Instead started as riff shown to me by former bass player Matt Dowling during the recording process of our first record. It quickly took the form of a song after my relationship with my fiance failed. It did a lot of morphing over the next year or so, all the way up to the mixing process of the record it was to debut on. The initial tracking of this song featured a full band intro that got cut. We decided to use the intro off of the solo demo I did our producer, Derek Garten, on an early visit to Tennessee in an attempt to not compromise the build of the song. I've always been a big fan of turning a small and intimate intro into a full blown 21 gun salute gradually over the course of the song... this was definitely the case with Instead. It starts off exactly how it needed to... quite, distant and somber. By the end of the song, however, with horns blaring separate but harmonious lines and the strings sustaining underneath the wall, we built it into something capable of sustaining life. I'm sorry if that comes across pretentious, but I've never been more proud of an orchestral arrangement in my life... not to mention how well it meshes with the basic song. The French horn at the end has the soli and pretty much drives that entire band vamp to the end. I think about all the shit I dealt with regarding my relationship and how much it took out of me and to have something like this is really healing, I hope it is for other people too. To be able to play this every night on the road and sing it to her ghost is an amazing feeling that just helps the processes along more and more each time. - Josh
lyrics
isn't it simple isn't it kind the way that i've arranged it in my head but still a mess i'll be the first to confess i'll sit and ponder you I'm getting older everyday and making mistakes along my way but all I know is baby i will sit as it all crumbles to bits i will wait to marry you or better yet i'll marry my music instead because she makes me feel
trumpet - Nick Smith, Patrick Duncan
trombone - Travis Gordon, Stuart Ivey
euponium - Marie Robertson
french horn - Pedro Paz
tuba - Seth McCay
violin - Jocelyn Sprouse, Alison Gooding, Brit Myszka, Patrick Dunning
viola - Doug Carpenter, Joseph Clem
cello - Diedra Emerson, Jesse Hale
contrabass - Leon Foster
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