We missed the Lonestar state. And friends. And beer.

Texas, we needed that.

Coming back after losing Sean was never going to be just another run of shows. We’ve missed him, and figuring out how to keep ZED moving has taken time. But with David Andrew Hechim on drums and Nico Santiago on lead guitar alongside Peter and Mark, we were ready to get loud again.

We kicked things off at Ripplefest Texas in Austin, closing out the Thursday night showcase at Sagebrush. Then we took the show to GROWL in Arlington on Friday and The Mix in San Antonio on Saturday. Three cities, three nights, and a whole lot of reminders of why we do this.

The Ripplefest set felt especially good. Mark “Yeti” Richard came in having never heard us before, and his Jam Yeti Music Blog review called us “awesome.” He said we brought the heavy grooves and riffs, “obliterated the place,” and gave the first night of Ripplefest a great ending. We’ll take that.

To everyone who showed up in Austin, Arlington, and San Antonio: thank you. Thanks to the bands we shared stages with, the people who put these shows together, and everyone who came up afterward to talk music. You made us feel at home a long way from San Jose.

We came back to Texas with some new faces and a lot on our hearts. We left knowing the next chapter is already underway.

ZED’s not dead yet.