Be Here Instead [Purple]

Description

Be Here Insteademerged from a wild alchemy of instinct, ingenuity, and joyfully determined rule-breaking.

In a stark contrast to Millsap’s typical writing style, Be Here Instead was created by experimenting with everything from piano to effects pedals to old-school drum machines.Hesoon arrived at a body of work touched with both unbridled imagination and lucid insight into the search for presence in a chaotic world.

They feel like words I needed to hear from myself, and not just things I wanted to say to someone else, Millsap asserts.

AlthoughBe Here Insteadoften findshim wandering into new terrain, the album remains firmly grounded in the sophisticated musicianship he began honing as a kid growing up in the small town of Purcell.

In looking back on the making ofBe Here Instead, Millsappoints out that his recently discovered love of painting also informed the free-flowing creativity he brought to the album. My wifes grandfather was an artist who did watercolor paintings, and a few years ago I decided I wanted to try it, he says. I very quickly found out that watercolors are really hard to work with: you have to embrace your mistakes, and then let them guide you along. Its made me think about how when you mess up, youre basically revealing your humanity, which is what musics all about. When I listen to records, I love when Ray Charless voice cracks, or when you hear the squeaking of the kick-drum pedal on a Led Zeppelin song. Anything that shows the living, breathing quality of the whole thingthats always wonderful. Thats what were here for. So dont be afraid to let it happen.