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Monday, July 21st

Review: Life In Your Way’s Final Show

It was a warm day with cool winds July 12, but inside the Heirloom Arts Theatre in Danbury, Conn. — filled with well over 400 fans, friends, and family — the atmosphere more resembled an enclosed swamp than the old warehouse/factory it once was. It was the night of Life In Your Way’s farewell show, and aside from the PA system issues and a willfully unprofessional soundman (both provided by the venue), the bittersweet proceedings were the very stuff of summer nights.

Gray Lines of Perfection and Saints Never Surrender started the night off with a split set of solid hardcore. They were both young bands in both senses of the phrase, but like most bands in that phase they had a lot of heart.

Wrench in the Works slammed out tracks from their Facedown Records debut, The Lost Art of Heaping Coal. Chaotic rock/metal in the vein of old Converge or Botch. There’s no chug-chug-whee here - just some raw pandemonium from three CT guys. Their album is amazing.

Means came along with solid and sincere melodic metalcore. In my somewhat humble opinion they may be the ones to carry the mantle, both artistically and spiritually, that Life In Your Way leaves behind.

Our Last Night, on Epitaph, filled the penultimate spot with aggressive and melodic metalcore that comes off live as something like Shai Hulud. No, I won’t mention anything about their ages.

Then it was Life In Your Way’s turn. Sadly, the aforementioned sound issues presented themselves in full force at the outset but were eventually remedied. They played over a dozen songs from all three over their full-length albums, even switching their lineups were appropriate and bringing up former members. The time taken to adjust the gear was filled nicely with quieter songs. Their final offering, Salty Grave, from Waking Giants, closed out the night fittingly as a positive song about death and rebirth.

Special kudos go out to the group of three or four teenage girls and one guy that I saw from the balcony, dancing near the merch tables like they didn’t have a care in the world. That made my night. Seriously.

Life In Your Way:

Means:

Wrench in the Works:

Saints Never Surrender:

Photos by:
Lockwood Photography
Ricky Chapman
Courtney Canfijn
Stacy Kellam

Life In Your Way - Fall

Written by Jay DiNitto
> Music, Review, Shows, Video | 12:00 pm |
More on: Botch, Converge, Gray Lines of Perfection, life in your way, Means, Our Last Night, Saints Never Surrender, Shai Hulud, Wrench in the Works

35 Responses to “Review: Life In Your Way’s Final Show”

On 07/21/08 12:49 PM, Philip said:

I’m really going to miss this band. I just got into them before “Waking Giants” came out, and they quickly became one of my favorites. Sucks when you start following a group one day, and they’re breaking up the next.

God bless them wherever they end up, whatever they end up doing.
On 07/21/08 1:07 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:

this was a great show. I played with LIYW back in like 1998 or 99… memories, yo.
On 07/21/08 1:26 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

Phil, some of them may be doing a new band, which is expected. It’s all up in the air though.
On 07/21/08 1:28 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

Wow, I just remembered I totally forgot to mention Our Last Night.

They were good. Couldn’t hear any vocals because of the sound. Blah.
On 07/21/08 2:15 PM, jordan said:

Jay were you one of the former members that played that night?
On 07/21/08 2:37 PM, jesstaylor said:

I’m crying.
I don’t think you guys understand how much this band has helped shape and make me who I am today.

I wish I could have been there, one last time to tell them all thank you- just to let them know.

Thanks for the follow up Jay. I’m glad you got to be there, friend.
On 07/21/08 2:51 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

Jordan, do you know how many people there asked me the same question there?

I didn’t play. We/they reasoned that those songs I was involved with were so far back that no one would know them.
On 07/21/08 3:05 PM, Brian said:

I’m going to miss LIYW… what a consistently great band!
On 07/21/08 3:19 PM, alex d. said:

So sad I missed the show. This band will be sorely missed. never got their due.

Seth, was that show you mentioned at Eastern back in the day? Fond memories. Great line-up: LIYW (with Jay I believe), Solace, the Operation, mewithoutYou, seth himself, boywunder?
On 07/21/08 3:38 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:

alex d., no… the Black Room, in upstate NY. Waaaay back.
On 07/21/08 3:43 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

SETHHHH we talked about that Eastern show at the….show. Haha. alex d has a great memory (yes, I played there). That was the exact lineup.
On 07/21/08 3:46 PM, Simón said:

Salty Grave is one of the few songs I ever bothered to listen to, but it is also one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard.
I get chills hearing “let it be a sweet, sweet song.”
Ah, I’m getting them thinking about it!
On 07/21/08 4:05 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:

oh yea… well, that show, too. I was all over the place. whatever. shuttup. hahha
On 07/21/08 4:31 PM, joe said:

aww man im going to miss them so bad.
On 07/21/08 8:02 PM, Tim said:

I’m going to miss this band to no end and the energy was that show was incredible.
The few gang vocals Life In Your Way had/have were deafening because of that crowd and I’m proud that I was there.

And although, I never got the honor of seeing Jay with LIYW but I did get soaked in a waterbottle war between Andrew Bradley and Jay that night.

I was also there for Seth’s Black Room debut along with LIYW and Solace.
I was 13 I think. I’m 22 now.
Good times.
On 07/21/08 10:54 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

Tim- nice bro. It was fun, eh?

I added about 5 photos to the LYW section, taken by my friend Ricky Chapman. He took so many good ones but I didn’t want to overload the post. AMAZING shots. Look at them now or I’ll ban ur IP OMG@!
On 07/22/08 1:43 AM, Matt said:

The show at Eastern as great.
On 07/22/08 1:43 AM, Matt said:

was great.
On 07/22/08 12:23 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:

Hahah, Tim — 13 huh? That’s rad.
On 07/22/08 3:26 PM, PJ said:

If you ask me, it’s not a LIYW show without a pair of Croakies on guitar.
On 07/22/08 7:41 PM, TOYS THAT KILL said:

I’m not sure who wrote this article, but in no way is “Means” the next Life In Your Way. Id totally would say “Gray Lines Of Perfection” are the next LIYW. Have you heard their recent release? It sounds like Waking Giants.
On 07/22/08 7:44 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

I wrote it.

I disagree.
On 07/23/08 12:46 AM, jesstaylor said:

Jay- I agree on the Means front.

And also- those pix you just added are amazing.
Where could I find the rest of them?
On 07/23/08 7:18 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

jesstaylor- there are links to the pro photographers in the post.
On 07/23/08 1:57 PM, rino said:

sorry buddy, but if we are comparing means to gray lines, gray lines blows. ya they may sound the same but as far as musical ability and song structure is concerned, i would have to say means is better suited to carry the LIYW torch. They will actually evolve over the years to give people a glimpse of what LIYW would have been if they were still together.
On 07/23/08 4:18 PM, TOYS THAT KILL said:

Okay, will maybe Means can carry the torch, but not with their recent release. Maybe with their first facedown release, buut the new one doesn’t sound anything close to LIYW.

P.S. Gray lines is still better though, compared to Means new album which sucks. sorry.
On 07/23/08 4:58 PM, One Crushing Blow said:

Everyone is so butthurt nowadays. Whatever. I love almost every band mentioned here, and I’m glad I got to see Life in Your Way back on Mother’s Day. I’m going to miss them, for sure.
On 07/24/08 6:24 AM, jesstaylor said:

aw shoot, jay-
my bad- i over-looked those.
On 07/24/08 7:39 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

It’s cool, jess. Our opinions are useless, remember.

toys, I’m not basing it completely on which band sounds closer to LYW.
On 08/3/08 7:36 PM, XGodfilledyouthX said:

Means is a more mature band but I don’t think they have found a comfortable sound that fits them yet. Gray Lines of Perfection on the other hand is still a young band and from what I’ve seen from their new cd and live performances, they are a very promising band. I enjoy Gray Lines more because they are fresh, but as far as skill goes Means is a better band. I still LOVE both. Life in Your Way is my favorite band and have been sense Ignite and Rebuild. Its sad to see them go, but other bands will come and I’m excited to see whats next. And to anyone that thinks they need LIYW because they helped you through hard times or something, God helped you not a band. God uses music but is not limited to it.
On 08/4/08 12:20 PM, jesstaylor said:

The Lord helped me THROUGH them.
On 08/6/08 10:46 AM, XGodfilledyouthX said:

Yeah that’s what I just said. But he will help you without them as well. He can help you through anyone or anything. That’s what I was saying. And it wasn’t personal, you aren’t the only one who’s going to miss their guidance and message. ILY LIYW LOL!
On 08/6/08 3:17 PM, jesstaylor said:

I know, friend…
I just wanted to clear that up- because if you misinterpret me, other may as well.

: )
On 09/26/08 1:00 PM, BUZZGRINDER » Means Breaks Up said:

[...] saw these guys play Life In Your Way’s last show, after listening to them for awhile, and thought they were great. They’ll be missed. Photo by [...]
On 11/7/08 6:46 PM, BUZZGRINDER » Life In Your Way and With Honor’s Final Shows, Redux said:

[...] also: Review: Life In Your Way’s Final Show Written by Jay DiNitto > Shows | 6:45 pm | More on: life in your way, Our Final Say, The Risk [...]

Monday, July 21st

Review: Life In Your Way’s Final Show

35 Responses to “Review: Life In Your Way’s Final Show”

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