Being the good purveyors of the rock message that they are, The Polyphonic Spree are heading out on a North American journey this fall. Their tour plans include two shows in Toronto, Detroit, Lawrence (Kan.), San Francisco and San Diego, and three gigs in Chicago.

Corn Mo is opening all shows, with The Starlight Mints supporting the first leg (September 19 to October 7) and The Sleepy Jackson covering the second (November 10-24).

If 20-some-odd persons on stage weren’t enough to delight fans, the Spree have gone and added a French horn player. Lewis Schwadron is the newbie to the group, bringing its total number to 15 musicians, seven vocalists, eight cast members and one Web site designer.

They’re also working on an as-yet-untitled sophomore album, tentatively scheduled for release in early 2004. The new disc will follow the Spree’s lauded The Beginning Stages Of…, which was recently reissued on the band’s new label home, Hollywood Records.