Whee! It's The Polyphonic Spree!

The Polyphonic Spree are going on tour – all 23 of them. The troupe, who are quickly making waves with their pop-symphonic sounds and spectacular live shows, have inked in their first U.S. tour, to being April 10 in Chicago. The short journey finds the band in Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco for two nights apiece, and hitting the metropolises of Minneapolis, Boulder, Vancouver (B.C.), Portland, Eugene, Indio (Calif.), and Tempe (Ariz.) along the way.

One month prior to their tour, the Spree will play two shows at the South By Southwest Music Festival. Both shows will be held on the same day: 8 p.m. at Austin Music Hall and at 11 p.m. at Stubb’s.

The Polyphonic Spree are the brainchild of Tim DeLaughter, former Tripping Daisy frontman, who founded the group a couple of years ago. DeLaughter saw the group as an outlet for the “grand music in his head.” The ensemble comprises brass and string instruments, orchestral percussion, a piccolo, a harp, keyboards, guitars, bass and a nine-member choir. Other essential members who round out the set include a “jack of all trades,” robemaster and knob twiddler.

The group released their debut album, The Beginning Stages Of…, last year and saw their effort make many “best of” lists for 2002.

Aside from winning the critics’ praise, the group recently won the “Fuck Me!” Award For Innovation at the NME Awards ceremony in London. The awards capped Polyphonic Spree’s tour of the U.K.