No Wasted Words from As I Lay Dying at Mr. Smalls in Millvale/Pittsburgh (interview, review, and pictorial)

“…the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time.”
― William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

Here I am at Mr. Smalls in Millvale, approaching my mid forties, hunched down in a pit, attempting to snap some pictures of bands half my age, playing to a crowd that for the most part is of high school age and praying for a two hour school delay due to the four to six inches of snow due to fall after midnight; and I love it. The metal bands of today are fierce, powerful, and highly entertaining. Tonight brings a line up that is rare and special. The Chariot, For Today, As I Lay Dying, and The Devil Wears Prada are all decimating crowds across America, and tonight (as well the next night) Pittsburgh is on the list.

What occurred was nothing short of an experience that makes true meaning of the above quote from Faulkner’s novel, from which the band we came to see and interview lifted their moniker. Life is about living and experience, and after having felt somewhat dead of the experiences that I so craved, I started this magazine to have these types of moments. Having the pleasure of getting to talk to people like As I Lay Dying‘s Jordan Mancino in the interview (below) as well as his bandmate Nick Hipa backstage is just part of what transforms my otherwise mundane life into something extraordinary. Getting to see bands of this caliber up close and personal and getting surprised by some of them (The Chariot) adds to the charm of this lifestyle my partners and I have taken on.

As I Lay Dying are a phenom live. Period. I have only had the pleasure of having seen them twice on this tour, but they are so tight and dead on it truly is impressive. The lights, smoke, and utter showmanship are just icing on the cake to a musicianship that comes from many years on the road and a brutal touring schedule that appears to be ahead well into the future due to the success of “Awakened”. We are truly blessed. And we left with big smiles on our faces and our metal hearts filled to the brim.

Check out the interview with Jordan…