Tim DeLaughter, leader of the Polyphonic Spree, encourages the kids at Lakewood Elementary to play toy instruments with the band.

Having a Spree at Lakewood Elementary

Lakewood Family Education Night last week at Lakewood Elementary School featured one of the most well-known names on the Dallas, and way beyond, music scene.

A parred-down version of Polyphonic Spree played two interactive sets for parents and kids and staff and faculty involved with the school. The evening also featured a taco bar catered by Mariano's, plus math games, and benefit efforts.

Lakewood-Now.net

hi.
thinking of all our sweet uk fans.
we miss u.
see u soon.
xo

We Crawl!

And on a super fun yummy note!

A BACH N ROCK N ROLL WINE DINNER
"Good Food, Good Wine and Good Records"


WHEN: Tuesday, January 22, 2008
7 pm

WHERE: Urbano Restaurant & Paninoteca
2533 McKinney Avenue (Corner of Routh St. and McKinney Ave.)
Uptown Dallas

WHAT: Urbano hosts a Bach N Rock N Roll Wine Dinner, featuring electric chamber music from The Chameleon Chamber Group, comprised of Buffi Jacobs (The Polyphonic Spree, Robert Gomez Band) on electric cello, Audrey Easley (The Polyphonic Spree) on flute/EWI, Tamara Cauble (The Polyphonic Spree, Telegraph Canyon) on violin and Paul Slavens (Ten Hands, KERA's "90.1 at Night") on keyboards.

DeeJay CeePee will also play new releases from Black Mountain, Bodies of Water, Cat Power, Dengue Fever and Super Furry Animals.

The three-course dinner is $35 per person including wine. Reservations required. Call Urbano at 214-969-6911.

WHY: Through our series of Rock N Roll Wine Dinners, Urbano and Good Records offer a cool twist to the traditional wine dinner by bringing great food, wine and new music together in a casual setting. Guests will hear original live music and new CDs, try some new wines and enjoy Urbano's modern Italian cuisine.

Hi friends....
Dallas, TX – January 9, 2008
Thanks to the generosity of The Polyphonic Spree,
Quick Magazine, and the members of the Polyphonic
Spree Forum, the charitable organization Doctors
Without Borders received a little extra financial
assistance.
Individuals purchased ten photographs from a recent
Quick feature about The Spree. The proceeds from the
images by photographer Jason Janik were donated to
Doctors Without Borders. This non-profit,
humanitarian organization is committed to delivering
medical assistance internationally in regions affected
by epidemics, to people affected by armed conflict,
and to individuals who would otherwise lack
healthcare.
The Polyphonic Spree is committed to providing
relief in Darfur, and Doctors Without Borders is among
many organizations contributing to the relief effort
in this Sudanese region afflicted by genocide,
fighting, and the suffering of refugees. Through the
sale of the photographs, $275.00 was donated in honor
of The Spree and $25.00 was given in honor of The
Spree Forum members.
To contribute to the relief effort in Darfur, see
www.DoctorsWithoutBorders.org or www.SaveDarfur.org.

We Try
We Crawl
We Live
We're Small

But we're on our way... through ups and downs.

Who's anthem could this not be?

Here's to hope, love, life, and peace.... Here's to 2008.

Please spread our love.... check out the new We Crawl video.... intimate fragile moments from our band. Its at jambase.com

Keep Trying!
Jess

Hope you all had a Merry Merry! I am personally looking very forward the 2008 and everything future. Here is a sneak peak of what's to come.
Champagne and High Fives to all of you.
xo
Jess


ps.
for behind the Polyphonic scenes... check out some new You Tube posts of the Holiday Extravaganza practice sessions.

Happy Christmas

So Poly and Zep..... What do you think about that combo? High Five!
Post answer on You Tube......

xoxo
love you guys
Jess

Hello Sweet Friends.
Just got back from an extra long practice. Getting ready to give you Holiday show 2007.
Cant wait to Champagne, High Five, and Christmas carol, with you all.
Did you know Polyphonic is personally baking cookies for the occasion.
Speaking of cookies.
If you're looking to shed a few pounds after the festivities are over, I personally suggest... by the way this is actually a video where you can see the whole choir practicing upstairs in the rehearsal triplex. The sound is the band downstairs. I'm not sure why you only see the tops of our heads.... I'm a bit analog. I will try to fix.

Tim On The Radio Today Wednesday!

Tune in.....

around 1pm cst or so with Pugs & Kelly....
105.3 frm or http://www.live1053.com

around 4pm cst or so with Corby....
1310am or 104.1fm or http://www.theticket.com/listen.htm

Come one. Come all.
Are you getting excited yet?
The Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza is right around the corner!
Be part of history folks. This will be a filmed documented experience, coming to a dvd near you. We want you to be part of it. Spread the word.
Also the premier of We Crawl, the music video, will have its Lakewood theater debut as well.

Champagne and High Fives all the way around!

Jessica

Happy Holidays Ya all.
(said super sappy just for you)
So check it out... you do not want to miss this.
And p.s. special guests? Gotta come to find out.

http://www.thepolyphonicspree.com/holiday/

Also read a little tidbit from my dear friend Two Tone Turner on the making of The Polyphonic Spree version Carol Of The Bells.

That song was super fun to make! The girls, mostly Jennifer and Jessica, if I remember right, came up with the "original lyrics," based on Louis' direction for that part of the script, then I worked them into an SATB arrangement that worked for us from a copy of the sheet music Potsie found. We learned it around the piano one morning in Jess' awesome living room, and then rushed over to Mark's to record it. There were only about six or seven of us that day, so we all sang multiple parts in the multi-tracking. Mark even sang the bass part with me, I helped out on alto (a stretch, believe me), and Julie, Potsie, and I tripled up on the tenor since we were short on guys. Mark and I did the mix, with Mark engineering, of course (one of his many specialties). It took us the shorter part of long, busy morning.

Ah, the good old days.





xoxo
jessica

2nd Holiday Extravaganza Show Added

Tickets On Sale This Friday 12/7 at Noon cst via Ticketmaster and soon thereafter at Good Records.

7th Annual Holiday Extravaganza!
w/ special guest Gustafer Yellowgold
Sunday, December 16, 2007 8:15pm
Lakewood Theater
1825 Abrams Parkway
Dallas, TX 75214
All Ages/Smoke Free
Fun For The Whole Family.

Please bring a new un-xmas wrpped toy for Toys For Tots as well as a canned food item for the North Texas Food Bank.

Some tickets still available for the first show 3:30pm. Let it snow. Let it snow.

"Complicated Heart of Mine"
Wow.... life has a way of throwing curve balls.... I guess thats because it is life. If you didn't feel the ups and downs, you would just be numb, going through the motions.
Just came back from some great food, wine, and conversation, with my sweet friend Julie D. Life... the present, future, and everything in between.

So where does that leave me with you tonight.

Light a candle. Dim the lights. Be present. Listen to number 11 on The Fragile Army.

heart u all
*jessica*

p s.... I really do.

Hi everyone....
here is the cutest blog ever about the New York show we played a little over a week ago. Got this on my google alert.
xo
j

http://iheartmanhattan.blogspot.com/2007/11/like-totally-polyphonic-man.html

HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA UPDATE...

We want to encourage all people attending the show to either come are your own original Elf or dress in festive red and/or green for the holidays.

Also, The Cousins will be rocking out in the lobby. Other kiddos can join in after their set on the instruments provided a la "School Of Rock."

Wow! What a tour. Been home less than 24 and just reflecting. That was the most fun we have ever had as a band hands down!
Great shows....new great friends. Speaking of shows....the Baltimore show, are you kidding me! If you missed it, you missed IT! The Polyphonic Spree IS the best band in the world. Ok....I will get of the soap box. It was a moment, and life is full of them. Embrace. I am learning to.
Until next time....we do hope to see you at the Christmas show. Gonna be a good one. Bring the kiddos, and your Holiday Spirit. We love you guys...yes we do.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for.
Still compiling the photos...I am so analog, sorry you all.

xoxox

J

CLICK ON FOR FULL DETAILS...

HOT OFF THE PRESSES....THIS JUST IN....

It is on....get your yule tide cheer in order...no 'bah hum bugs' here....

7th Annual Holiday Extravaganza!
Sunday, December 16, 2007 5pm
Lakewood Theater
1825 Abrams Parkway
Dallas, TX 75214
All Ages/Smoke Free
Fun For The Whole Family.

We wanted to get this info out in a jiffy as we are excited....websites, myspaces, blogs, etc... will all be updated with info as confirmed....

expect snow, rudolph, milk & cookies, extended xmas set, participation for the kiddos, and other joyous surprises..... I have heard that Santa and his reindeer may even land down outside....the x-mas show is coming home to its original location...

Tickets and further info coming ASAP....mark your calendars....bring the mistletoe....

your friendly holiday reporter,
cp

Wow....fun fun tour....and its coming to an end soon. If you haven't caught a show yet come out. Come at doors, have a cocktail, and check out all three bands. Its a really fun experience. We have made some new friendships within our band and out, and its going to be a bit sad to say goodbye. Being back with family, friends, will be good. Working on new projects will be exciting. Thank you for all your support. We do love you.

Still working on the pics.


*live*
j

God Bless Texas! What a blast. Dallas it was so good to Rock the House of Blues with you. And Austin, that was a dirty rock show. Guys do you feel the music...its all happening!
Had to cancel Houston....some sick Rooney's going around.
Polyphonic decided to take a little road trip to New Orleans before the Florida show. Julie D road down too! On bus one we had wine, cheese, and watched The Way We Were. Beautiful. You must see, even our brutish sound guy Adam Fisher cried. See what a little estrogen will do in your life.
Anyhow....gonna hang here for today, and catch the Redwalls in action tonight.
Hope to see you out tomorrow.
And keep checking in, I will be uploading some scandalous tour pics soon.... Ha Ha
xoxo
J

Hello Everyone.
Amazing California shows. Halloween was a blast. Each band dressed up and played to a fantastic San Fransisco crowd. San Diego was just as fun. And a very very sweet fan made us all hand painted skateboards. Wow! Also Robert's ( from Rooney) mom was at the LA show. She had some nice things to say about Polyphonic.....
Seen at the Polyphonic Spree show...

Nov 5, 2007, 02:21 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: Music, Music Biz, Theater
Tim DeLaughter and his robed 24-member choir can count a new convert to the musical movement that is the Polyphonic Spree: actress Talia Shire (Adrian, of Rocky fame), who grooved, bounced, and chanted along to the band from the core of what can only be described as a "Come to Jesus'' pit, which had formed at Hollywood's Henry Fonda theater on Friday night. Shire was there to see her son Robert Schwartzman's band, Rooney, open. (Shire, pictured with Schwartzman, also makes a cameo in their video for "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?".) But clutching a just-bought copy of the Spree's latest album, The Fragile Army, she was clearly impressed with the headliners. "It's like watching Hair," she told us as the Spree segued from a killer cover of Nirvana's "Lithium" to the psychedelic (and hence, Hair-like) "It's the Sun." "It's like a spectacle... they're so theatrical and visual, this should be on Broadway or, even better, an open-air stage." Ah, always the thespian. Besides, if the Flaming Lips can do it, why not this indie rock collective?

I am with the family now in Big D, and can't wait to rock House of Blues. We have a special treat for you.....
xo
jess

"Oh California I'm Coming Home"

Fun Portland and Eugene shows.....geez the west coast is great. Lots of friendly excited people....thanks for your energy.
For those of you at the Eugene show, did you dig the dance party at the end? I thought it was kind of fun, Jennie said it was cheesy...(shes going to kill me)
Now Polyphonic's ready to rock Anaheim California....watch out Mickey Mouse!
Be sure to make the whole show...The Redwalls....fantastic, the quite charming Rooney boys, and of course The Polyphonic Spree.

xoxo
jessica

Hi everyone.
We are here in Seattle today. Its really really cold, well at least for me. However Evan did point out that I am wearing peep toe shoes.....shall we move on.

Really looking forward to the show tonight. Its always a great crowd here. Also there is a great little place to eat in the museum a couple of blocks away...they have lavender martinis.....oops am I supposed to be blogging about the band?

So about to do sound check....I am antsy. I thinks its going to be a good one!

C'mon on out ya'll

*loves*

Listening to the Thumbsucker soundtrack. One of my favorite recordings of all time. You should light a candle dim the lights and listen with a friend. Its magical.

Oh my gosh, you all. Lawrence, Kansas was a great show. I am still thrilled. It was definitly a bubble show. Sometimes everything in a show just clicks in every way possible....we call that being in the bubble. Its beautiful!

Well anyway...if you are ever in that neck of the woods you should stop by Miltons and have brunch. They serve breakfast till 2pm and its totally fresh. Jennie Kelley and I had a date with each other, eggs benedict florentine, and a fantastic Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary even had okra in it. Mmmmhhhh.

We are off today. Julie and the kids are flying in for some family time with Papa T. I think its a movie day for me. I've got to catch up. Darjeerling Limited anyone?

Hope to see you in Denver.

*love*
jessica

oops!
Its Schwartzman, not Shwartzman...
and performance, not preformance.

Don't be jealous. I am a fantastic speller!

*love*

Hi everybody! This is Jessica Jordan. I am new to the blogger world for the most part. My goal is to keep you updated on the Person to Person Tour. So, here we go.

We have some new faces joining us. Zach Attack, on trombone. Elizabeth and Ariel in the choir.
Did you know Zach used to play trombone in the circus. I think thats pretty cool...just a little trivia for you...stay tuned for more.
Elizabeth and Ariel have blended so beautifully with the rest of us girls. They really are lovley.

So....the tour. You really should check it out. I have enjoyed each preformance so much! The Redwallls, Rooney, and Polyphonic. What a different mix. The shows are fantastic! Bonus: Our tour mates are super friendly.
We all put on our dancing shoes at the Redwalls cd releace party in Chicago. Matt Bricker, and Robert Shwartzman were on DJ duty. They did a great job. The tunes were fun. The vibe was great. Its gonna be a good one.

Hope to see you all soon, you really shouldn't miss it.

*love*
jessica

we need to blog. duh. sooooooooooo much happening and will gladly share. let us get some people on board to express. this is merely just to let ya know we are alive, existent and aware! thanks.

Tim DeLaughter and Julie Doyle of The Polyphonic Spree were the guests on this week's gorilla vs. bear Sirius Satellite Radio show. Tim and Julie will talked about The Fragile Army, how much they miss Tripping Daisy, a new film that Tim is scoring, and a lot more over the 2 hour show, which airs today, Monday June 18, at noon and midnight EST on Left of Center channel 26. If you aren't a subscriber, you can get free trial at sirius.com.

Oh yeah....The Fragile Army comes out June 19. That's tomorrow.

cp

Raise your ears, hold onto your hearts, and get ready for a preview of the making of "THE FRAGILE ARMY"

POLYPHONIC SPREE LISTENING PARTY
Join us (OTHER MUSIC NYC) at our monthly listening party at K&M, next Thursday, when we'll be featuring Polyphonic Spree's forthcoming album, The Fragile Army, which hits store shelves on Tuesday, June 19th. It all gets started at 10:00 P.M., when we'll play the album in its entirety, and then afterwards, Other Music DJs will play records for the rest of the night. TVT Records have promised lots of giveaways, including free CD singles of "Running Away" (with a full album mashup), posters, and a couple of access cards for a free digital download of the whole record. As always, there'll be drink specials all night long.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14
10 P.M. to Last Call

K&M BAR:
225 N. 8th Street (Corner of Roebling)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
*NO COVER*

WE WANT TO SEE YOU...PLEASE COME TO OUR PARTY!!!

WE HAVE REASON TO CELEBRATE.

LOVE,
THE BAND


A ROCK AND ROLL RECEPTION
“Good Food, Good Wine & GOOD RECORDS”

WHEN: Monday, June 18, 2007
9 pm – 1 am

WHERE: Good Records
1808 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206
214-752-GOOD [4663]

WHAT: Good Records and Urbano Paninoteca host their fourth “Rock and Roll Wine” event.

This month’s event is at Good Records to introduce The Polyphonic Spree’s heavily anticipated new release, “The Fragile Army” with special visual, audio and food presentations.

The Polyphonic Spree members will be on hand to meet with fans and sign CDs, which will go on sale at midnight.

New music from the White Stripes will also be previewed.

COST: Admission along with food and wine from Urbano are free (first come, first serve!)

WHY: Good Records and Urbano are working together to take traditional wine tastings and dinners to a new level by adding great new music to the mix.

Web: Go to www.goodrecords.com, www.urbanodallas.com, and www.thepolyphonicspree.com for more information.

MAKE SURE AND READ THE BLOG BELOW FOR A SURPRISE.....

TUESDAY JUNE 12, 2007...READ ME.....NEW SURPRISES.....

hello.

ok. so we've made it a habit here and there to promise ya stuff and then it takes awhile. apologies. when yer trying to achieve something worthwhile, sometimes it just takes.... time.

soon, very soon, like tomorrow morning, we'll post the trailer to the documentary RAISE YOUR EARS AND HOLD ONTO YOUR HEART...it seems like every band these days has the ole "extra footage" thing happening to trick ya into buying the cd. well, we really hope you'll buy our's cuz it is the first time we've been able to put something together after all this time. and again, it's only a glimpse into the whole story of the spree. it truly can't do the entire invention and evolution justice but..in its own small way, it will give ya insight to the making of this album.

the story from the beginning and all the colorful personalities past and present in the band will unfold in time. i believe anyone who has been involved with the spree on some level can agree it's been an unreal, unusual experience. and overall enlightening. it's a process.

this band wouldn't be what it is today without every person who has engaged at some point...ya see, the polyphonic spree is much more than just the music, it's a "happening."

whether it's been a player in the group, a singer...or the team around the band, it takes all involved to make it a reality!


one day it is our wish to put it all out there. but the story is still writing itself. and for now, there isn't an ending! bear with us.

enjoy your glimpse. (and always remember, the true key to anything worth watching and believing must have a great editor, without them, yer stuff sucks!)

xo,
doesn't matter who this is from but it can be trusted!

Captured
well... its my lucky day... as well as chris'... hal stepped in and saved it. thanks hal for posting this stuff.




yesterday we realized we needed more footage..went to hal's place on
the roof and tried for magic. was fun even tho we'd been up most of
the night.....all nighters lately and deadlines have been our middle
name/s.



i got to shoot some footage myself. hal gave me the camera, said i was prob a bit more "agile" and could squat down further than him and chase tim around. i think he was just being nice. that dude has alot of energy and can get in any position.


here you see tim holding out 4 fingers..this would be our way to keep
track of what footage was what.


jeremy (editor), brandon (graphic designer), myself and tim last night after the animal collective show..we stopped by to see what was happening...the look on our faces? i dunno.

would be last night to work on this baby, we thought..........the functional, american family...do you see yourself?



i called my brother earlier, the wolf..i panicked a bit realizing we
needed two dv tapes for final process tonight/4am pick up...time to
download our video. can always depend on him to make it happen...besides, when the band is gone, that means most of my friends
are gone.

hi. waiting for chris to get all the updated blog info and pics i emailed him a few moments ago from the current project happening..at hal's editing our first video from the song RUNNING AWAY..watching people go thru over 70,000 still images is INSANE...i'm sitting here writing as we have a 4am deadline....(btw, i learned DHL ROCKS...)..these guys have been going non stop...hal, jeremy and brandon.

the reason you have to wait? i am a dork and don't know how to post pics along with text!

so anyway, the point at hand.....i realized we never blogged a few weeks ago when working on the documentary (raise your ears and hold on to your heart..the making of the fragile army). this will be available with purchase of album. and the first time we've ever given a real look behind the scenes of polyphonic in action..it's about 51 minutes. and raw. be prepared...still, i'd be lying if i didn't mention it is only a "glimpse."

so....it happened like this...when brainstorming dif ideas a couple of months ago for release of the fragile army album, i threw it out there maybe we could simply gather some behind the scenes footage for a limited edition piece. well, it went straight to back burner and when we got the call while out of town asking if "that footage was ready" i about died. there had never been any further discussion on the matter so of course i'd done nothing. however, i was relieved they only requested 8-15 minutes being we'd get back to dallas with only 3 days to deliver...along with the fact i'd not watched any of the footage back from when i originally captured it..which would be a time span of about one year. so of course i asked chris to PLEASE help me!! we started there, going thru footage a bit at a time at my kitchen table. hours and hours and hours of footage.


well...let's just say they (TVT) were generous and gave us a few extra days... along with yes/go productions (jason whitbeck, who made his space avail to us here in dallas immediately) and miles "genius" hargrove (editor) who, no doubt, made this documentary a reality....the whole thing would come together. somehow.

our wish was to share some of the process in a literal sense for real fans of the spree while also hoping anyone could/would relate to what it's like when you're working on something that's imortant to ya...moving forward even when your support system falls out from underneath you.

yes, we were dropped by our record label right after basic tracks were finished. it's our specialty. however, we eventually went on to find a home at tvt once album was finished...



we don't have any photos but since chris is a much better writer than i, maybe he can actually describe what those 6 days were like creating the piece...maybe, maybe not.

i learned today pitchfork (pitchforkmedia.com) will go live with the trailer from the movie tues morning.

til then...adios.
julie

Chris Penn here....decompressing from the aqualung that is the SportStar.....we had a wonderful time in Nashville, Asheville, New York, Norfolk, Chapel Hill, and Athens...thanks to all those that attended....if you ever get a chance to sneak backstage at the Norva it is the taj mahal of backstage areas......

Julie though it would be a good idea to steer you guys in the direction of Hal Samples blog......
http://www.halsamples.com/blog/
gives you a glimpse into the "bubble."

great things in store for 2007 & 2008.....

RAISE YOUR EARS AND HOLD ON TO YOUR HEART...remember those "snippets" we promised ya months and months ago? Well, here they are. Finally. We sincerely hope you enjoy them!

http://www.tvtrecords.com/artists/thepolyphonicspree/mashup/

Go here to download a unique preview of the entire new album (free MP3!)

The Polyphonic Spree has created an eight-minute mashup of the new album, THE FRAGILE ARMY, containing sections of all 11 tracks. The mashup will give ya a taste of what's on the way when THE FRAGILE ARMY is released on June 19, 2007. Says Tim, "You are about to experience a sample of our latest recording achievement. Please raise your ears and hold on to your heart as we prepare you for The Fragile Army."

With Love,
The Band

New CONFIRMED Dates

2007 looks to be a busy year for The Polyphonic Spree....here is a mere tip of the iceberg of shows....look for more dates to be added shortly....see you soon.....

Monday May 7, 2007
City Hall
405 12th Ave S.
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 244-2056
Doors 7pm $18.00
http://www.cityhallnashville.com/
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B003E7796AC7D21?artistid=842604&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Tuesday May 8, 2007
Orange Peel
101 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 225-5851
8:00 PM show (7:00 PM doors)
$18.00 advance / $20.00 doors
http://www.theorangepeel.net
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&pl=orangepeel&eventId=169986

Friday May 11, 2007
Hammerstein Grand Ballroom
311 West 34th Street
Doors 6:30pm, Show 8:00pm.
http://www.highlinefestival.com

Sat May 12, 2007
Norva
317 Monticello Ave
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 622-5915
show time: 8:30 PM
doors open: 7:30 PM
price: $18.00 day of show: $21.00
http://www.thenorva.com
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/01003E7CA5CF7C11?artistid=842604&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Sun May 13, 2007
Cat's Cradle
300 E Main St.
Carborro, NC 27510
(919) 967-9053
Doors: 8:00pm, Show: 8:45pm
$15 Advance, $18 Day of Show
http://www.catscradle.com/
http://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale?action=selectPerformance&performance_id=570839

Monday May 14, 2007
40 Watt Club
285 W. Washington Street
Athens, GA 30601
(706) 549-7871
9 PM Doors
$15 Advance
http://www.40watt.com

Sunday May 27, 2007
Main Stage
Sasquatch Festival
Doors Open: 11:00AM
The Gorge Ampitheatre
754 Silica Road NW
Quincy, WA, 98848
http://www.sasquatchfestival.com/

Take a listen to a sneak peek snippet of Section 22 [Running Away] from the forthcoming The Fragile Army via our website http://www.thepolyphonicspree.com


photo courtesy of Hal Samples

For Immediate Release March 12, 2007


The Polyphonic Spree
Signs with TVT Records

Highly Anticipated Third Album
The Fragile Army In Stores this June


Dallas symphonic rock group The Polyphonic Spree have signed with TVT Records for the release of their third full-length album, The Fragile Army. The new album's title was given to the group by director/filmmaker/artist Mike Mills, whose 2005 film Thumbsucker was scored by the Spree's Tim DeLaughter. The Fragile Army reveals a collection of sonic blasts filtered thru The Polyphonic Spree's trademark sound: an unorthodox blend of brass, strings, choir and auxiliary rock elements. The album explores a search for the zeal in life, by way of loss and frustration, confusion and clarity. Ultimately, the Spree discover the power of love and the collective of hope in songs such as "Running Away," "Light To Follow" and "Overblow Your Nest." The album will be in stores in June 2007 (exact release date TBA). See reverse for a track list.

"We have entered a new phase in our musical contribution," say Spree leaders/songwriters Tim DeLaughter and Julie Doyle. "This recording was extremely challenging for us, trying to create a piece of art while weathering the storm of our collective relationship as humans in a political climate that's choking us all. When we listen back it feels like a diary more than anything else. It's painful and beautiful all at once, kinda like life." Welcome to "The Fragile Army."

Along with the evolved sound comes an effected new look for The Polyphonic Spree. The group has folded their robes up nicely and put them away for now, becoming more "streamline for the future" in their unified military-style uniforms garnished with universal symbols for peace. "We're gearing up for the evolution," says DeLaughter.

Co-produced by John Congleton (of Dallas band The Paper Chase) and The Speekers (aka DeLaughter and Doyle), The Fragile Army was recorded at studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and Duncanville, Texas, as well as renowned producer Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago and the Spree's own home studio, The Triplex, in Dallas. The album was mixed by Jay Ruston and The Speekers and mastered by Dave Cooley.

DeLaughter and Doyle collaborated on the lyrics and basic songs, then worked out arrangements with the Spree's 16 instrumentalists and eight choir members in the studio -- a different approach to arranging and recording than on their previous album, 2004's Together We're Heavy. DeLaughter describes the process: "For our last record, we'd been on the road so long that songs had been developed there and were pretty
much fully arranged by the time of recording," he says. "But this is a very spontaneous album. We'd been off the road for a while, and all the players collaborated on the spot in the studio, learning one song at a time and then collaborating on ideas and parts."

On the title track "The Fragile Army," DeLaughter and Doyle delve explicitly for the first time into their feelings on the war in Iraq, and its reverberations back home. "It's basically an ode-to-Bush song," DeLaughter says. "It's very specific in its agenda, I believe it's our own battle cry."

The Fragile Army is The Polyphonic Spree's first release via TVT Records. "TVT has always been about singular artists," said TVT Records Senior Vice President Paul Burgess. "You'd be hard pressed to find a more singular act than the Spree. We are pleased and proud to hook up with this tremendous band and hope to help build them a bigger audience. The Fragile Army is a brilliant and accomplished album that will rank up their with this year's best."


The Polyphonic Spree at SXSW 2007

Fri 3/16 12:30 AM Austin Music Hall Ballroom (Convention Center)
Sat 3/17 12:00 PM Bootleg BBQ @ Mean Eyed Cat (1621 West 5th St)
Sat 3/17 5:00 PM The Mohawk outside (912 Red River)
Sat 3/17 11:00 PM La Zona Rosa (612 W 4th St)


The Fragile Army track list

1. Section 21 [Together We're Heavy]
2. Section 22 [Running Away]
3. Section 23 [Get Up And Go]
4. Section 24 [The Fragile Army]
5. Section 25 [Younger Yesterday]
6. Section 26 [We Crawl]
7. Section 27 [Mental Cabaret]
8. Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlite]
9. Section 29 [Light To Follow]
10. Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]
11. Section 31 [Overblow Your Nest]
12. Section 32 [The Championship]


www.thepolyphonicspree.com
www.thefragilearmy.com
www.tvtrecords.com
www.littlebigman.com/pr

The Fragile Army

hello all. babies are born.new albums are born.a new year is born.

in the meantime, in our small world we are delighted to inform you that our new album The Fragile Army is in its final stages, being mastered tonight by Dave Cooley in LA after long hours of sequencing etc with Mark P. at The Triplex in Dallas....

we are starting to play out again in march..stay tuned!

xoxo
j

Hello all out there in Spree Land,

The holidays are almost upon us which for the past 6 years has meant The Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza as well. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news so without further adieu this year we will not be hosting the event. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the world of The Polyphonic Spree right at that time. The new record "The Fragile Army" will be getting mixed and prepared for the world to hear in 2007. Also we have a couple of new births within the group in November and December. We will be nurturing and preparing for a busy 2007. Keep the egg nog warm for us. See you guys soon.

As always thanks for your ears,
The Polyphonic Spree

Hello. How are you doing? We are excited to announce we finally have something NEW. NO, it's not the new album but some cover songs we did awhile back and a couple of new tracks too. The EP is called WAIT. We thought this was an appropriate word choice for us and you too, our fans. This has definitely been a long time coming and hope you enjoy it as much as we have. You can find more info at thepolyphonicspree.com as of this afternoon!
xoxo

Inspiration from Tibor Kalman

“In my lifetime I have witnessed the creation of the greatest accumulation of
wealth in history. More than we need to feed the hungry, house the homeless, cure
the sick throughout the world. In pursuit of this wealth we have already endangered
most of our environment. Consumption is a treatable disease. Consumer culture is an
oxymoron. Wealth is poverty. Religion works better for corporations than for people.
Most media, architecture, design and art exist for the sole purpose of creating
wealth.

Your children will smash your understanding, knowledge and reality. You will be
better off. Then they will leave. You will miss them forever. But I’m not
pessimistic. Future generations not burdened by the egotism of having created wealth
will be able to create a righteous society, l ive in harmony with nature and
germinate culture from the few grains not yet destroyed.

Rules are good. Break them. Good designers (and writers and artists) make trouble.
Eventually you’ll forget all this but there will be plenty of new ideas to choose
from. And I believe that they’ll be better.

Everything is an experiment.

The perfect state of creative bliss is having power (you are 50) and knowing nothing
(you are 9). This assures an interesting and successful outcome. As soon as you
learn move on. You’ll see it better if you look upside down. Success = boredom.
Mistakes, misunderstandings, and mis-comprehensions provide fresh ideas.

New ideas exist in high art (often called art) and low art (sometimes called
vernacular). I have never found much in between. Good clients are smarter than you.
Bad clients are dumber than you. Graphic design is a means, not an end. A language,
not content. I am ever in search of the simple elegant seductive maybe ev en obvious
IDEA. With this in my pocket I cannot fail. This must be true because I am writing
it in the middle of the night.”

thought for the day..love, julie

Weeds Press Release

"Marijuana and music go hand in hand, and Showtime's
hit series "Weeds" has stepped right up to take
advantage of this relationship.

For season two of the show, "Weeds"' theme song,
"Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds, will be
reinterpreted each week by a different artist.
Musicians signed up for this cover extravaganza
include Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie, Jenny
Lewis, the Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter, Regina
Spektor, Englebert Humperdinck, McGarrigle Sisters,
Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher (formerly from Squirrel Nut
Zippers), and Ozomatli. There has been no word as to
whether or not these tracks will be released.

The second season of the series kicks off on August 14
and will feature guest appearances from Zooey
Deschanel and Snoop Dogg, who will play himself and
record a pot-related number on the show. "

2 news shows just added...tickets for both go on sale Saturday July 22nd at 10am...give us your ears for an evening

The Polyphonis Spree
Sunday September 10, 2006
Henry Fonda Theater
6126 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
w/ Philip E Karnats

The Polyphonic Spree
Thursday September 14, 2006
Emo's (Outside)
603 Red River
Austin TX 78701
w/ Pilotdrift & Philip E Karnats

Another show...a headline show just added....a few more to be announced soon.

The Polyphonic Spree
Wednesday September 13, 2006 8pm

w/ Pilotdrift & Philip E Karnats

Granada Theater
3524 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206

Tickets go on sale on Saturday 7/15/2006 at 10:00 am CST via http://tickets.granadatheater.com/

5 SHOWS JUST CONFIRMED...

These shows will be your first chance to hear some of the new material as The Polyphonic Spree will be in the beginning stages of gearing up for The Fragile Army campaign which begins early next year. (Puns intended.) A few headlining shows will be announced soon...stay tuned.

9/3/06 Sunday
City Lights Pavilion
1000 Chopper Circle
Denver, CO 80204
supporting: Matisyahu
other support: Street Drum Corps
Doors 7pm All Ages

9/4/06 Monday
Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Snowmass Town Park
Snowmass Village, CO 81615
supporting: Matisyahu
other support: Keller Williams & Street Drum Corps
Doors 1pm All Ages

9/6/06 Wednesday
Marymoor Ampitheater
6046 West Lake
Sammamish Parkway
Redmond, WA
supporting: Matisyahu
other support: Street Drum Corps
Doors 6pm All Ages

9/7/06 Thursday
Edgefield
2126 S.W. Halsey St.
Sammamish Parkway
Troutdale, OR
supporting: Matisyahu
other support: Street Drum Corps
Doors 5:30pm All Ages

9/9/06 Saturday
San Jose Civic Auditorium
San Jose, CA
supporting: Matisyahu
other support: Street Drum Corps
Doors 8:30pm All Ages

The Fragile Army

hi all...we're trying to think of the best way to present some snippets to you of our rough mixes. usually it's kind of uncomfortable to share anything til it's completed (meaning.. final mixes, sequencing and mastering have occured)but after much deliberation, we thought what the heck. keep in mind these will be snippets and not entire songs for obvious reasons. also, comments are welcome. let us all enjoy some objective communication and sharing.and god forbid, fun.:)
julie d

The Fragile Army

we introduce some lyrics to you. a line from each song.yes, thirteen is the number.have fun and THANKS for visiting these blogs and maintaining your interest in our group. patient you have been. enjoy.

you totally found out we follow the words you learned to grow-

we try, we crawl, we live, we're small-

i'm projecting and reflecting desire for you to come into my life-

we may have missed a championship of a cross becoming a gun-

well everybody tries to keep themselves alive, you were younger yeasterday-

remember the night you said you had a vision?-

the summer clouds, they made us proud-

electric moment, we took a ride-

i'm calling a wonderful feeling to calm, it tells me something is coming but softly-

love in a mixed up time, it's hard to know which way to go-

this mental cabaret is dancing with my fate, oh-

i crawl back home to x the spot where worry begins and love's forgot-

justify all your phases, we're only human, we're always guessing-

xoxo
lyrics by tim delaughter and julie doyle

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9579975/


The Polyphonic Spree Want Peace Now
Dallas pop choir tackle the war in Iraq on "The Fragile Army"

The robe-wearing, good-time promoting, pop-rock orchestra that is Dallas' Polyphonic
Spree will release their third album, The Fragile Army, this summer.

The twenty-plus-member band have become known for their wildly celebratory material
-- about the joy of love and relationships -- since their 2003 debut, The Beginning
Stages of the Polyphonic Spree. But frontman and primary songwriter Tim DeLaughter
says that, this time around, expect the ensemble to deal with the political issues
of the day -- something the Spree haven't done since the Iraq-inspired "Soldier
Girl."

"It's definitely going to have that [orchestral] element, but it's our most urgent
record to date. It's a bit resonant of the times," DeLaughter says of the new cuts.
"There's a song called 'The Fragile Army,' the title track, and it's basically an
ode-to-Bush song. It's disgruntled with how things have been going and how split up
it seems we are as Americans. There is a sense, for me, of trying to create some
sort of unity with people."

In order to push themselves in the studio, DeLaughter enlisted John Congleton,
singer for punk trio the Paper Chase, as producer. "[His band] is kind of a complete
opposite of Polyphonic Spree, and we just thought it'd be interesting," he explains.
"It's been a great relationship."

Currently laying down the string parts in Texas, the Spree have also visited
Minnesota, where they put down the drums, and the Illinois studio of producer Steve
Albini (Nirvana, Pixies), where they recorded the group's signature choir parts.

"John does a lot of records there and he's friends with Steve," Delaughter said of
Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago. "John said the B room would be great room for
the choir, and it was awesome. I'm super-excited about how that turned out. The
girls did fantastic."

The Spree are already working on changing the look of the gospel-style robes for
their upcoming live dates in support of The Fragile Army -- as well as a new stage
show. "It's a rock record!" says DeLaughter. "It's high-energy and electric. And I
think my 'Tripping Daisy' days might be slipping in there as well."

JOLIE LASH

The Fragile Army
hello. ok, so we've slacked a bit on the blog. apologies.will just get ya up to speed.
after march 22, tim did some lead vocals and we mixed a couple of songs. we're finishing rough mixes next week and then we'll obviously move on to final mixes on the fragile army. then see what happens. looks like the release may be closer to sept. now...but we'll make sure to get some music out on the web before then for our patient fans.
we have some summer shows/tours pending..keep ya posted there too.
we're eager to get back out there and play.
xoxo
jd

hi all

it's an early evening here at the studio. audrey finished, went on her way and now evan hisey is in wrapping up. he kind of got caught in the middle of some craziness we were feeling after coming back to dallas from minnesota, guess we needed a few days off...so he only recorded about a day. we ended up using and keeping most everything he did at that time so was a day well spent. so anyway, he's in working on a few songs he didn't get to do back then. next week tim will cut some lead vocals, yes we did the album, including choir, to scratch vocals..and we're keeping a bit of them. our first poly album, the beginning stages is all scratch lead vocals by the way. we had little time and just kept them. plus they just felt good. but don't worry, we're not slacking on this album, don't get the wrong idea! um

one day we will actually mix this thing and get it out there! i figured up the days we've spent thus far recording and it's somewhere around 36 days..not bad for players coming in, learning song by song, performing and moving on. it's kind of the path this album was destined for....most songs written soon before recording, i think there were about 20 songs/ideas and we settled on thirteen (the fourteenth being a ten minute piano duet between mike garson and tim which may or may not appear on the fragile army..if anything, snippets of it)
saving it for another time!

john kackletap is hanging in there with us...he's still alive at least..see how things evolve, our king congleton is now kackletap.

more later.
jd

The Fragile Army

took a break from the ole blog..life has been going and more recordings have been happening..bryan wakeland and teasley are doing tag team on the percussion and bw is done. fine job too. brian teasley is in alabama somewhere adding his performances... he's supposed to be videotaping so that the session of the fragile army will be complete. can't help but wonder what that footage will look like! :)

the horns came in last four days and from what i can tell are quite amazing! they got done quick. louis, logan, mike (st.claire) and matt are out of here. upon listening, i'm realizing that this album is so realized per group/session, everything has such a strong point of view and solid attitude... it's the only part of the session i've missed thus far and what a bummer. but at least it gives me that extra nice opportunity to be suprised by the music again..it's a weird thing how ya lose and gain perspective over and over again when creating..was tough tho, like leaving my children

audrey is in now (flute), actually started last night..incredible as usual. one of the most creative people i know, hands down. ya never have to talk much with her, she just nails it. a little direction here and there but she's best when ya let her just explore. like right now she is doing some studio trickery and bringing her new "spider" sound to life...her and timmy d make a great team. he adores her playing.

will have to get some photos off the video camera..i don't have digital camera around! ok, write back soon. just think, in a few weeks our album will be done. look out.

jd

The Fragile Army

we ate fish today and it nearly put us to sleep.

audrey came up for a bit to listen in...she comes in tomorrow for a few hours. bryan wakeland and tim are laying some stuff down and we're almost done with six songs today. we'll get the next seven tomorrow. cp was here earlier too. he wanted to stay but duty called. his dj spot over at the cavern, they can't survive without him!

we'll be recording some teeth tomorrow too.

forgot about the best term i've discovered on this album when i mentioned last ones...carmony. anyone know what that is?!

exhausted and out of here..plus the girl scout cookies are killing us.

xoxo
jd

The Fragile Army

sunday afternoon/well, early evening, about 5:56pm. this is early. ricky just finished final harp part on song 13.

cp just unloaded some percussion. about to carry out harp and ricky is headed to dfw for his return back to the city of angels. sara, rick and daniel out of here too. great bunch and def did some fantastic stuff.

we'll start in the morning with song 1, start building again.

good night.
julie

The Fragile Army

taking alittle break here in the studio while sara is telling tim he looks like drew barrymore, interesting, never heard that one before..and john is looking for a picture of john cameron mitchell cuz rick told him he looks like him..and then he preceeds to talk about how tim told him to watch the onion field cuz he thinks john looks so much like james wood...damn sounds confusing..daniel is sitting to my right observing in a calm state

ricky to my left keeping us entertained with random internet info..came handy to me yesterday cuz i needed to know how 54 centimeters would translate to inches..brain alittle dull, right..we then used his size 12 shoes on the ground to get the demensions i needed...a mental picture of my new light fixture i was about to purchase on ebay, a first for me


words we've learned in the studio thus far inspired by mr.congleton (aka kackle tap) that are amongst the faves.....flavor crystal, cape flap, turtle poke, tuck and patty...and yes, these are real terms that we take seriously.

4 songs to go.

julie d

The Fragile Army

thurs night in dallas, tx (march 9)...so, we have daniel (primarily violin), rick (viola/upright bass), ricky (harp) and sara (cello) performing strings now..since tues actually..they are moving fast i might add..and sounding oh so incredible, really! refreshing to hear our string section as a full body and sonically captured in a slightly dif way than ever before, creative juices flowing..have about 8 done so we're ahead of schedule, good too cuz tim still has to do final vocals and we're looking forward to adding flute, etc. for this session

we're at maximedia and they gave us a killer deal..thank goodness! it's been a pleasure so far and we're feeling the rush but trying to hold back the intensity of that excitement til the album is DONE. we're hoping to start mixing after march 23rd...

in the meantime, let your ears enjoy whatever it is they're hearing now cuz we want you to give us 100% of your time when the fragile army arrives :)

xoxo
julie deeeeee

here are the pics i promised. don't know how to add captions so i'll just enumerate them.

1) tim checking out the piano in studio B. the A side had a nicer control room, but the live room in our side was out of this world.

2) tim and the ladies getting warmed up before the first song.

3) john and tim talking over a song with mark, our newly found tapper.

4) mark doing his magic.

5) me hanging with pip in what little downtime we had. he's named after the sound he makes; his meow is barely a squeak. he helped me deal with being away from the furry tractor back home.

The Fragile Army

sat night in control room doing a quick listen down to all the work we've done this past week, we just finished final choir vocals, thirteen songs!.....it's a good feeling when ya keep thinking "oh this is my fave" and then here comes the next song and ya think the same thing!
we done good i believe.

will get about 5 hours of sleep tonight and head to big d...we're meeting the kids at the skating rink and everyone will go back to reality..tim, john and myself will be back int he studio in dallas two days from now, march 7..we'll begin strings

whew, in the zone

xoxo
julie

tim's cutting a vocal track with some lyrics he wrote just this morning, so i thought it would be a good time to write, although i didn't know that julie had already done so just an hour ago.

anyhow, only a couple more songs to go. things have been going great. you guys are really in for a treat. the girls have done an amazing job. it's been a completely different scene this time around. a polyphonic trip usually involves a lot of testosterone, the ladies usually being outnumbered. it's a nice change. wait—i swear as i'm sitting here praising the girls and their civility, four of them just chimed an obscenely foul movie quote. i take it all back. except for what they've done with the music. the choir has never had enough time in the studio to actually experiment, so they've really pulled out all the stops. expect a lot of backstreet boys harmonies. you think i jest.

i do. kind of.

also, i just have to tell you how awesome the guys at electrical studio are. if you didn't already know, this is steve albini's studio, and if you possess even the smallest amount of musical knowledge, you know a lot of magic has happened here. steve's been wrapped up in studio A with a couple of different bands while we've been here, so we haven't seen much of him, but he seems a stand-up fellow indeed. and he loves cats—'nuff said. chad and greg have been great, and john is a damn funny man. a jerk, but a damn funny man. just joshin', john. but it really is sad that we're gonna leave here after tomorrow. between pachyderm and electrical, we've been working in some pretty inspiring—not to mention historical (in the world of music)—environments.

before i sign off, i just want to say that i forgot my camera adaptor this trip, so i won't be able to post any pics until i get back in a couple days. stay tuned!

evan

march 3

mark, our new friend we found in chicago is performing his tap dance for us right now in the studio, tracking to our danciest tune..i called him this morning, basically told him the idea and then he came to bless us..turns out he was a poly fan which is nice cuz it made it nice and easy, no big deal and no complaints even tho it was last minute..look for him anytime we visit chicago, he'll be there, dancing his way to your heart...amazing!

we had two songs we weren't sure if we'd get to cuz tim hadn't written lyrics but this morning, feeling inspired by the cold air of chicago, he made the mark..."championship" is a key word, another great song lyrically..hoping to do later tonight

jenny esping leaving in morning so we'll miss her terribly...hopefully she'll only miss one song...we're almost done..the girls are talking baout going to a country karoke tonight for her going away party...hhmm, sounds fun but not sure if it's a good idea..everyone's already pretty far out there mentally...COFFEE.DANGEROUS.

i hear tim talking to mark (dancer) about chitty chitty bang bang..better go

xoxo
julie

Greetings from sunny and windy Chicago....choir finally getting some major time in the studio, for really the first time ever, and, wow, has it been rewarding. So far we've got 5 songs down (pretty good for three and a half days): Round, We Crawl, Beautiful Feeling, Never Forget (10 Times Before), The Fragile Army, and working on Younger Yesterday as we speak/type.

So let me tell you who's here and what's happening (hey, hey, hey). It's all the ladies in the club, Jennifer Jobe (really sort of the leader of our motley crew, in the sense that she has such a strong and amazing voice and can sing anything while we're working on parts), Jessica Jordan (who is kind of the glue that sticks us all together with her gentle nature and solid ability to round out all the high parts), Julie Doyle (well, where do you start, she's the one that makes all of this craziness that is the polyphonic happen- we wouldn't be here, Chicago or even a band, without her - and don't get me started about her ear, simply unbelievable), Kelly Repka (the little girl who's grown up into a beautiful woman throughout this project and consistently delivers vocally & comically whenever needed), Potsy Wilson (our mysterious dark horse who has rounded out this choir with her beautiful voice and extreme talent to come up with awesome harmonies), Annie Clark (our guitarist and "second engineer," who we've kidnapped for her talent to cut and paste her handsome voice in with the best of them), Jenny Esping (our secret weapon, who used to sing with us before she became a little mama, and has not only an alarmingly delicate voice but also a wonderfully creative spirit), and me (awkward describing myself but I suppose I am the Linda McCartney of the choir - not the best singer but can hit Tim's melody just fine - and hopefully am contributing with my shiny personality - btw, I also can order a mean sushi to-go order without breaking a sweat!). Dude-wise we have the "Kackletaps": Tim (our fearless leader, who has written some of the most important and moving lyrics I've ever heard…just you wait), John (the mad scientist behind the board who's led us to this amazing studio), and Evan (our keyboard player, who has such a great vocal range and a head full of so many ideas he might explode that we couldn't leave him behind).

The songs are unbelievable & wildly passionate. I can't wait for people to hear them. We're trying to get two songs done a day but the first day was a little shaky as most of us stayed up too late and danced too long the night before. The last two days have been super-productive (except for the pizza comas). We've been fueled by ridiculous amounts of coffee and therefore have been brainstorming and experimenting like crazy - executing parts that don't even sound like a choir. Well that's all for now - Roy Orbison in the house and I'm needing some more java joe.

Jennie K.

The Fragile Army

first off, thanks for the happy birthday wishes. had a nice, quiet time and greeted the next morning with much optimism and delight. it's nice to get a year older. and also, chris penn had his 35th yesterday, feb 28th! he was working at store so we sent over a singing telegram..lots of balloons, cookies and champagne..a gorilla in a tutu. we later called from studio and sang happy birthday..

so tonight, sitting in control room of electrical listening down to a song called wings of love..figuring out choir parts..we're in good spirits and moving right along..not ahead of schedule like we hoped (wanted to run around city for a couple of hours at least one day whilst here) but that's alright..usual schedule is to meet in hotel lobby 10:30am, go to studio, start at 11am and get home around 11pm each night..long days but when everyone's learning new songs and creating parts spontaneously, it takes time...

not sure if i mentioned but first night here we met our old friend phil and his girl lindsay..must say it was a blast! turned out thai place they suggested was right next door to our hotel so the whole night was easy going and one thing led to the next...at one point we were across the street in a dance club and most of the choir were dancing endlessly up on a stage there, guess deep down everyone misses being on the road..hence, performing!:)again, it was the polyphonic party, when ya have alot of people, you make the place your's. anyway, went back to hotel and listened to alot of abba..also watched phil's new video he shot, performed in, etc...pretty stellar..if any white dude could be sleezy, sexy, soulful and classy all at once, phil karnats is your man.

lunch..had sushi today. yum.

we have a few days left here and will head home to big d on sunday..on 7th song now.

we will then begin on strings, horns and audrey..yippee

xoxo
julie

hello all.
been awhile, true. too much happening and at the same time not enough. wanted to wait til there was some real update on the adventure.

so first, wanted to expand a bit on "duncanville", us getting our start (duncanville is located about 30 miles south of dallas)...tim and i met here in 1983. tim had a band called REGENCY..and that's about it. duncanville was a strange place to grow up, somehow looking back there always seems to be a dark cloud associated with it..then again, who doesn't say that about their "home town", cliche'. so i'll leave it at that. although i have to admit realizing this is where we'd do some overdubs (thanks to mark) was shocking. and honestly, tim and i couldn't even remember where the main exit was, cedar ridge..how could we forget? but it slowly started coming back when we passed duncanville high school, looked brand new i might add. unrecognisable. once you're in the studio here you could be anywhere. cool place. and cool people. i have a knack for ending a conversation and then adding a few more thoughts. i learned it last december after the polyphonic xmas show.

so, the album...tim finished scratch vocals with lyrics as of this evening, my bday by the way. we're headed to dinner with evan and jennie. king congleton is running some rough mixes of songs with the vocal. we wait.

we're leaving for chicago soon and need to get the choir some music! will be another spontaneous adventure. choir is quick though, a special trade achieved thru by always being last to record in this group and usually at 2am and of course "with very little time"....fun.

songs are getting to a place of real excitement. went and saw pilotdrift the other night (easily one of the TOP performing bands out there right now..would hate to come on after them) and then ventured off to the new good records where we played the roughs on the new system there. there were about six of us and we listened til 3am..tim cut the floor up with his new and improved moves! i think we all did. was definitely a high moment thus far associated with the music.

will update in chicago. the girls are getting ready.
xoxo
julie

The Fragile Army

well, we've been back in dallas for a few days now. it's great to be home, and the few days off were so needed before hitting the studio again. this time we're out at spaceway in duncanville. apparently mark led us to this studio, b/c tim and julie had no idea of its location until the day before, which was extremely surprising to them b/c that's where they got their start. sort of like coming full circle. by no means in the sense of ending where you started, but more like the scene in "the wall" where young pink keeps running across the soccer/football/whathaveyou field with the sun glare in the camera lense; something significant in your life that keeps popping up, no matter how infrequently.

anyhow, now it's my turn to step up to the plate. it's been such an interesting, fresh experience watching the songs evolve over the past month. annie and ryan did some amazing stuff in minnesota, a lot of which has made me rethink parts i wrote over just piano, bass, and drums. it's almost better this way b/c it's forced me to reexamine what i have and decide what i truly like about each part. it's also quite a challenge keeping track of all the different sounds i'm using and the tweaks i'm adding. it's not like we've been playing these songs live for the past few months. before i know it the album will be done, we'll be working up our new live set, and i'll be asking myself, "now, how did i do that again?"

evan

dallas, texas..we are home. gotta say after twenty days we were ready. felt like we were in a trance and never coming back. started wondering if it was a good or bad thing :)

went to good records party upon returning, not sure how..we were running on a few hours sleep...it was great, very festive...although we were in a complete daze i felt very sentimental...along with many others..felt like an end of an era somehow and in more ways than one..saw king congleton and his girlfriend lisa there along with some of the spree...and many other faces we haven't seen in a long time...i wondered how anyone (spree) could find the energy to get there after the twenty day journey...craziness i guess, especially john..i figured we'd ruined him for life!

to sum up last few days of pachyderm is tough...most important thing is we finished most guitars and annie and ryan pulled some out..we're happy with the sounds thus far and know there's much work ahead.,..we have some rough mixes and drove around this morning listening a bit in the car...truthfully scared to, nervous we'd been in the zone out there in those woods too long losing a bit of reality...but the feeling was one of great relief and inspiration...completely stoked to hear the rest of the band make their mark now on top of something darn good...taking tomorrow off and headed back into a dallas studio tues., no rest for the wicked

looks like evan hisey will start and tim will work on vocals this next week, then the choir in chicago at end of month...and finally, percussion, strings, horns, flute, theremin...audrey may actually come in a couple of days this next week..she's great about experimenting on the fly and giving material something unexpected..i need to call her

hope all is well and you enjoy the photo, king congleton, genius.

xoxo
j team (as annie would say)

apparently you're only able to attach 5 photos to each post (and apparently fizty has to play out of 5 amps), so here are some more to go with "the love below."

sorry for the delay in the post. have been really busy since we last "spoke." jennie (jk) and the kids being here lifted our spirits so much; we understandably got sidetracked.

on a nonmusical note, we got to take the kids on a nice little adventure on one of the many trails behind the house. oscar found a paw print that scared the charles dickens out of us. i thought bears are hibernating this time of year. i don't know what else it could be (the foot [size 9] beside the print is mine for perspective). anyhoo, it's amazing out here. we've seen beaver, wild turkey (the non-101 proof kind), deer, jackelope, etc.; forunately no bear. and if you've ever been in charge of 3 kids on a trek over an icy bridge over a raging(?), ice cold river (read: creek), i feel for you. even as i took the picture i feared the thought of telling tim and julie that their j-bird had fallen just a few feet to his demise. not quite ready to be a parent. kudos to all of you who are!

before jk and the kids left, bw (who rivals fitzy and mike's culinary skills) whipped up a killer batch of spaghetti (both carnivorous and veggie). the kids helped with the garlic cheese bread through jk's ingenious Q/A game.

today tim decided to redo some of the bass tracks with his new axe. actually, our new acquaintance jim leverton dropped off one of tim's repaired acoustics and showed a recent luthierian(?) project of his. i subsequently used it to get some much needed fire wood.

also, today it snowed again like nobody's business. compare the first pic of the studio to today's. since then the snow has melted off twice; everything in today's pic is oh so fresh. hopefully you can see from the studio pics how refreshing it is to see the outside world while you're working. windows are virtually nonexistent in a studio environment. it's such a simple concept, but pachyderm is the only one in my experience to grasp it. fortunately, seeing the sun go down lets annie know that it's time to watch "project runway." (let's just say we're hoping she gets her priorities straight really soon. daniel's good, but chloe's the ringer; just my opinion, though.)

evan

p.s.--pink and white tulips are the new red roses!

HI JULIE AND TIM,
I FELT I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT EACH PERSON I MET AT THE STUDIO AS EACH ONE HELPED ME CHANGE MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER.
PLEASE POST IT ON YOUR SITE WHERE YOU SEE FIT.

LOVE MIKE=THE SPREE CHEF


THE POLYPHONIC SPREE

I FEEL SO BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE MY PIANO PLAYING TO THIS WONDERFUL GROUP AND NEW ALBUM.
THE JOY THAT EMANATES FROM THESE SPECIAL SOULS EACH IN THEIR OWN WAY IS OVERWHELMING.

JULIE HAS THE ABILITY SOMEHOW TO HOLD IT ALL TOGETHER AND SEE THE REAL BIG PICTURE. GOD BLESS HER I DONT KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT PLUS 3 ADORABLE BRIGHT SMART AND TALENTED KIDS THAT HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO POWER NEW YORK CITY!

TIM HAS TO BE ME IN A DIFFERENT BODY AS HIS VIEWPOINTS RE. MUSIC, CREATIVTY, AND POSITIVE ENERGY, AND INSPIRATION ARE A MIRROR OF WHERE I COME FROM. THE ULTIMATE BAND LEADER. HE WOULDNT ACCEPT ANYTHING BUT GREAT RAW ENERGY AND INSPIRATION FROM ME. HE CONDUCTED ME BY THE PIANO THROUGH ALL MY PERFORMANCES FROM FROM A DISTANCE OF 1 FOOT AS IF THERE WERE 100 MUSICIANS PLAYING ! WHAT A GIFT. ILL ALWAYS TREASURE THAT!

BRIAN IS A GREAT DRUMMER AND WONDERFUL GUY. HIS DRUMMING HAS WONDERFUL INTENSITY AND ENERGY AND VERY ALIVE AND I LOVED CO-CREATING WITH HIM.

MARK COMES UP WITH CATCHY BASS LINES AND HOLDS THE FORT DOWN WITH A GREAT GROOVE AND IS VERY ADAMANT TO GET THE PERFECT BASS PART. HES A TERRIFIC GUY AND AN ESSENTIAL TO THE GROUP. IM HAPPY TO KNOW HIM.

JOHN IS A PHENOMENAL PRODUCER. SO FOCUSSED ITS 'STUPID'.
HE REALLY KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE HAPPENING AND CAN DIFFERENTIATE FROM A PROFESSIONAL PART AND A MAGICAL PART. KEEP IT UP MAESTRO! HE ALSO HAD TERRIFIC ASSISTANCE FROM BRENT WITH HIS MANY SKILLS.

ANNIE IS BLESSED WITH THE GIFT OF MUSIC. JUST HER BEINGNESS WITHOUT PLAYING A NOTE IS VERY POWERFUL. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HER.

RYAN HAS A SMILE THAT CAN MELT YOU AND A TERRIFIC GUITARIST AND A KNACK FOR CATCHY RIFFS AND VERY DEDICATED IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO THE SPREES. I LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING MORE MUSIC WITH HIM.

EVAN IS NOT ONLY A VERY CREATIVE KEYBOARD PLAYER AND HAS A GREAT SENSE OF SOUNDS PLUS SEEMS TO HAVE A VERY BIG BRAIN AND MANY ABILITIES GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. SCARY! ANOTHER VITAL PRESENCE TO THE BAND.

JENNE IS AN ANGEL FROM ANOTHER PLANET AND A TREASURE TO HAVE AROUND. SO INCREDIBLY WARM.

NOW IM MISSING OUT ON THE OTHER 15 OR SO MUSICIANS WHO WERENT AT PACHYDERM STUDIO SO ILL HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE NEXT TIME TO COMMENT ON THEM!!!!! I SUSPECT ALL QUITE MAGICAL.

IF WE ALL REMAIN TRULY HUMBLE THIS MUSIC WILL BRING GREAT JOY TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
MIKE GARSON 2006

hello on tuesday

guitars done on almost four songs...annie and ryan rockin, knocking em out! to answer someone's question about release date, its' scheduled for july 3, 2006.

bubba is coming in tomorrow, we're on the hunt for some sushi..having withdrawls here! then he'll begin tp ack up the gear and drive out early sat. morning...in the home stretch

we get in sat. morning to dallas and will go to good records...it's our final day there at old location..chris has been puttin gin some nutty hours to make it all happen...if ya live around dallas, you should go! even if ya don't! opening new good records feb.16...HELP!

bye
jd

sunday night

mike cooked a thankgiving meal..amazing..that guy has some crazy superpower with food..he takes our odds and ends and makes these phenominal dishes,..anyway, he went into town and bought everything yesterday morning and started preparing...spent today on and off as well cooking...at 5pm it happened, possibly the best thanksgiving meal ever..so we sit, stuffed but satisfied

the music...our fourteen tracks are on their way...we begin in the morning with a whole new thing..guitars, sounds and evam, i say "evan" cuz he does something different from the idea of just a "keyboard" player..he's sort of a secret weapon..

we picked jennie and kids up yesterday from airport and they were so excited...they've been sledding and going stir crazy at the same time! and eating plenty of s'mores! they also did quite a bit of swimming today and tonight...before mike left oscar played some piano for him..the kids met him when they were younger and now they seem much bigger, more aware

check out the poly forum where it says "song titles/contest"..gives ya an idea of what we're up to

bryan is packing up the drums tonight...mike left..mark is done...most will be leaving tues..tim, myself, annie, ryan and evan will stay til the 11th to see what we can see....

listened down today to most tracks in a row for first time and thought it was still pretty awesome, fingers crossed...don't wanna toot our own horn :)

xoxo
julie

woke up to phone call from jennie letting me know that our loft back in dallas is practically flooded for the second time this week due to a broken drainpipe. i feel so bad for her having to deal with it alone, but there's nothing i can do from all the way up here. so i drown my sorrow with a few rounds of sledding! talked with her again a few minutes ago but didn't have the heart to tell her. she'll read it here first, and i'm sure i'll get a phone call shortly thereafter... can't wait for her to get up here with the kids tomorrow. they're gonna love all the snow.

john was holding his breath watching bryan take a few goes on the sled. a broken arm wouldn't do us any good with three more drum tracks to lay down. tim of course couldn't stand it watching fitzy, bryan, and me having all the fun, so he gave it a try. ran into a tree the first time; serves him right, though, b/c he was talking smack telling us we were doing it all wrong.

evan

friday morning........woke up to a massive amount of snow and it's still falling heavily..we're hoping it goes all weekend, we texans don't get to experience this very often..the house we're in is up high over the hills with loads of trees and a stream alongside, tough isn't it? :) the kids and jennie will be pleased coming in tomorrow, it's gorgeous.

tim is building a fire and mike has started on a lunch dish for the day, meatloaf. we have alot of catching up to do, yesterday was a bit off. got a late start and weren't quite "feeling" it on the planned track...so the guys moved on to another and it looks like it's gonna come out stellar...finishing bass this morning after mark picks up stephanie from airport and then onto another song..we have only a few left, putting us at fourteen strong

i might mention that over the last five minutes, tim and mike just put out a fire here in the kitchen, the meatloaf caught on fire! a picture would be great to accompany the entry but it happened so fast and we were just freaked out so....have to imagine the moment. i'm watching them now get things under control and although it was scary, it's funny now..evan just walked in and asked if there was a fire in here!?

about food...we had our first, official outing as an entire group last night...the engineer here, brent and his wife, wendy, their daughter, kitty and their friend laura invited everyone over for dinner..WOW! it was delicious and they have the most amazing home...just a mile from where we're at...was such a nice break and even though we've had plenty of home cooked meals here at the house, it's all beginning to taste the same..i'd say the change in environment, company and spices was a welcomed change by all. they were quite generous too,,,nice wine and food, good music and laid back..not to mention some hilarious conversations! so thanks to them we should have a great, productive day today...

we're starting to realize that the entire session sounds like it's based around food! and in ways it is i admit...but, trust us, we're determined to deliver you guys something special and will do...we still have much work ahead but will at least leave here with fourteen songs that if they had to stop there, would be killer songs! we loaded our plate basically! before coming out here, it felt like a mountain and we were anxious..now the confidence is up and we're well on our way

it looks like a white xmas here right now

xoxo
julie

p.s. from evan: just added a pic of brent and wendy's jackelope that he bagged here in cannon falls last winter. they have it proudly displayed over their fireplace. apparently this neck of the woods is overrun with them. also wanted to mention that besides the great food and company, it was such a treat to see their three pups, romeo, jack, and rocky. made us all miss our critters back home (willie, zot, galaxy) even more.

hi, all. just wanted to let you know that i finally got around to posting some pics, so be sure to scroll down and check them out; i added them where appropriate. i'll try to keep up with it better.

i'd also like to wish everyone a happy groundhog day! we haven't seen any groundhogs up here, but tim did almost get attacked by a beaver while fishing the other day (you can see a tree chewed down by one in the pics below). and i don't know if it was intentional on tim's part or not (i personally didn't realize the actual date until well into the movie), but yesterday he threw in the DVD "groundhog day," which i've seen about 50 times now. never gets old, though—bill murray's finest moment in my opinion. soon after, fitzy and bw accompanied me into town to get some water. (aside: got a great pic of fitz on a cannon outside the local VFW. he loves to pose for the camera.) on top of the date coincendence, fitzy pointed out that for him, annie, and me, our stay up here is exactly like the movie. we wake up, have some breakfast together, practice some, eat, mill about, eat, pop into the studio to see what's happening, eat, practice... the three of us are chomping at the bit to get over to the studio and do our thing (and getting fat in the meantime). i've had a couple bouts of cabin fever so far. we're trying to use our time wisely, though, working on the songs (which are basically brand-new to us) here in the house. as i'm writing this, fitzy is downstairs (loudly) experimenting with two delay pedals feeding back on each other, making some crazy sounds.

oh well, that's about it for now. gonna go practice some more. or maybe i'll eat...

evan

would not let you down..must share at least something about today..we are all done for the day/evening and listening to the band america in background while working on dinner..never knew they had so many hits and even some worthwhile..jeez

hits were easier i guess back in the day when songs actually could be musical and have feeling and there were no time limits..taking whatever time it took to say what it needed to..

now we're on to bruce springsteen...i actually played it for john cuz he loves him and has tried to convince that bruce is wonderful..i just never got it i guess, except for born to run, what a song! and now he is pointing out what bruce and polyphonic have in common, i see it alittle..the spirit i guess...wanting to be triumphant and hopeful

so, here's the story..mike finished a couple of tracks on piano and tomorrow we start our few final tracks..two being again, working titles, called ten times before (my fave) and left them on the floor, a pop oddessey....we gotta get done, drum rentals expire on monday and mike leaves monday...time to move on to evan, annie and ryan..bryan teasley says he might come up but never heard back..hope he comes..stella, oscar, julius and jennie will be here sat. afternoon..YES! it better snow on friday like predictions say....kids think you can control that stuff

well upon saying goodbye i will mention that ryan cooked some tasty burgers tonight..beef and veggie...we're all here again, in the same room and everyone on their computers, actual verbal conversation happening tho, no IM'ing each other...something is happening now, i hear bets going on between john and bryan, what song has the drum machine, blah blah.................john is online looking for the facts so he can prove bryan wrong..ok, bryan is wrong..i told him not to bet!!

going to bed..glad we can entertain ya a bit here via internet/blog/blogger, etc..thank chris penn, his idea..also, evan and i picked out some pictures today to post but internet was down while we had time..now if we put them on we'd be interrupting the bruce sprimgsteen celebration..boo hoo

xoxo