I remember the first time I met Tim DeLaughter. It was the summer of '95, back when Tripping Daisy’s "I Got a Girl" was about to explode onto the airwaves, and my high school band — scrappy, loud, and blissfully unaware of our own limitations — somehow landed a gig opening for the North texas legends at a Dallas CD store. DeLaughter was already a name in North Texas music circles, but you wouldn’t have known it from how he carried himself that night. He shook hands, thanked every person who showed up, and radiated the kind of genuine kindness that sticks with you long after the amps go quiet.
We never made it much further than Cleburne, just a pack of kids with guitars and big dreams, but I never forgot that moment. It’s a funny thing — the way a small act of grace from someone you admire can shape how you move through the world. That’s why, all these years later, I still champion Tripping Daisy and The Polyphonic Spree like I had some personal stake in their success. Maybe it’s because, for one night, Tim DeLaughter made me and my bandmates feel like we belonged. And maybe that’s why it feels like a full-circle moment to see him once again bringing music, art, and sheer spectacle together with his latest project: “Resolution: A Cinephonic Rhapsody for the Soul.”
Songwriter, Tim DeLaughter (top)Director, Scott Berman (bottom)
On March 1, the newly renovated Jane and John Justin Foundation Omni Theater at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History will host the premiere of “Resolution,” a collaboration between DeLaughter and filmmaker Scott Berman. It’s not just a film. It’s not just a concert. It’s a fully immersive, sensory-driven journey built around Salvage Enterprise, the 2023 album from The Polyphonic Spree. Imagine stepping inside a record, letting it unfold around you in sound and image, reshaping itself with every note. That’s "Resolution."
An official selection of SXSW 2025, the film was crafted by Oscar- and Emmy-winning artists, blending music and visual storytelling in a way that transcends the usual album-to-screen adaptations. Each of the album’s nine tracks becomes a cinematic experience, reflecting themes of resilience, renewal, and hope — things that DeLaughter and his music have always embodied. The Jane and John Justin Foundation Omni Theater, with its cutting-edge 8K LED dome, is the perfect canvas for this experiment in storytelling. It’s not just about watching; it’s about feeling, absorbing, and living inside the art for 43 minutes of pure sonic and visual immersion.
Opening night will be something special. Attendees will be the first to see "Resolution" in this unprecedented format, followed by a reception with food and cocktails, and—because no Polyphonic Spree event is complete without it — a live performance by the band itself. It’s a rare chance to experience an album in a way that sidesteps the digital noise of modern life and invites you into something much more intimate and visceral.
This all traces back to DeLaughter’s deep-seated belief in the power of shared musical experiences. Even before Salvage Enterprise was officially released, he took it on the road, playing it in full at outdoor listening events across the country. No distractions. No fast-forwarding. Just people, an album, and the open sky. "Resolution" takes that idea and amplifies it, offering a space where music and film intertwine to create something that lingers long after the final frame fades.
After its Fort Worth debut, "Resolution" will head to SXSW, where a custom-built dome will showcase the film as part of the XR Experience Spotlight. Screenings are also lined up across the U.S., Europe, and the U.K., with more to be announced. But it all starts here, in Texas, in a theater built to push the boundaries of what immersive cinema can be.
So here’s to DeLaughter — the guy who once made a teenage wannabe musician feel like he belonged. And here’s to "Resolution," a project that reminds us all that music isn’t just something we hear. It’s something we step inside, something that can carry us somewhere new if we let it.
