On Monday I went to The Showcase Theatre in Corona California to see xDEATHSTARx, and Embrace Today. I got there before the doors opened and hung out with everyone, and caught up with some old friends outside until xDEATHSTARx took the stage.

I havent seen xDEATHSTARx play a decent venue since I left the band 6 months ago, so I was excited. It was strange to not be on the stage at showcase, but cool at the same time. They opened up with 2 new songs that I didnt know, they were fast, heavy and all around good. I moshed the entire set. Its really different when you are on the other side of the music that you helped write, and going up for the sing-a-longs that you wrote. I did the guest vocals for Represent, and that really made me miss being in the band. Damn me for having a career that makes it hard to tour. All in all it was a great time, good kids on the floor dancing with me, and good friends on the stage.

After xDSX, Embrace Today went on. Talk about good. I love their music, their message, and the guys in general. The best part of the set for me was when they covered firestorm. It sucked that only about 10 kids at the show knew the words. What the hell happened to kids knowing who Earth Crisis is? "Firestorm" is the "Stairway to Heaven" of straight edge hardcore!

After Embrace Today was done, Massive Matt introduced me to the peacock brothers, and I interviewed them for a new podcast that Im going to start. We talked for about all sorts of things, from politics, to religion, to education. It was a really deep conversation. I learned a lot about those guys that I never knew, like how they were valedictorian and salutatorian of their high school, received full ride scholarships to college, but dropped out to be in embrace today. After all of that. I checked my mp3 recorder (my IEpod)… it didnt record any of it! stupid device! grrrrr! Im sure I will get a chance to talk to those guys again. They were awesome. Probably the best dudes I have met in a really long time.