tackle the walls with guided try-a-climbs, watch or join friendly climbing competitions, browse a vendor village, enter raffles, enjoy food from Sabor A Rancho and score anniversary deals on memberships and gear. Sunday’s festivities also include a free introduction to outdoor sport climbing workshop led by an AMGA-certified guide, while kids and families can meet the gym’s youth coaches and explore programs for climbers of every age. 10am–3pm, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15–16, at Gravity Vault Marin, 440 Smith Ranch Rd., San Rafael. $10 admission; free for members. More information at tinyurl.com/GVM-5THANNIV.

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Rank	Platform	Best For
1	CamSoda AI	Best overall AI girlfriend experience
2	Nomi AI	Everyday chatting
3	Replika	Checking in every day
4	Nectar AI	Visual storytelling
5	Janitor AI	Fantasy scenarios
6	Character.AI	Exploring different personalities
7	Kindroid	Building your custom companion

North Bay BohemianNorth Bay Bohemian

North Bay BohemianNorth Bay Bohemian

Quick Ranking: Best AI Girlfriend Apps in 2026

How We Tested These Apps

1. CamSoda AI

2. Nomi AI

3. Replika

4. Nectar AI

5. Janitor AI

6. Character.AI

7. Kindroid

Which AI Girlfriend App Should You Choose?

Questions We Kept Hearing

Do these conversations actually feel real?

How much should you expect to spend?

Are these apps private?

Is it strange to use an AI girlfriend?

Final Verdict

Same Cloth