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All Music Guide:
Indie rock band Ha Ha Tonka were formed in 2004 in Springfield, Missouri, by singer/guitarist Brian Roberts with Lucas Long (bass, vocals), Brett Anderson (keyboards, guitar, vocals), and Lennon Bone (drums, vocals). Initially, the name of the group was Amsterband. It was with this moniker that they released their debut CD, Beatchen, and began to tour extensively. In 2006, they followed with a second self-released album, Buckle in the Bible Belt. In May 2007, they signed to independent Chicago-based label Bloodshot Records and decided on a name change, calling themselves Ha Ha Tonka after a state park in the Ozark Mountains in southwestern Missouri. Bloodshot re-released Buckle in the Bible Belt on September 11, 2007, as Ha Ha Tonka were in the midst of a tour of the Midwest. Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South appeared in 2009, garnering a good deal of critical praise, and was followed by Death of a Decade, produced by Kevin McMahon and the Ryantist, in 2011.
Wikipedia:
Ha Ha Tonka is a band originally formed in West Plains, Missouri and currently signed to Bloodshot Records out of Chicago, Illinois. Named after Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri, their music is steeped in Ozark folk, bringing the passion, spirituality, hardships, and roots of the people that lived and still live there today, into their sound. Americana is the soil their roots are firmly planted, but their branches reach out to a number of genres from Southern Rock, Indie Rock, Bluegrass, Folk, Country, and a style their fans like to call Foot Stompin' Indie-Rock. "The band wraps gorgeous rural images and literary allusions within heartbreaking 4-part harmonies. Sometimes the sounds are soft and respectful and at others raw and wrath-filled. The music is honest and organic, intentional yet intuitive."Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Buckle in the Bible Belt[edit]
After signing to Bloodshot Records, Buckle in the Bible Belt was released on September 11, 2007. "St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor" released as the first single from that album.
The band's website describes how their "dark view of the realities of socio-economic hardship, backwoods prejudices and drug abuse is leavened by wry humor and a deep appreciation for regional storytelling traditions." The lead singer, Brian Roberts, is a cancer survivor who criticizes the American health care system in "This Is Not a Cure for the Common Cold". One reviewer stated that "Ha Ha Tonka make the kind of roots rock that fits the mood of America in the summer of 2008. It's restless, edgy and increasingly willing to address the dark side of This Land."
In 2008 the band opened up for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and was also a part of the 2008 Lollapalooza line up.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South[edit]
On June 16, 2009, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South was released on Bloodshot Records. It was recorded at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis with Jason McEntire who also produced their previous CD. This recording is a taste of the dark side of Ha Ha Tonka.
Death of a Decade[edit]
Ha Ha Tonka released their most recent album on April 5, 2011. To support the record, Ha Ha Tonka began a nationwide "Death of a Decade" tour on March 11, in Springfield, Missouri. The following night the band performed in their hometown of West Plains, Missouri, along with the Antennas Up from Kansas City. Ha Ha Tonka thanked fans at the West Plains concert by selling copies of the new album, even though its release was three weeks away.
Soon before the album's release, the band was featured on the Ozarks episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
The album has had several positive reviews including reviews in the Washington Post and Huffington Post and the track "Usual Suspects" was featured as a NPR's song of the day on April 27, 2011.
The song "Usual Suspects" was also used by Turner Broadcasting System as a lead-in for the beginning of Game 3 of the 2011 National League Championship Series featuring the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers.
The song "Jesusita" refers to the destructive Jesusita Fire that took place in May 2009 outside Santa Barbara, California.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
