When the Power Goes Out… Just Start Singing | Tim DeLaughter

Mike, Grubes, and the Live at Five crew welcome back the grooviest cat in Dallas music history: Tim DeLaughter of Tripping Daisy and The Polyphonic Spree. They get into what it really takes to move an army of robed weirdos around the world, why a 28-person band actually “moves like a small band,” and how a nightmare power outage at David Bowie’s Meltdown Festival somehow turned into the Spree’s big bang moment. Tim walks us through the jump from blue-sparkle Ludwig drum kits to frontman duty, writing Tripping Daisy songs live on stage because they only had eight in the bag, and how Polyphonic Spree began as a “later in life” idea he accidentally had to build in two weeks. There’s family skepticism, labels circling, UK tours, penguins in theaters, flying owls, and 300 pounds of confetti. Plus: Mike’s mid-show sermon for CBD House of Healing, a plug for Giving Moss at the Barley House, and Tim’s legendary Holiday Extravaganza at the Majestic—complete with tap-dancing grandmas, ten-foot toy soldiers, and a zoo segment Johnny Carson would’ve killed for. It’s stories, spirit, and full-on Tim DeLaughter Time.   00:00:00 - Lightning Strikes & Live at Five Cold Open 00:01:12 - Welcome to Your Dark Companion 00:02:08 - Enter: One Groovy Cat, Tim DeLaughter 00:02:51 - Tripping Daisy, Polyphonic Spree & Juggling Two Bands 00:03:45 - How to Tour with 20+ People (and Stay Sane) 00:06:42 - The Core Band, Rehearsals & Orchestral Add-Ons 00:09:52 - St. Vincent, Taylor Young & the Spree Alumni Club 00:11:03 - Dreaming Up the Polyphonic Spree in Woodstock 00:13:28 - Loss, Leaving Tripping Daisy & Trying the Big Idea 00:14:39 - Building the First Spree Lineup in Two Weeks 00:22:54 - Power Out at Bowie’s Meltdown & The Watershed Moment 00:26:51 - Young Hothead Tim vs. Older Zen Tim 00:28:18 - Can You Improvise? The Hardest Part of Casting the Band 00:31:06 - Mid-Show Read: CBD House of Healing 00:34:24 - Night of Giving Moss at the Barley House 00:36:03 - Oak Cliff, Hot Ice & Church-Choir Origins 00:41:18 - Fired from the Kit, Promoted to Frontman 00:45:26 - Open Mic at Dada & Tripping Daisy Takes Off 00:47:31 - Writing Songs Live Because You Only Had Eight 00:49:16 - Lost Hits & Life Before Voice Memos 00:49:53 - Songwriting on Feel, Not on a Schedule 00:50:39 - Lounge Here, Handyman Life & Schneider Duty 00:52:21 - The Core Spree Brain Trust & Right-Hand People 00:53:27 - Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza Breakdown 00:55:55 - Penguins, Owls & Full Johnny Carson Animal Chaos 00:56:19 - Tim DeLaughter Time & Mike’s Love Letter 00:57:15 - Like, Share, Subscribe & Social Plea 00:57:53 - Pants Off, Show Over     Thanks to our monthly supporters Matthew Kamper W hammons B Smith Robert Stoolfire Thaddeus D. Matula Rachel W Scott Lewis cody SIMS John Gilbert Robert Saunders Kiffer Sidney Long Pattie Rhyner Davidson David Ashlea Bullington James Corona Gordy John C Caffey Joe Lindsey Cam Jillian Wright David Moore Becca Moore Mike Rhyner Your Dark Companion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★