All of these questions were the most popular ones from our myspace page. If you have a new questions then please visit myspace.com/asilaydying . Thanks for supporting us! - tim

FAQ's

Are you guys Christians in a band or a Christian band?
I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band. If you truly believe something, then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very "preachy." Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a christian.

What did you do to get labels to notice As I Lay Dying?
We got signed the old fashion way. After funding a few of our own recordings, we sent out our best and newest songs to about 25 record labels. A few of them were interested and we eventually found Metal Blade to be the best home for us.

What is your favorite song from your own cds?
I personally like the way "94 Hours" has such abrupt tempo and mood changes but I also like the lyrical honesty of "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier."

How can you be a Christian band and go on tour with bands who represent themselves as evil, satan worshipers?
We hope to intelligently represent a faith that has been very misrepresented in the entertainment industry. There isn't much diversity of thought within metal music and I believe it is important for people to understand opposing views before drawing conclusions. I hope other bands and their fans have an open mind and respect for what we are saying, so it's fair for them to expect the same from us. If truth is the basis of our belief, then the questions other bands/fans have are an important way to understanding what/why we believe. Most of the bands we tour with would never hear a well represented explanation of Christianity if we just stayed home.

Where/who does your tattoos?
Some of my tattoos are old and you wouldn't care to know. Now I go to 454 Tattoo in Encinitas, CA (Brad Schneider). Some of my older work that I really like was done at Ace Tattoo in Ocean Beach, CA (Steve Smith).

Who are your musical influences?
Everyone in the band listens to totally different stuff. Anywhere from Disney tunes to brutal grinding metal. I'd say the few bands we all agree on in the classic metal genre. For one, Iron Maiden introduced a unique style of guitar melody. Bands like Living Sacrifice are less "classic" but I can safely say that we've all been influenced by their brutally mechanic sense of rhythm.

I am trying to form a band but I’m haunted by stage fright. Do you have any advice for me?
Try moving around so much that you’re never still enough to feel stupid.

Is there any correlation between your lyrics and the book As I Lay Dying?
Not at all.

Have any of you gone to college if so what did you major in?
Nick was one semester away from graduating with a degree in Literature, but our touring schedule became full time. I was three semesters away from a Philosophy degree.

How does Jordon tune his drums?
With his fingers, a drum key, and his ears.

Does Jordan use triggers?
No. If you come see us live, you will notice that we use two mics in each kick drum. If you take those and use a standard compressor, then you should be able to get a trigger consistency with a natural drum sound.

Clint, Nick, Phil - What kind of guitar/bass equipment do you use? Guitars/basses? Amps, heads? Cables? Pedals? Strings? How can I get your guitar tone?
Clint and Nick both have their gear listed in the Members section under the Band menu. Phil basically uses the same thing as Nick.

Phil and Nick, what tuning do you play in?
from low to high strings... C-G-C-F-A-D

Tim, what kind of PA do you use?
At practice and rehearsal I use a Carvin PA system. When we go on tour I use whatever PA the venue has.

How can I learn how to scream like Tim? Does Tim use any kind of vocal effects pedal?
Everyone's voice sounds best when they find the strong point of their range. Most of the guys I respect and look up to sound totally different from me and they are usually much quieter than me when it comes to a recording/live situation. I'm not sure why that is. I've learned to use my diaphragm and not lungs to breath, which also helps me make sure I'm not using my throat. As long as you aren't going to hurt yourself, I would just say go let loose and go all out. I don't use vocal effects or distortion but on a recording you might need some reverb to give the same feeling a big open venue might naturally have.

Does it get hot in San Diego?
San Diego is pretty close to perfect all year long if you live within 15 minutes of the beach. Inland it is a desert.

In the clean vocals in Distance is Darkness, what the heck are you singing? It sounds like something about an eggroll.
The singing part should repeat the two phrases "there is life" & "there is love", but I think it really ended up being "there is love" over and over. In the original lyrics the last two lines of the song were...
"underneath it all there is still life
despite it all there is still love"
Last minute in the studio we decided that simple was better.

Will you marry me? Anyone?
I can't speak for everyone so you'll have to ask each guy. I'm already.

What do you guys drink?
Spicy V-8 juice. (tim)

Can I be in your band?
Probably not.

Did you flip over Rob Zombie’s golf cart in Pittsburgh?
Blasko from Rob Zombie would always drive by me and smile on his way to catering, so I wanted to flip his cart over for not giving me a ride. But the truth is, it wasn't us and I had a great summer with Blasko.

Do you play Halo2 on X Box live?
Phil does.

Why do you wear your shirts inside out?
Sometimes I get free shirts but the logo is really poorly done. I don''t want to waste the whole shirt.

Tim, are you Greek?
Yes, as my last name suggests. Not 100% though.

Do you like Nirvana?
They were pretty good. I appreciate that they made all of the metal bands work harder because some of them were just getting lazy when it came to songwriting.

May I have your babies?
No, but adopting is a great idea. There are tons of babies that are in need of a loving family.

What’s up?
Not much today. I'm at home with my little puppy named Billy. I've been thinking about food for about 1/2 an hour but I'm too lazy to get up and make something.