New Music, New Adventures 2025 #4

Eating, drinking, & riding to at least one oldie re-imagined

New Music, New Adventures #4

The weather here in Palm Springs has been absolutely beautiful during the past week. With highs in the 70s and some slight breezes it is proof that this is THE place to be during the winter. The bad cold I had last week, which kept me out of circulation for a few days and put me into a temporary state of inner doubt and existential crisis, has morphed into an occasional cough which hasn’t kept me from hanging out with friends, hiking, and enjoying a couple of exhilarating bike rides.

Socially, it’s been another banner week with friends in town. Our neighbor Matt was in Palm Springs for a convention. We had a great evening together, including some satisfying Hendricks martinis.

Also, my very good and long-time friend Pat was here for the first of two trips this season. We enjoyed a night out with our other Chicago friends Jim, Loren, Steve, and Pete at an unusual art gallery/talk show that featured a very bear-ish guy in various stages of undressing for the eccentric host. Suffice to say, the wine was good!

Another big night with Chicago friends, including Marco and Elise, involved having dinner at Trilussa, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area. SO good!

Frank and I are very fortunate to continue to have so many people in our life wanting to spend time with us out here. It does get overwhelming as each week there’s one or two (or three) people in town putting us in entertaining mode. There’s lots of eating and drinking to be sure. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to spend three months somewhere without so many people I love coming in and out of town. I often crave quiet time alone but would I really want to have it all the time? A bit of panic sets in when my calendar isn’t full.

Still, I manage to find pockets of time to write, watch television (those Grammys…), do some grading for the one course I’m teaching online this year, and prepping for retirement (end of March) with my financial guy Derek.

I had some of my best moments this week out and about with new music blaring through the earbuds that I have a hard time keeping from falling out of my ears.

New Music from 20^th Century Hitmakers that Boomers and Gen X’ers Might Like:

Jethro Tull – Curious Ruminant

Yes, THAT Jethro Tull is back! This six-minute track from their upcoming album still feels rooted in all that made them such a unique and original band fifty years ago. I’m a sucker for Ian Anderson’s vocals and flute. There is something so simultaneously calming and energetic about what he does which is evident in this great new tune.

New Music from Contemporary Artists that Everyone Should Check Out:

Brigitte Calls Me Baby – Careless Whisper

Bridging the gap between old and new is this killer cover of George Michael’s 1985 monster hit. I love a good remake if it does something new and Brigitte Calls Me Baby does that here with an alt rock version that is never overdone or dominated by loud thumping guitars. Rather lead singer with his very 80s sounding voice brings the lyrics to the front and makes this highly emotional tune come alive in very contemporary way. Big fan of this one!

almost monday – holiday

I love these guys. Their songs are catchy, energetic, and very summer sounding. holiday is a new track from the deluxe version of their 2024 album DIVE, which made my Top Ten albums list several weeks ago. It possesses all that I like about the band and it reminds us about taking a break from life. Being here in Palm Springs, I concur!

Flora Hibberd – Auto Icon

A fellow Substacker (who I really should give credit to here but can’t recall who said it) has proclaimed Flora Hibberd’s new album as the one of the best of the year so far. I was unfamiliar with her before this, but Auto Icon got me from the get-go. I like the voice and production on this track and look forward to diving further into the rest of the album.

Link to my 2025 Playlist:

Spotify