A boutique Sonoma County festival that pairs indie music with small-batch winemakers in a redwood-framed riverside setting is entering a new era, complete with a new name and a new home.

Now called Analog Reunion -- formerly Cosmico -- the two-day gathering will take place May 15-16 at Wildhaven Sonoma, a glamping retreat along the Russian River just outside Healdsburg. Organizers announced the change last month. A limited-capacity VIP event will follow on May 17 at an undisclosed location.

In its third year, the festival moves from its previous site at Dawn Ranch but keeps its core formula intact: live performances from nationally touring indie acts alongside a curated showcase of 10 independent winemakers. This year's musical lineup includes The Heavy Heavy, Gilligan Moss, Maggie Koerner, Broken Compass Bluegrass, Reed Foehl and others.

Compass Bluegrass Reed Foehl

The weekend will again feature a wine camp, where vintners like Arnot-Roberts, Ryme Cellars, Lioco Wines, Rootdown, BloodRoot Wines, Trail Marker Wine Company and Marietta Cellars pour and discuss their bottles in an intimate setting, as well as a Kids Camp with family-friendly programming and the White Sage Market, highlighting regional artisans.

Festival founders Anne Driscoll and Chris Schultz said in a Feb. 26 phone interview that the rebrand reflects what they describe as the gathering's deeper purpose: cultivating presence, creativity and human connection in a digital age. The event is produced by their nonprofit, Launch Pad Foundation.

"Analog Reunion more fully embodies what we have been doing all along with the festival and want to continue to do," Schultz said. "There's a tinge of nostalgia in the word -- referencing (the) experiences we had before we all lived in a digital world. It's (also) the answer to some of the challenges we're facing."

Company and Marietta Cellars

He described the festival as an intentional counterpoint to social media saturation and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence; a weekend designed to draw people outdoors and into community through music and shared experience.

Schultz said that the festival feels like a reunion each year.

"We've found that people are (returning) because they have such an amazing, immersive, joyful experience," he said.

Beyond the headline

The name also ties into Schultz and Driscoll's broader creative work, including Schultz's book "Analog," released in October, and Analog Sessions, a two-day, screen-free cultural gathering set for March 6-7 at h2hotel that will include curated DJ sets, panel discussions with local cultural leaders such as Melissa Yanc of Quail & Condor, Jessica Martin of Peptoc and Circe Sher of Piazza Hospitality. Admission is free, though space is limited and registration is required.

While the March event offers a preview, Driscoll and Schultz said the May festival is conceived as a fully immersive nature retreat.

"This is a way to show that Analog (Reunion) is not one place -- it really is a feeling," Driscoll said. "We can create a totally unique, immersive atmosphere in a new venue."

October and Analog Sessions

Opening night in May will include a ramen dinner hosted by Naomi McLeod of Field Day + Creative. Saturday's expanded daytime programming will feature the wine camp, kids camp, DJ sets and artisan market leading into the evening's headline performances. A secret Sunday show will close the weekend.

"It's just magic," Driscoll said of the festival. "It's like coming to your ultimate Wine Country party."

Analog Reunion more fully embodies what we have been doing all along with the festival and want to continue to do.

Why this lands now

Openings get the attention, but it is the second and third year that decide whether a restaurant becomes part of a city's routine.

What to remember

  • A boutique Sonoma County festival that pairs indie music with small-batch winemakers in a redwood-framed riverside setting is entering a new era, complete with a new name and a new home
  • Called Analog Reunion -- formerly Cosmico -- the two-day gathering will take place May 15-16 at Wildhaven Sonoma, a glamping retreat along the Russian River just outside Healdsburg
  • "Analog Reunion more fully embodies what we have been doing all along with the festival and want to continue to do," Schultz said
  • "We've found that people are (returning) because they have such an amazing, immersive, joyful experience," he said
  • While the March event offers a preview, Driscoll and Schultz said the May festival is conceived as a fully immersive nature retreat

The bottom line

None of this settles the wider question. It does make one thing harder to ignore: the pressure in the dining room has shifted, and others will have to respond to it.