When Eddie Witz first released ‘In California’ in 2024, it was a tribute to his home state—a reflection of its beauty. With the catastrophic Los Angeles fires that tore through Malibu, Pacific Palisades, its meaning has only deepened. They burned through Witz’s childhood memories, through his parents’ home, through the school where his children once played.
This new remixed and remastered version of ‘In California’ is a response to that tragedy. Witz turns his loss into something communal in support of the charity No Res Gourmet. ‘In California’ carries the weight of nostalgia but refuses to buckle under it. There’s an ache in Witz’s voice, but also defiance. With sun-drenched guitars, and percussive warmth, his lyrics, once a bittersweet ode, now serve as both a eulogy and a promise: we rebuild, we remember, we move forward.
Elevated by six-time Grammy-winning engineer Mauricio Iragorri and the masterful hands of Justin Gariano, the track breathes with fresh intensity. The rhythm section—Adam Topol and Randy Cooke—drives it forward with unwavering pulse, while Steve Fekete’s guitar work weaves through the song like the California coastline itself—vast, weathered, yet unwavering.
Music has the power to heal, and ‘In California’ is proof of that. It’s for the families who lost everything, for the communities picking up the pieces, for the California dreamers who refuse to let the fire take their spirit.