I met Tim DeLaughter many years ago in college, when his band, Tripping Daisy, headlined a show that was opened by my then-favorite Dallas band, Adam's Farm.

Stop. They were good.

I met Tim again a few months ago in Boston when I drove with Corn Mo on a short leg of an East Coast tour. The Duncanville, TX, native is now responsible for the sonic fulfillment of the masses via his new band, The Polyphonic Spree. He's also responsible for making me regain my southern accent, which I managed to pick up immediately upon speaking to him.

The Spree show is an amazing one; a self-described mix of "part Broadway musical, part Beatles-pop, and part spiritual revival." Of course, the 25 white-robe clad members of the band bring new meaning to the phrase "has a cult following."

If you haven't seen them, you should probably crawl out of that cave and catch them on tour with Corn Mo. For the agoraphobics, just pay real close attention to the newest VW Beetle + iPod commercial.

kp: What can you tell us about the new record?
td: It's unfinshed at the moment--we are very close to having it ready. I am very proud of it, and I'm in awe of its power. It is a very dramatic record.

cm: Who do you like listening to?
td: I listen to a lot of sunshine pop--bands like 5th Dimension, The Association, The Huge World of Emily Small, and Margo Guran, to name a few. And, of course, you, Corn Mo.

kp: What was the first album you ever bought?
td: The first record I ever bought was this band called The First Class. They had a song called Beach Baby. It sounds like a TPS song today. My musical influences are from when I was a little kid, age 7 to 10 yrs old. This was what was playing on the radio at the time in 1971. All the pop music at that time was orchestrated with strings, horns, and other symphonic sounds with wonderful vocal harmonies.

I also was a fan of Walt Disney storybook records. They also used symphonic sounds.

kp: What is the first concert you ever attended?
td: The first show I saw was Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Jerry Jeff Walker, at the Dallas Sportatorium in 1972 with my mom. I found five dollars. I didn't tell my mom. I bought a ton of Wacky Packs on the way to school the next day.

cm: At the beginning of "It's the Sun" it sounds like you're saying "MY...MY...MY" which is what you used to do to taunt the crowd before you went into "My Umbrella". Is there any chance you'll fool us and do that song one day?
td: You're good Corn Mo. I like gliding vocally with that word; it puts excitement in the air. I can't see us ever doing that song again...but you never know.

kp: Do you ever run into folks from Duncanville while on tour?
td: Not really. Just my wife Julie, and my close friends that I went to school with.

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