Wolfsbane is an herb and a poison. It’s also the name of Rupert and Carrie Blease’s new restaurant. When I spoke with Rupert Blease, the chef explained why he, his wife and their co-founder, Tommy Halvorson, chose the name. “In folklore, it was planted around villages to keep wolves at bay,” he said. “When you walk through our door, down the hallway, then you’re in a place that’s there to welcome and look after you.” The toxins that infiltrate our daily lives are meant to remain on the other side of the restaurant’s enchanted front door.
Inside, branches of trees are “planted” above the dining room. They add to the atmosphere by summoning up a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Open-walled platforms high above eye-level incorporate mini-forests of climbing and entangled limbs. They are lit up to emphasize their greenness, which corresponds with the fulsomeness of the even greener wall color. It’s staged but not stagey. The design sets a bucolic tone, but the menu completes the thought, delivering on such a verdant and alluring premise.
Almost universally, the plating incorporates leaves and flowers. The whimsical names of menu dishes—such as “petals,” “potato salad” and “tartine”—defy expectations when they arrive at the table. The entry for petals ($6) lists allium, onion blossom, black garlic. My imagination didn’t anticipate four translucent onion skins containing tiny pink pools drizzled with black garlic and topped with purple allium blossoms. Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed would be delighted with the delicacy and pretty precision of the plating.
Blease’s minimalism is as painterly and contained as a skilled watercolorist’s. (Photo by Albert Law Photography)
Blease’s minimalism is as painterly and contained as a skilled watercolorist’s. Each daub of color is suggestive. Together, the colors contribute to a coherent image on the plate. Flavorwise, the chef chooses one hero spice for each bite. A madras curry powder dominates “eryngii,” served with a side dipping bowl of wheat berries and lemon curd ($8). The trumpet mushrooms are treated the way Cleopatra was, bathed in luxurious oils. They’re served, or rather stabbed, with the stem of a small, leafy shrub. This is a transportive way of eating; it summons up a pagan past when people were connected to nature rather than technology.
“You want things to be very crisp and light, and at the same time a little bit intense because you’re only going to have a couple of bites,” Blease said. “Also visually, you want things to be really pretty and fresh. The sunflower with the artichoke just reminds me of my youth, and I love flowers.” The element of sharpness comes through with different vinegars and acidities. “They help bring out the flavors that really match the cocktails, the wine or the nonalcoholic pairings that you’re going to have,” he added.
A transportive way of eating. (Photo by Albert Law Photography)
Wolfsbane offers two menus: one with bar snacks, or a tasting menu with appetizers and entrées. The progression of the tasting menu favors, the chef suggests, a subtler progression of flavors. He noted, “But when you have them as individual snacks—that don’t necessarily have a continuation—you just want each bite to have a nice impact.”
Described simply as wild leaves and herbs, house yogurt and nasturtium, potato salad ($5) is definitely not what it sounds like. Blease’s first idea for the dish was to make something fresh, crispy and crunchy. He posed the question: “How can you wrap salad in something that’s not going to be too picky for the guests to eat?”
The chef took inspiration from a cucumber salad made with yogurt and mint. Long-stemmed leaves fan out of crisp potato chips formed into the shape of a cylinder. To match those leaves, a midnight-green nasturtium oil swirls around a large dollop of yogurt. “I don’t really like nasturtium petals, but the larger leaves make a really lovely oil,” he said. Blease gently blanches the leaves and blends them with a bland, neutral oil, “because you want the flavor of the nasturtium to pop through as much as possible.”
Wolfsbane, a fine dining restaurant in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, officially opened on October 15, 2025. (Photo by Adahlia Cole)
Wine Director Louisa Smith held the same position at the team’s previous project, Lord Stanley. “We think about the wine program in the same way we think about the food,” Blease said. Wolfsbane only buys wine from organic or biodynamic ancestral modes of winemaking. He described the wines as “crisp, bright, maybe a little bit younger, and they’re suited to go with food.” Big Bordeaux or cabernets would overpower some of the dishes.
After several snacks, we ended our meal with an inventive rhubarb custard infused with red shiso and finished with pistachios and microgreens. Blease said, “The dessert makes you feel like a kid; those textures and flavors I always think are reminiscent of youth.” Two decades into his career, the chef considers the food at Wolfsbane to be more intimate and more imaginative than what’s come before. He noted, “All the dishes that we’re putting on at Wolfsbane, they haven’t been done anywhere else and they won’t be done anywhere else.”
Wolfsbane, open Tue-Sat 5:30-10pm, 2495 Third St., San Francisco. wolfsbanesf.com
BUCOLIC DESIGN Rupert and Carrie Blease, along with co-founder Tommy Halvorson, opened a restaurant inspired by folklore. (Photo by Adahlia Cole)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you’re a professional photographer, now is an ideal moment to invest in the higher-end lens you know would expand your best work. If you’re a committed chef, it’s a perfect time to spring for a precision knife set that elevates your craft. If you’re a devoted yoga or meditation teacher preparing a new series, you might decide to purchase an upgraded sound system to share your vocal offerings more crisply. And if you are none of the above, consider this your sign to obtain a key instrument or tool that will help you move to the next level of professionalism in the work you’re called to do.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When we hear people described as having fertile imaginations, we may assume they are artists, writers or musicians. But the truth is that many creative visualizers are engineers, city planners, inventors and the like: those who design and build functional wonders. Of this group, you Tauruses make up a disproportionately high percentage. Your tribe is often most imaginative when vitalizing concrete details and transforming practical matters. In the coming weeks, this will be a vibrant X-factor in your relationship with the world.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When many people reflect on their early years, they focus on the alienation and wounds they endured. Few recall, in vivid detail, the moments of joy, triumph and breakthrough. It’s a symptom, I suppose, of our era’s compulsive cynicism, and not necessarily an accurate account of the past. So many good things happened, too! This isn’t to dismiss the real pain that shaped us in our tender years. Still, I want you to know that you are in a season when it’s essential to recognize and celebrate the blessings of your beginnings—the fun, guidance and grace that helped you flourish. Update your gratitude!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Of all the zodiac signs, you have the most potential to cultivate robust emotional intelligence that’s helpful in practical situations. More than everyone else, your feelings are less likely to render you vulnerable and fragile and more likely to make you a powerhouse. The coming weeks will be prime time to deploy these talents to the max. I encourage you to summon gleeful exuberance as you provide your sensitive, heartful nurturing. Practice the ingenious art of keeping the world emotionally literate and spiritually alert.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I am pleased to predict that you will be less egotistical and narcissistic in the coming weeks than you have ever been in your life. In saying that, I don’t mean to imply that you’re any more egotistical and narcissistic than the rest of us. I’m simply saying you can get a liberating reprieve from the excessive pride and selfishness that regularly debilitates us all. Congratulations, Leo! This grace period should enable you to deepen your attunement with your soul’s blueprint, the design of destiny you chose before birth. I bet you will enjoy a period of vibrant, exciting tranquility.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Consider this a friendly heads-up to your inner critic, your gloomy side and any voice in your head that expects too little from life. Upcoming astrological omens are influencing me to predict a stream of auspicious omens and fortunate events. So if you’d rather cling to tired stories about not being good enough or strong enough, you might want to skip my forecasts for a while. But if you’re ready to vivify your faith in your power to eagerly create what you desire, stay tuned. Karmic blessings are coming.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): To be blunt, dear Libra, I think you need soul medicine that’s most available in frontiers, borderlands and thresholds. Some of these might be bright, shiny places, and others may be akin to mazes and tunnels. Please keep in mind that your main motivation, as you seek adventures in the outskirts, should be the quest to have fun as you blow your own mind. For the sake of your lust for life and joie de vivre, you really must explore power spots untouched by trivia and pettiness: sanctuaries where vastness, freedom and raw vitality can wash away at least some of your fixations and habits.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Giant Pacific octopus dens are identifiable by the “gardens” of debris outside. They include shells and bones, arranged like ornamentation around the entrance. Are the creatures trying to decorate? Scientists don’t know. But it’s clear they are leaving evidence of their appetites. The result is distinctive, artistic and revealing. With this scenario as your metaphorical meditation, Scorpio, I invite you to look at what you have been pursuing and consuming in recent months. Contemplate the stuff piling up in your sphere. What do your finished experiences reveal about your quest for meaning? Does this pattern reflect your deepest intentions? Is this who you want to be? Make sure the story you’re telling about yourself is the right one.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Advising a Sagittarius to be patient is like asking a bonfire to burn slowly and politely. Still, I will give it a try. Because I love you, I will dare to be frank. So here goes: If you want to align yourself with astrological currents, practice being reverently at ease with life’s madness as you watch and wait. See if you can take genuine pleasure in resting within a field of calm trust. Imagine, with fearless delight, the rewards that will find you as you nurture a steady, unhurried confidence in your intuition, which will ultimately tell you exactly what you need to do.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1994, immunologist Polly Matzinger revolutionized her field with a radical theory. She discovered that our immune systems don’t focus on distinguishing “self” from “non-self,” but rather on responding to threats. The body puts less emphasis on asking “is this me?” and more on “is this harmful?” Her breakthrough transformed our understanding of immunity, autoimmune disease and transplant rejection. According to my analysis of the astrological riddles, you Capricorns could benefit from a similar adjustment. Don’t worry about whether any particular influence harmonizes with your identity or aligns with your history. Instead, ask, “Is it nourishing or harmful? Supportive or useless?” As you refresh your approach to guarding and protecting your precious self, new options will become visible.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my interpretation of the astrological signals, you have run into an obstacle to your creative flow, or may soon do so. Though this could feel discouraging at first, I think it’s a promising sign. It indicates that a hidden bug is surfacing. An inner saboteur is no longer operating in the shadows. You’re being given the opportunity to repair an unseen energy leak that has been sapping your vitality. To illuminate this process, consider the wisdom of author Joyce Carol Oates. She says that writer’s block arises when a writer subconsciously believes that what they’re trying to create is false, misguided or harmful to themselves, which results in a temporary creative paralysis. Be brave and relentless in hunting down the glitch in your self-love, Aquarius.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Maybe you’ve been having thoughts like this: “I’m too scrambled to do what’s necessary to get unscrambled.” Here’s another snag that may be tangling your mind: “I’m too mixed up to know what questions to ask to sort out my confusion.” If this is true, Pisces, I’m here to offer advice. Imagine calling a timeout on the whole noisy world and slipping free of the habitual trance. Consider retreating to a sanctuary where time doesn’t oppress you and complications subside. Let your mind be empty, give your ambitions a rest and immerse your tender attention in the deepest part of yourself you can find.
Homework: The most beautiful thing you’ve done? The most beautiful thing you’ll do? https://tinyurl.com/333×999
So, let’s get straight to the point: here, you’ll find the best Ukrainian dating site for people interested in serious relationships.
But it’s not about one site only—there are at least 10 great dating services where you can find a soul mate from Eastern Europe, and here, we’re going to tell you everything about them.
They were thoroughly tested for several weeks, so you can pick any of these 10 websites, create a profile, and join the world of Ukrainian dating in just a few minutes!
Most Recommended Ukrainian Dating Sites in 2026
SofiaDate—the best Ukrainian dating site, perfect in every aspect
GoldenBride—thousands of single Ukrainian women looking for a partner, a simple interface, a great welcome bonus
UkraineBride4you—a trusted website that offers a very wide assortment of premium features
GoChatty—one of the best Ukrainian dating sites with innovative communication tools
UADates—a Ukrainian dating site with a lot of extra services and tools (+ID verification)
LanaDate—one of the most reputable platforms to meet a real Ukrainian woman online
LoveForHeart—a new dating platform with incredibly high quality of ladies’ profiles
UkrainesMatch—a top-notch dating site where you can meet Ukrainian singles and even have a video call with her
Ukrainian-Dating.net—a popular and trusted dating site where you can meet thousands of Ukrainian women
SingleSlavic—a ton of premium features, ID-verified profiles and a huge discount for new members
Top 10 Ukrainian Dating Sites Experience—Real & Legitimate Websites
Now, let’s have a more detailed look at the most popular Ukrainian dating websites.
The best dating platform for single men interested in ladies from Ukraine
Only your e-mail is needed, no credit card or phone verification right away
Thousands of Ukrainian women are open to international dating, very high quality of profiles
SofiaDate is the #1 Ukrainian dating site in 2026, with no doubts. It has everything a user needs: very detailed ladies profiles with lots of photos, a very convenient live chat feature, a lot of extra tools like virtual gifts and a transparent credit system.
Features we liked:
The live chat is a masterpiece—convenient, affordable and very pleasant to use
The mobile version of the site is just great
All those single Ukrainian women have incredibly detailed profiles: we haven’t seen a profile with less than 10 photos here!
The girls are genuinely interested in finding a real-life partner, it’s not just about spending time on the site
🔥SofiaDate tops the list of Ukraine dating sites for a good reason: it’s just impressive how they polished many aspects, from major ones like the quality of profiles and the response rate to less important ones, like customer support and search filters. What’s more, this website provides 20 free credits to every new user—so sign up now, get your bonus and start finding your true love!
Simple interface, perfect for those who are not too experienced in online dating
Detailed profiles
A significant bonus for new users
GoldenBride also offers many popular features such as video chat here, voice calls and gift delivery. So, it is a great option for those looking for a simple and convenient dating site: it offers to meet Ukrainian ladies open to dating online and meet foreign love, a great live chat tool to talk to them and a good reputation to rely on!
Features we liked:
Nice live chat tool where you can exchange stickers, photos and even videos
Night mode (it may sound like a very small detail, but you’ll appreciate it when start to chat with singles at night)
A well-optimized mobile site
A high response rate (higher than 70 percent)
🔥GoldenBride might not be the most advanced dating app regarding messaging tools and features, but it’s the simplicity, the quality of profiles and the response rate that make it worth a try. After the registration, you’ll get 3 free chat minutes as a bonus, so don’t waste your time!
Detailed profiles, many of them even have videos, not only photos
One of the most advanced Ukrainian dating platforms in 2026
A discount for new members
This Ukrainian dating site is definitely worth a try, especially if you’re looking for something more than just texting. In fact, the assortment of paid tools is one of the best things about UkraineBride4You, but it’s certainly not the only one. The quality of profiles is also very high here, and the fact there’s an Android and iOS app makes this platform one of the best options for dating a Ukrainian woman.
Features we liked:
Mobile app (available for both Android and iOS smartphones)
Voice calls, video chat
Smart matches (this feature works only if you answer all those questions during the registration)
🔥UkraineBride4You is a great platform: it has a lot of features, thousands of verified profiles and a very high response rate. What’s more, there’s a welcome bonus here: all the new members can buy 2 credits for only $3.99 instead of $10. Click the link, enter your email and name and join one of the best Ukrainian dating sites in the USA right now!
A dating service with the absolute majority of users being ID-verified
Fast and simple registration—1 minute and you can start chatting with all those single Ukrainian women
More than 300,000 monthly visits
GoChatty is another great service for those interested in dating foreign ladies for a reason; Ukrainian women in particular. The profiles are very detailed so it’s a real pleasure to use this website, and they’re also ID-verified, so you don’t need to worry about fake profiles here. Most girls are looking for very serious relationships here, so if you’re going to find a woman from Ukraine for a long-term relationship, this might be the right choice.
Features we liked:
ID verification (not required for men but most female accounts have that green badge)
A lot of free features—it’s free to send winks and like profiles, for example
Virtual gifts are pretty affordable and very fun
The mobile website is just great and has all the features available to PC users
🔥GoChatty dating site is not free to use, but it’s not like you must pay one second after the registration. It’s quite the opposite: there’s a welcome bonus —20 free GoCoins, which means if you’re a new user, you’ll be given an opportunity to send at least a few emails or chat for up to 10 minutes for free!
More than 500,000 monthly visits (one of the most popular Ukrainian women dating sites)
Users reviews on Sitejabber and Trustpilot are mostly positive
The response rate is around 80 percent or even higher
On UADates, you’ll meet tens of thousands of potential partners among Ukrainian women. What’s more, the site gathers real users and when we say “real”, we mean it—the profiles are ID-verified, so the chances of meeting a fake account here are extremely low. Another great thing about this site is that every woman here has 5 or more high-quality pictures—the quality of profiles is one of the main reasons why you just can’t miss UADates.
Features we liked:
Lots of search filters (available for free)
Test membership package only $4.99
Live chat where you can send photos and videos
ID verification (UADates is one of those 100 percent legitimate Ukrainian dating sites because most profiles are verified)
🔥 Sign up right now, get your 3 chat minutes for free and join the world of Ukrainian dating—there are thousands of women on UADates, and they’re waiting for your message!
A lot of free features—basically, everything except for messaging is free here
Nice and easy to use interface, great mobile website
Real women, very high response rate
This Ukrainian dating site stands out from the crowd because of two things: first, it’s the quality of profiles (5+ pictures, ID verification, a lot of additional information and profile descriptions). Second, it’s the response rate—when we were testing LanaDate, we got around 85 replies to 100 messages and that’s one of the highest response rates we’ve ever seen!
Features we liked:
ID verification
A lot of search filters (100 percent free)
Free tools: you can browse the profiles, like them and add them to a favorite list even if you have 0 credits
Virtual gifts
🔥 There are lots of reasons why you will love this website, but we won’t list them all. Don’t waste your time—join LanaDate today, get 20 free GoCoins to start chatting with any lady on the site immediately!
A new dating platform which already has a great reputation and at least 10 success stories of couples who met on this site
The quality of profiles is extremely high
The majority of women on this site are looking for serious relationships
Everything’s pretty standard here: sending messages is paid, browsing profiles is free; the registration is fast and simple, the interface is just great and the credit system they have on LoveForHeart is very transparent because you only pay for the tools you use. It’s the details that make LoveForHeart a great dating app: response rate, profiles’ quality, the overall quality of the site, etc.
Features we liked:
Virtual gifts
Live chat (it’s possible to exchange photos/videos)
Profile videos
16 free search filters
🔥 If you create a profile on LoveForHeart right now, you’ll get 20 credits for free and with these credits, you’ll be able to chat with a woman for 10 minutes. You just can’t miss such a generous offer!
Not that many messaging tools (emails, chat) but the ones they have are very convenient and easy to use
The profiles look great and most of them are 100 percent real
Free credits for new members
Ukrainian-Dating.net is a popular and trustworthy (4.5 stars out of 5 on Reviews.io) dating site with Slavic ladies in its user base. It’s not only about Ukraine—the girls from Eastern European countries are here, too, and you can meet Polish, Czech and Romanian women on this site. But still, the majority of female users are from Ukraine, and most of them are interested in finding a lifetime partner from another country.
Features we liked:
Lots of free search filters
ID verification (it’s not mandatory but lots of girls are verified)
Free registration that takes only 1 or 2 minutes
Virtual gifts
🔥 This online dating service is worth a try—it’s great in lots of aspects, from the girls’ profiles to the interface of the site. What’s more, every new user gets 20 free credits on Ukrainian-Dating.net so if you click the link and join this platform now, you’ll be able to test some premium features for free!
A 100 percent legit dating platform with a very long history (created in 1998)
Lots of extra services
Profile videos make this website even more interesting and exciting to use
UkrainesMatch is a legit Ukrainian dating site with a long history and great reputation. It has more than 10,000 verified male and female profiles from Ukraine and other Slavic countries, which is not that unique if we consider it among other websites in this rating. However, its main advantage is the wide assortment of tools like gift delivery and video calls.
Features we liked:
Video chat
Voice calls
You can send real gifts to the girls here, too!
Android and iOS app
🔥 Sign up right now and get your welcome bonus: a large discount (60 percent off) and free chat vouchers (available only after the purchase). This site is really as good as everyone says!
One of the most trusted and oldest online dating apps in Ukraine
Most girls are here for a real relationship
Video calls and other premium tools
SingleSlavic is the last on our list of the top Ukrainian dating sites but this surely doesn’t mean it’s worse than other websites here. It’s the opposite, actually—this site has so many features and tools it deserves to be on the top list! From video calls to profile videos, from gift delivery to mobile apps, all these make SingleSlavic one of the most interesting platforms for those who’d like to meet a Slavic girl.
Features we liked:
Video chat, voice calls
Gifts—you can send flowers, jewelry, or other cool gift to any Ukrainian woman on the site
ID verification
Very detailed profiles (it’s not about photos, it’s about the profile descriptions and additional information they provide about themselves)
🔥Join one of the most trusted and legitimate Ukrainian dating sites right now, make your first purchase (with a 60 percent discount) and get free chat and mail vouchers—this site is definitely worth a try.
How We Ranked Ukrainian Dating Sites
Finding legit Ukrainian dating sites is not that difficult, of course. There are dozens of them, and there are even more websites that fall into the “not that bad, probably worth a try” category. But how do we choose the best of the best services?
First of all, we pay special attention to the quality of profiles. We analyze the profiles, read the profile descriptions carefully, google the photos of the ladies to make sure they are not used on other sites, etc.
Then, we make sure a dating site has at least a few additional features. Such tools as video chat or real gift delivery are not necessary, but with them, it’ll be much easier for you to build a long-distance relationship.
Then, it’s very important to check the reputation of the site once again. Some dating apps might look real and even have a fake ID verification tool, but once you dig deeper, you realize it’s actually a fake site with only one goal: to steal your money. In order to not add such sites to our lists, we double-check the user and expert reviews and dig deep to find info about the owners of the site.
Of course, after that, we continue testing the site and chatting with ladies. Sometimes, we send more than 100 messages to calculate the response rate (because you can’t get proper statistics if you only send 5 or 10 messages). Typically, we don’t use extra features like gift delivery because these features are often too expensive, but we always
Finding a 100 percent trusted and great online dating site isn’t that fast, yes. We spend around 5-7 days to make sure the site is good enough to be on our top lists in order to save your time and money.
How much does it cost to use a Ukrainian dating site?
Let’s say you’ll send 30 emails and spend 300 minutes in a live chat per month (1 email and 10 minutes of chat per day). Let’s see how much you’ll pay for it on the top three most popular dating platforms:
Common Myths About Ukrainian Women on Dating Sites
Ukraine is one of the most popular countries in the world regarding international dating, so unfortunately, it’s surrounded by stereotypes that are, well, not always true. Let’s talk about them.
❌ “There are lots of scammers”
Just no. Of course, if you choose a fake dating site, you’ll meet lots of scammers there, but it’s not about Ukraine, it’s about making a wrong choice. If you choose a trusted site, you can be sure you’re talking to real people because such websites have an ID verification tool. And they also often have a video chat feature so you can see your online partner even before you meet her in real life to make sure she’s not a scammer.
❌ “They only need your money”
Wrong again! There might be a few gold-diggers on Ukrainian dating platforms, but that’s how online dating works and again, it has nothing to do with Ukraine. Statistically speaking, the number of “gold-diggers” is pretty much the same in every country in the world.
❌ “They are controlling and possessive”
That’s as far from reality as possible, but it’s still a common myth. It’s probably based on their “jealousy” because Ukrainian women are sometimes pretty suspicious when you’re chatting or talking to other ladies. A lot of them tend to be loyal, but they are often afraid that their men are not as faithful as they are, and that’s probably where the “they are controlling” stereotype is rooted.
Why Do Ukraine Women Use Online Dating Sites?
It is possible to highlight the two most frequently discussed reasons why they do it.
First, they believe that foreign men make great partners. They often think that men from the United States are more respectful, caring and even faithful than men from their country.
Second, they want to get a better life. They don’t want to date a wealthy person who’ll pay for them, they just want to get a chance for a better life in a better country and moving to the US/Canada/UK sounds like a great idea to them.
How to Avoid Scam on Ukrainian Dating Sites?
There are two most common scams you might face:
Asking for money: You chat with a woman and then, she suddenly tells you a story about her dead laptop or about her medical bills. After that, she asks you for a transaction.
Blackmail: You chat with a woman and exchange photos and personal information. Then, you get a message where a scammer says that they have information you don’t want to be released, but 1 BTC can fix this problem.
That’s not all, of course—there are lots of more complex scams, but the more complex it is, the lower the chances to meet such a scammer are. In the vast majority of cases, they don’t need complicated schemes and just stick to the easiest and the most direct ones.
How to avoid scam?
First, choose only the best Ukrainian dating sites. If the site has an ID verification service and a professional customer support team, you won’t meet any scammers there.
Second, never use free Ukrainian dating sites. If it’s a free dating site, you’ll never meet Ukrainian girls looking for a stable relationship there, and what’s more, you’ll never meet real women there. Fake profiles, scammers, bots, empty profiles, everything but a real Ukrainian lady.
And third, be careful. Do not share the information that can hurt you if released, do not click on the links from that email and do not send them money. Follow these simple rules and you’ll be ok.
Conclusion
Ukrainian women are incredible (if we can make assumptions about their majority… We shouldn’t but we want it). With a Ukrainian partner by your side, you don’t need to worry about the language barrier (because they speak English well) or about the cultural barrier (because even though you come from different cultures, the differences are not that great). Thousands of them make perfect wives because of their traditional values and loyalty, and thousands of them make great girlfriends because they can be very respectful and supportive, so it doesn’t really matter what kind of relationship you’re interested in. A Ukrainian girl is very often the best love interest you can find. What’s more, it’s really that simple to meet them: there are thousands of them on international dating sites, so you only need to choose a good platform and create an account there!
FAQ about Ukrainian Dating
What is the best Ukrainian dating site?
The best site right now is SofiaDate, no doubt. It has tens of thousands of potential partners, very detailed profiles, a lot of convenient messaging tools and some really interesting extra features such as gift delivery. It’s a trusted and reputable Ukrainian dating site that is 100 percent worth a try.
How do Ukrainian dating sites work?
Like other online dating sites, they have various communication tools (like video calls and text chats), they have matchmaking features and/or search filters and you can browse the profiles, search for a match and contact her. The only difference from your average American dating site is that the websites with Ukrainian girls are typically not 100 percent free to use.
Is it possible to meet Ukrainian women online?
It’s 100 percent possible, but only if you use the best Ukraine dating sites. These platforms have thousands of girls who’d like to meet foreign men for long-term relationships, so it’s definitely possible to find a partner there.
Do Ukrainian women speak English?
Yes, they do. Although Ukraine isn’t one of those top countries regarding the English Proficiency Index, the girls who are searching for Western men on online dating sites have better English skills than the national average.
The editorial staff of the East Bay Express was not involved in the creation of this content. The content is for general information and does not constitute the financial, medical or professional advice of this publication. Readers should consult qualified professionals regarding their individual circumstances. The East Bay Express disclaims any liability for loss or damage resulting from reliance on this content.
Small talk doesn’t have to be tedious for those who are curious about how people make a living in the Bay Area. There seem to be endless ways to make money here—and if someone asks someone what they do for a living, they often receive more than one answer.
What does that reality do to a person’s life and trajectory? If we need multiple sources of income to survive but can’t commit to one path long enough to advance, are we moving forward—or just staying afloat?
I’m also challenging my own biases. As a freelance writer, my financially necessary day job often keeps me from pouring myself into the creative work I find most fulfilling.
For some, security means a regulated schedule, consistent salary and benefits. For others, multiple income streams offer a greater sense of stability, according to labor researcher Jane Collins, Ph.D.
“There was a lot of talk about feeling overwhelmed and like you couldn’t give your full attention to each job,” Collins said. “But then other people were saying, ‘I don’t want to be doing 9-to-5 work.’ They like combining different things, using different skills. Or they could lose that main job at any time, so they have to have something to fall back on.”
In her 2024 paper, The Semi-Proletarian Lifestyle in the Twenty-First Century, Collins examines the historical context of multiple jobholding and what she describes as “having to do a lot of different things to survive.”
Wage stagnation is a major factor. “Since at least 1980 … wages have stayed flat in a way that historically we haven’t seen before,” Collins said. “They’ve risen, but they haven’t risen much more than the rate of inflation.”
Employers often offset labor costs by cutting hours and by hiring significantly more part-time workers or non-employed contracted workers, who they aren’t required to pay employment taxes on. This reduces the cost of benefits, as large companies with over 50 employees are required to offer health coverage to employees working 30-plus hours a week, per the Affordable Care Act.
After the 2021 “Great Resignation,” the balance of power briefly shifted toward workers—but in 2026, the job market feels far less certain.
“That job posting you applied to three weeks ago? It was never real,” wrote Erik Chavez, 40, a senior solutions engineer at Microsoft and founder of the AI startup Jobric. A recruiter told him a role had been listed for eight months with no intention to fill it.
“Let’s be honest, searching for a job is exhausting,” Chavez said. “You’re scrolling endless job boards, sifting through LinkedIn posts, fielding recruiter messages, reaching out to everyone you know, hoping for a lead … . Nearly every tool in this space was built for employers and recruiters, not candidates.”
Chavez built Jobric on the side to address that imbalance. For him, multiple streams of work aren’t about survival but about ambition. Being the head engineer of his own project along with a full-time job keeps Chavez’s schedule tight, but dedication to problem-solving keeps him focused.
“Start small, stay consistent and increase the intensity as you build momentum,” he said. “Between a demanding full-time role and the hours I’m putting into Jobric, it would be easy to let self-care slip. But that’s a trap.”
Work-life balance can be an afterthought, especially for entrepreneurs, freelancers and business owners. These individuals may have diverging lifestyles and challenges, but a strong work ethic is the link they share.
Leilani Lawson offers a different perspective. A bartender, Lyft driver, in-home caretaker, hairstylist, student and single mother, she pieces together income across the East Bay.
“I don’t have a social life really right now—that’s nonexistent,” Lawson said. “So that’s what I love about bartending; I love to network and socialize.”
Raised in foster care, Lawson learned early how to survive. “Before you even turn 18 it’s, ‘How am I going to get my next meal? Where am I going to sleep tonight?’ You learn how to hustle.”
In adulthood, that survival instinct became entrepreneurship. She studies cosmetology, braids hair and approaches potential clients directly: “I’ll literally [ask], ‘Who braids your hair?’” she said.
Lawson is an example of someone who speaks her ambition into reality by unapologetically asserting herself. Though her schedule is hectic, she values the freedom that comes with having various sources of income.
“Doing multiple things, I’m able to change my environment,” she said. “I hate feeling stagnant and stuck, so being able to switch up my roles and switch up my jobs gives me that freedom. Living in the Bay Area, you can pick up a hustle at the drop of a dime.”
During her 10-year career as a bartender, Lawson developed sharp skills and built great success in that industry. However, after losing a lucrative bartending job when The Moxie closed, Lawson expanded into in-home care for greater stability. The role now provides benefits and a sense of purpose.
“I really do like to look after people and help people,” she said.
Talking with Lawson and Chavez reshaped how I think about work. What I once saw as a burden can, in some cases, be reframed as flexibility—or even opportunity. Not because we should commit to grating work for the sake of conventional success, but because opportunities are vast when we assert ourselves. I’m only doing too much if I’m doing the wrong thing.
But that reframing comes with a cost. For some, multiple jobs are a path to growth. For others, they’re the only way to stay afloat.
In the Bay Area, doing “too much” may simply be what it takes to get by—or to get ahead.
People faced with incongruous truths or unanswerable questions often say, “Life’s a mystery.” While the cliché is escapist, there’s no denying life is thick with improbability.
Which explains how Oakland-native Ted Lange as an actor came to portray both Isaac Washington, the upbeat, mustachioed bartender on television’s The Love Boat (1977-1986) and, years later, one of Shakespeare’s most tragic characters, Othello. Adding intrigue to Lange’s biography is a network of unexpected facts: among them, gaming with British actress Lynn Redgrave led him to attend London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts; and while directing and writing for television and film, Lange has also penned over 27 original plays and become deeply immersed in Shakespearian history.
Apropos to the current moment is one question that since 1967 has stuck like a burr in Lange’s mind: Did Shakespeare actually pen Othello, or was it Edward DeVere, Christopher Marlowe or Sir Francis Bacon? Lange is convinced the play’s disputed authorship is a topic ripe for today’s audiences. Fittingly, the African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco presents Lange’s Shakespeare Over My Shoulder, opening May 15. The show’s three-week run has Black actors portraying three of the white historical figures—DeVere, Marlowe and Sir Francis Bacon—with Shakespeare played by a white actor.
From decades of research, Lange knows the foursome met at the White Heart Tavern in 1593 when the bubonic plague had shuttered London’s theaters. The new play is anchored in history, but also delivers a story beyond scholarly discourse. Lange’s naturally buoyant imagination and enthusiasm for drama does not exclude humor. Embedded in the play’s weighty factual, social, racial and authorship implications is witty entertainment.
In an interview, Lange says that his authorship suppositions in his latest play have evidentiary foundation, and his practical approach to playwriting is long-held. “Years ago, I wrote a prequel to Othello because Black people saw me doing Othello and some of the stuff they didn’t get,” he says. “I did a Twelfth Night. I tossed out the Shakespeare songs, put in Bob Marley. I kept the text’s iambic pentameter, but it takes a minute for your ear to adjust to that. The songs helped the audience stay in the theater until their ears adjusted and they got it.”
Lange emphasizes that the new play guarantees laughter and the opportunity to learn a great deal about Shakespeare. Audiences will also encounter topics for deep reflection.
“My play is historical fact wrapped into theater,” he says. “I call myself a footnote historian. Because whenever they deal with the history of a Black person in an American event, we’re a footnote. I’ve written another play about John Brown at Harper’s Ferry. They talk about Brown’s sons and there were five Black guys with him, and they barely mention these guys. And my play about George Washington, I wrote it from the perspective of William Lee, his favorite slave who he freed on his deathbed.”
Bringing this new play to the Bay Area holds particular significance. “I grew up in Oakland and did Shakespeare at 14,” Lange says. “I played Macbeth in junior high school, then again in high school. I played Romeo in 1968 in San Francisco.”
He adds, “I have a love for Shakespeare, and it was born here in the Bay Area. It started at the First Episcopal Church on Bush and Gough doing Romeo and Juliet for two years. So, you start at 14 with an awareness of Shakespeare and you come back in your 70s and still love doing it.”
Lange recalls growing up in the 1960s, an era that included the Black Panthers and the Free Speech movement. His mother was a powerful example of a Black woman moving confidently in a predominantly white, male world.
“She worked for John Shelley, the mayor of San Francisco, then Scott Newhall, editor of the Chronicle,” Lange says. “And my father, he brought his friends who were Black Hollywood actors to the house. They talked to me about the business.
“My mom’s favorite statement to me was, ‘Teddy, there’s room at the top, it’s the bottom that’s crowded.’ I carry that with me. I’m not letting prejudices hold me back. That’s part of being a Black man in America,” Lange continues.
Multiple experiences created the sturdy architecture of Lange’s primary philosophies and habits. Participation in a KQED talk show that had high school students voicing opinions about the Vietnam War, free speech and being a Black person in the Bay Area established his critical thinking skills.
“Black people in America have always dealt with the negative,” he says. “We told people for years about how police we called ‘pigs’ treated Black people. Finally, when George Floyd is killed and it’s shown on television, white people get it. It’s like Black music that white people used to call ‘race music.’
“When Elvis Presley started doing it, they called it rock ’n’ roll and called him the King,” Lange adds. “White folks have been known to take credit for things they haven’t invented or done, so when someone says that Shakespeare didn’t actually write all those plays, I say, ‘Let me investigate.’”
Society at large taught Lange a way to survive. “If a Black man starts yelling at a white person for injustice, they don’t hear that,” he says. “I learned to debate without rage.”
Writing and directing The Love Boat episodes provided specific lessons. Lange learned the craft of writing: about structure, characterization, plot progression, fact checking. “The whole thing is opportunity,” he says. “Television can give a rap people use not for you but against you. I can’t listen to that. I wrote a play about Michelangelo and Love Boat episodes. How does that make sense? I just have to do my art.”
For all his positivity, Lange says America’s perennial, pervasive racism cannot be denied. He remembers once being the only Black person in the lobby during the intermission of the opera, La Boheme. “There was a white woman who saw my Black face and was so surprised, she walked right into a pole,” he says. “But I say art has no color. Writing this play—yes, a Black man writing about Shakespeare—the train is racing down the track and the cast and I are having a ball.”
In the midst of pandemic lockdowns, Zoom classes, wildfires and family life, Vanessa Hua went for an early morning walk in her neighborhood, where the East Bay Hills descended into leafy suburbia. The resulting scene helped trigger her new novel, Coyoteland.
“I’m walking and I hear what sounds like high heels clattering, almost like ladies outside of a nightclub,” Hua says. “And I turn, and it’s the clatter of deer hooves. I see a coyote running at me full speed, chased by two deer.”
Astonished at how the wildlife trio eventually ran right past her, Hua began thinking about predator, prey and territory. At the same time, the country was going through a racial reckoning over police brutality. Northern California wildfires transformed Bay Area skies into apocalyptic expanses of red-orange and gray. The emotional, wary moment was filled with potential material.
Unlike other canonical works that might feature the urban landscape as an actual character, Coyoteland instead captures the machinations of upmarket suburbia in all its forms. In the fictional hamlet of El Nido, real estate syndicates and NIMBY coalitions mobilize to outmaneuver each other. Housing developments threaten people, but not people the builders expected to threaten. White nuclear families dismiss their own mixed-race ancestry while exhibiting fear over their mixed-race neighbors. Jocks, nannies and alienated teenagers interact in unpredictable ways. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else, and everyone has something to hide.
The suburb as character arrives as a wonderful follow-up to one of Hua’s previous novels, A River of Stars, which took readers deep into the gritty underbelly of San Francisco’s Chinatown, in ways clearly informed by Hua’s career as a newspaper reporter. For Coyoteland, she fled across the bridge to the East Bay Hills.
“I’ve written about cityscapes or covered it as a journalist,” Hua says, “but I felt like suburbia, or in particular these suburbs that really sit at that urban-wildlife interface, was a really interesting territory to be able to mine for a novel.” She adds some data about how the ’burbs have diversified over the last 30 years. Demographics are not as clear cut as before, especially when it comes to who sides with who, and for what cause.
“We have a situation where it’s more different—people’s backgrounds, what kind of conflicts, what kind of alliances might spring up that are unexpected, that go beyond surface level binaries of race relations that are usually posited for the country,” Hua says.
Suburbia is a lot more complicated these days. And what better way to explore it than in a novel?
In Coyoteland, the characters operate in a shifting morass of plot and counterplot. Jin and Kai Chang move into their newly purchased home, right next door to Blair Belle and her husband Sam, whose plot to develop a former walnut grove into lifelessly uniform housing is about to hit a few snags. Unbeknownst to the Belles, the Changs are secretly trying to derail the Bellavista project because it will interfere with their own plot to flip their house at the behest of their Chinese benefactors.
At the same time, each family’s kids become embroiled in their own dramas, along with insufferable suburban neighborhood association types, establishing other dimensions of problems for the Changs, the Belles and their kids. We then relish the relentless uneasiness, never quite knowing just who is backstabbing who or which scheme is about to backfire any second.
The universal perspective soon emerges, speaking to a larger idea: We never really know what’s going on with anybody. We never really know someone else’s story, especially our neighbor’s. Even when people make questionable decisions, we want to know what drove them to it, why they felt compelled to do so, even with the best of intentions.
As the collisions of nature and the built environment transform suburban California, so do they transform the novels of suburbia. Coyoteland is a welcome addition.
Vanessa Hua will read from ‘Coyoteland: A Novel’ at 2pm on Saturday, May 16, at Orinda Books, 276 Village Square, Orinda. orindabooks.com
The story goes like this: In 1969, Hugh Nanton Romney Jr. was lying on stage at the Texas International Pop Festival, when he asked the conga drummers not to dance on the “wavy gravy.” B.B. King came onstage and asked him, “Are you Wavy Gravy?” Romney responded, “Yes, sir,” and afterwards, considering this a “mystical experience,” he legally changed his name. And Wavy Gravy he still is, as he prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday at a benefit for the Seva Foundation on May 16 at San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium.
Mr. Gravy, as the New York Times would refer to him, has perhaps an unmatchable counterculture resume, including founding the activist collective The Hog Farm, which created Woodstock’s “security,” the Please Force. (Its enforcement weapons were cream pies and seltzer bottles); rooming with Bob Dylan in the early ‘60s in Greenwich Village; becoming the official clown for the Grateful Dead; and founding the Phurst Church of Phun, a “secret clown society” dedicated to ending the Vietnam War.
But, wait! That’s just the tip of the Big Red Nose. Add: Founding the “Nobody for President” campaigns of 1976 and 1980, which ran on the slogans “Nobody’s Perfect,” “Nobody Keeps All Promises,” “Nobody Should Have That Much Power,” and “Who’s in Washington right now working to make the world a safer place? Nobody!” And not least, having a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor named for him (RIP 2001).
It hasn’t all been really large clown shoes. Gravy also founded performing arts Camp Winnarainbow in 1975, which has served tens of thousands of kids 7-14, and, arguably most importantly, in 1978, he co-founded Berkeley’s Seva Foundation with Ram Dass and physician Larry Brilliant. Seva’s mission to prevent blindness now operates in more than 20 countries. Its programs have given back sight to more than three million people through surgery, self-sufficient eye care systems, and low-cost manufacturing of intraocular lenses, according to the foundation’s website.
He’s produced multiple music benefit concerts for Seva over the years, including events with the Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, and many others. But Seva executive director Kate Moynihan said that is only part of his contribution.
“Wavy is the heart and soul of Seva,” she said. “His love of humanity, commitment to the dignity of people, joy for living, and his influence [telling us] that while the work is indeed serious, we should never take ourselves seriously. Nearly 50 years later, his philosophy continues to influence and guide our work that serves nine million people a year.”
He has also visited many of the countries Seva serves. Said Moynihan, “One of the most iconic stories is how Wavy entertained children with art and ‘bubbles’ while the doctors performed some of the earliest cataract surgeries.”
The upcoming birthday party isn’t the only tribute to him, she said. “Staff and partners across 400 hospitals aim to honor him every day by helping people see. We do that because we uphold the original intention behind why he and others established Seva: combining great science, a commitment to data and evaluation, with a firm commitment to a shared love of humanity. This year, we are launching a special campaign to raise more than $2 million for Seva Partners to screen and care for children.”
The May 16 benefit/birthday bash will be quite the do, featuring artists Todd Rundgren, Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle and Maria Muldaur. Also scheduled to perform, among others, are Cat Power, as well as The Moldy Peaches, the “antifolk” band from NYC, and what the site describes as “very special guests.” Also, of course, an appearance by the Gravy. Each ticket purchased will help provide at least one sight-saving surgery through Seva.
Time to get on the Gravy train.
Wavy Gravy’s 90th Birthday: A Benefit for Seva, 7pm, May 16, The Masonic Auditorium, 1111 California St., San Francisco. $47-119; Tickets here, VIP packages available. 415.343.7582.
Noemi Zeigler aka Madeline Minx is many things. She’s a Buddhist and a teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She’s also been a guest lecturer at Stanford, UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California (USC). She’s an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, music video director and performance artist with an MFA in directing from the AFI. But there’s also a lighter, funnier side to Zeigler. It’s this part of her personality she taps into with “The Madeline Minx Cabaret: Still Not Domesticated.” By using old VHS tapes, she blends storytelling with audience interactions, ’90s pop covers and stand-up for a fast-paced show that goes from her brushes with fame to what her larger-than-life Jewish mother has to say about it all. – MAT WEIR
A meeting in 2025 over a cup of tea in Alam Khan’s teaching room in Seattle between Khan and South African guitarist Derek Gripper sparked an immediate connection: Both were fascinated with the musical traditions of their birth continents. Khan studied for years under his renowned father, Ali Akbar Khan, and is a master of Indian raga improvisation. Gripper’s love for the 21-string West African kora led him to years of work translating its complex rhythms to the guitar. In the recently released video Francesca, the two sit cross-legged on the floor, listening intimately to each other as they exchange and intertwine notes from guitar and sarod. This is music as meditation. – JANIS HASHE
Recording her new album, Corrientes, San Francisco-bred multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and femmetón standard-bearer La Doña traveled across Latin America, collaborating with an array of artists. Her travels played a key role in expanding her already capacious stylistic palette, adding bachata, merengue and son jarocho to her groove-laden repertoire which blends cumbia, reggaeton, ranchera and salsa. At a career crossroads where she seems to be considering paths outside of performing and teaching music, La Doña continues to create music that helps define the Bay Area sound. The double bill also features the Puerto Rican synth-pop duo Buscabulla, a project of Raquel Berríos and Luis Alfredo Del Valle. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 7:45pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $45. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, MAY 16
SOUL
CIMAFUNK
Cimafunk looks both forward and back: back to the Cimarrons, enslaved Africans who escaped the Spanish and created their own nation in Panama, forward to a futuristic blend of global genres rich with Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk swagger and soul. He approaches funk with the curiosity of a student and the confidence to rewrite the syllabus. With La Tribu, his nine-piece band from Havana, Cimafunk has brought his big personality and powerhouse sound to Coachella, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, NPR’s Tiny Desk and stages across the world. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Sat, 8pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $33. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, MAY 16
METAL
POOLSIDE AT THE FLAMINGO
Formed in 2005, this is one of the Myspace bands that never fell off and only got better with age. Their riffs are brutal, their drums are like bullets to the chest and singer Scotty Bohnen’s vocals are some of the grittiest, dirtiest and most guttural ever recorded. Poolside at the Flamingo is a visceral journey into the depths of madness in the best possible way. Word to the wise, this show isn’t for the weak, faint of heart or any fan of Jack Johnson. – MW
Prince Daddy & the Hyena, a band that deserves all the hyphens in punk-rock-emo, has an anxious, screamy side and a big, fun, poppy side. Formed in Albany’s DIY scene, the quartet has pushed through near-disaster, personal loss and constant reinvention without sanding down their chaos. Sometimes abrasive, sometimes disarmingly catchy, frontman Kory Gregory can deliver songs that feel both frayed and cathartic. New album Hotwire Trip Switch is the band at their most earwormy, 12 eclectic songs that stand on their own, spiraling through self-doubt, humor and emotional turbulence. – SBB
Notes placed in lunchboxes exist throughout history as lifelines. A note from a mom or dad in a lunch sack soothes separation anxiety. In Berkeley Rep’s new musical adaptation of Ritesh Batra’s film directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin, the missive placed in a misdirected lunch delivery in Mumbai causes a young married woman and a widower nearing retirement to become improbable pen pals. Enraptured, they continue communicating and as their hearts surrender, connection and hope rise. What does it mean to be brave? Not sure, but slip a note in a loved one’s lunchbox if the answer is revealed. Goes until June 28. – LOU FANCHER
After more than 30 years, Kurt Rosenwinkel is still innovating, composing for and improvising on jazz guitar. He began studying the instrument at age 12 and since that time has absorbed and incorporated multiple musical influences—Eric Clapton guested on his 2017 album Caipi and Q-Tip collaborated on two other albums. An influential bandleader, Rosenwinkel is also helping to teach a new generation of jazz guitarists. NPR said of his 2009 album, Live at the Village Vanguard, “A guitarist whose harmonic ideas and sinuous, legato approach make him readily identifiable, Rosenwinkel is arguably the most beloved jazz guitarist of his generation.” – JH
While he spent much of the 1970s touring with the Stan Kenton Orchestra and trumpet-star Maynard Ferguson, Peter Erskine became one of the fusion era’s definitive drummers when he joined electric-bass legend Jaco Pastorius in the rhythm section of Weather Report in 1978. A longtime professor at USC’s Thornton School of Music, he’s a drummer for all styles and seasons and couldn’t have stronger partners than trio-mates pianist Alan Pasqua and bassist Scott Colley who he brings north for a series of gigs. As an ensemble they improvise with poise, power and prodigiously inventive melodicism. – AG
INFO: Wed, 5:30pm and 8pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30-$35. 510.547.8188.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
LIVE CONVERSATION
CHAKA KHAN
No one can sit still when listening to “I Feel For You,” arguably Chaka Khan’s greatest hit. Along with “Tell Me Something Good,” another transformational “set your stuff on fire” song, and her anthemic “I’m Every Woman,” the pop, soul, jazz, gospel and funk Rock & Roll Hall of Fame queen rules the roost. With multiple Grammy awards, high-profile philanthropic endeavors and a stellar, 50-plus-year career, Khan has stories to tell. Hosted by talk show host and filmmaker Chann Berry, the show presents storytelling, music, conversation, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness music history remembered and being made anew. – LF
Fog Lamp came together in West Oakland during the pandemic lockdown. Aaron Firestone, the band’s singer and main lyricist, started jamming with his friend Adam Selken. They decided what direction to take as the band evolved.
“We tried a bunch of different configurations,” Firestone says. “We both played guitar and synthesizer. Adam also plays several other instruments and programmed computer drums for the first couple of years and our first two albums.
“I met another keyboard player, Leslie [Allred], when I was hanging out at The Lodge in Oakland,” Firestone continues. “I mentioned that Adam and I were looking to add more low-end sounds to our songs. Leslie said he played bass, if we were looking for a bass player. I asked him if he had a bass synthesizer. He did, so he joined up.”
The trio started perfecting their sound at their Oakland rehearsal space, Coconut Canyon West. “Most of the songs start with riffs Adam works up,” Firestone says. “I’ll separately write lyrics and see what fits the theme of the song he’s come up with. Leslie writes his parts to accompany the melodies Adam’s written. I started on guitar, but slowly moved into just singing.”
After the trio coalesced, they made two albums, Conversation? and Anxious Stargazing. “We recorded them at our rehearsal studio, using a drum machine,” Firestone says. “I overdubbed the vocals at Adam’s house. He wanted me to take an aggressive approach to my singing, so he got me drunk and I yelled most of the vocals. On our new album, Still Entangled, I wanted to take a more tuneful approach, so I went back and forth between yelling and singing, adding more melodies to my yelling.”
They also added a drummer to the lineup. “Rachelle Hughes was in another band,” Firestone says. “They told us to look them up if we ever wanted to add a live drummer. They introduced us to Kurt Schlegal, who produced Still Entangled, the first album we made in an actual studio. We recorded in January 2025, at Kurt’s Lucky Recording in Brisbane. It was very cold when we were there, and that probably helped us focus. Kurt weighed in from time to time with his opinions, which were always helpful.”
Firestone says the band played the songs live, together. “We’re a band,” he says. “We don’t do a lot of jamming or solos. All the parts contain rhythm and melody, with Rachelle holding down the groove. We’re constantly changing up the rhythms and melodies as we go along, to amplify our message.”
“Library Cop” opens with Hughes laying down a fractured drum beat. The band jumps in with a stuttering rhythm as Firestone describes a cop peering over the shoulders of people to see what they’re reading, a metaphorical take on the censorship the current administration is trying to apply. “Death of Idealism” describes the dread people feel when good intentions don’t produce meaningful results. A chiming guitar hook rides a dark synthesizer rhythm over a pop/punk beat as Firestone delivers an ironic vocal.
Like many current bands, Fog Lamp writes honestly about today’s social issues and political realities, lightening things up with a dose of sardonic humor. “When we play live, people clap and cheer,” Firestone says. “A few people sing along, here and there. I think our audiences are mostly left-leaning. Folks that don’t agree with us haven’t confronted us yet. We want to encourage people to question the path that has been laid out for them.”
The band is largely self-contained, handling their own booking and publicity. They have their music up on YouTube, along with a few videos they’ve put together. Firestone made their most recent video effort, for the song “Uncomfortable Laughter.”
“I used live footage with a desert scape, as well as found footage that has to do with the lyrical content,” Firestone says. “I would rather have people formulate their own ideas, rather than going into it too much.
“YouTube helps us get the word out and we try to play a gig about once a month, to get heard by new people,” he adds. “We’re slowly but surely building a following, but we all have day jobs. And three of us are also going to college, so it’s a lot to juggle.”
Fog Lamp will play at 8pm on Thursday, May 21, at Spats, 1974 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 510.841.7255. Listen to Fog Lamp at: foglamp.bandcamp.com. Instagram: @spatsbar. Watch the video for “Uncomfortable Laughter” here.
Having survived both the wild winds of the pandemic and the wild swings of the music industry, the Pacific Mambo Orchestra remains grounded and surprisingly invigorated. Led since 2010 by co-founders trumpeter Steffen Kuehn and pianist Christian Tumalan, the Grammy-winning, 20-piece ensemble recently released a new MP3 single, “Suite Tito Puente.” In the track’s 12:33 minutes can be heard the unexpected mix people ironically expect from PMO: modern arrangements of classic Latin jazz music, traditional salsa tunes and boleros, covers of American jazz standards and R&B hits, and classical music such as Tumalan’s mambo arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s “Concerto #2 for Piano and Orchestra.”
Appearing May 22 in the Oakland Museum of California’s Friday Nights series, the orchestra will light up the crowd with the new release and other tunes. The event in addition to PMO includes a gallery chat, DJ Sizzle spinning out a genre-bending blend of beats and a salsa dance lesson with Ramón Ramos Alayo. Off the Grid food trucks, picnicking and access to galleries make it a celebratory stop to end the workweek.
In a phone interview two weeks before showtime, Tumalan admitted the pandemic was an incredible blow to the ensemble. “We’d been working on our third album [The III Side] and had big plans for it,” he said. “Right when we released it, the pandemic hit. We knew people might listen to it, but there was no chance to perform it before a live audience.”
It was a downer that took an emotional toll on everyone. What helped them rebound was strength found in their numbers. “When you’re a soloist or with a very small group, it’s very hard holding the boat,” he said. “With PMO, if I was having a rough time thinking of ideas, a singer or musician would say, ‘I have an idea.’ It compounds. If everyone keeps asking what we’ll be playing, the spirit to keep going is still there.”
The new release finds its origin in a performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. The venue’s intimate environment belies its production capabilities, which include multi-track recording and multiple video cameras. PMO’s production manager, Jimmy Goings, listened to a recording of the show and advised Tumalan and Kuehn to do the same.
“I did and thought, ‘Geez, this is good stuff,’” Tumalan said. “It’s fresh, organic. In the set is this tribute to Tito Puente that’s a single arrangement. It’s flawless and was worth mixing and polishing the equalization and levels. When that was done, I looked at the video and said to Steffen it was what we needed. The most important thing is that it captures the energy of how we play live.”
Among other highlights is a solo delivered by percussionist Carlitos Medrano in the track’s last two minutes. “He’s a remarkable conga player and transports me to Cuba,” Tumalan said. “With adding the last touch, when he sings ‘Guantanamera,’ it was the cherry on top. Listening to that song after all the fancy harmonies and horn arrangements was, for me, going back to our roots. It’s powerful, like a cycle of life.”
Tumalan said the piece is definitely on the set list for OMCA and, also, a June 12 Fiesta Cultural headliners appearance at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts.
Tumalan said PMO will not issue another full-length album in the coming year, but has “something cooking.” Pressed for more details, he added, “Nowadays, people appreciate singles. It’s how the industry is changing. We’ll have more new single releases, but we want it to be a surprise, so I won’t say more.”
What he did say is that PMO’s greatest priorities will remain unchanged. “Quality is always there,” he said. “It’s in how we present ourselves, our recording production [levels], our relationships with people contracting with us. And we want to keep integrity with anyone around the orchestra. Regardless of the musical climate, everything is done with those main ingredients. Quality and integrity aren’t just in the front, the performers, but in the administration, production crew and all the little details of organization.”
Wolfsbane is an herb and a poison. It’s also the name of Rupert and Carrie Blease’s new restaurant. When I spoke with Rupert Blease, the chef explained why he, his wife and their co-founder, Tommy Halvorson, chose the name. “In folklore, it was planted around villages to keep wolves at bay,” he said. “When you walk through our door,...
This article was contributed by HalfAccess.org
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