Tim DeLaughter and The Polyphonic Spree bring the feel-good factor
A sincerely positive outlook sets choral rock ensemble apart from the cynical side of pop culture
For a band known for exuding love and joy, The Polyphonic Spree rose from the ashes of great sorrow. Band founder Tim DeLaughter formed the group 15 years ago in the wake of a beloved friend’s death.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist had spent nearly the entire 1990s in the psychedelic rock band Tripping Daisy. His bandmate, guitarist Wes Berggren, died of a drug overdose in the autumn of 1999. By the following December, Tripping Daisy had disbanded as a group.
A year later The Polyphonic Spree were born, a large orchestral pop-rock outfit known for their effusive theatrics. Shortly after forming, the band recorded a 10-song demo, which was later released as their first album. Did Berggren’s tragic passing influence those initial songs?
“Without a doubt,” says DeLaughter, calling from a tour stop in Athens, Georgia. “It was one of the most devastating times in my life. Wes wasn’t just our guitar player. He was a dear friend. It knocked me off my feet when it happened. I had just lived through the ’90s being in my 20s. We could be extremely destructive to ourselves. When [Wes died], it showed me how fragile we were. It gutted us all. A lot of the lyrics of our first record were a direct reaction to that.”
It has been a long and circuitous road for this high-energy outfit with their charismatic frontman and rotating cast of musicians. In the past, band members have numbered as many as 28, including the musician and singer-songwriter, Annie Clark, who went on to solo fame as St Vincent. For their current tour, there will be 18 musicians and singers on stage.
