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
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