Ha Ha Tonka

Infobox musical artist
Name = Ha Ha Tonka

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Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|USA Springfield, Missouri
Genre = Indie rock Southern rock
Years_active = 2004–present
Label = Bloodshot Records
URL = http://www.hahatonkamusic.com/
Current_members = Lennon Bone Brett Anderson Brian Roberts Luke Long

Ha Ha Tonka is a rock band from the Ozark region of Missouri. Their music has been described as a mixing of bluegrass and southern rock and a "marrying of influences as diverse as The Replacements, The Band, and Kings of Leon." [cite web | url= http://www.amplifiermagazine.com/reviews/cds/ha_ha_tonka_cd.php | title= Ha Ha Tonka Review | last= Holcomb | first= John | publisher= Amplifier] [cite web | url= http://media.www.lawrentian.com/media/storage/paper409/news/2007/10/12/ArtsEntertainment/Ha.Ha.Tonka.Rocks.Riverview-3022614.shtml | title= Ha Ha Tonka Rocks Riverview | last= Pflaum | first= Matt | publisher= Lawrence University] Josh Timmerman from Popmatters described their newest album "Buckle in the Bible Belt" as "the best rock record I've heard this year." [cite web | url= http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/48023/ha-ha-tonka-buckle-in-the-bible-belt/ | title= Ha Ha Tonka: Buckle in the Bible Belt | last= Timmerman | first= Josh | publisher= Popmatters]

Formed in 2006, the band took time to write and record "Buckle in the Bible Belt" in an old church in Union, Missouri with "St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor" released as the first single from that album. The album was released on Bloodshot Records September 11th, 2007.

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 review states 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."cite web | url= http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=22731 | title= Ha Ha Tonka channels the national mood | last= Albertoni | first= Rich | publisher= The Isthmus]

The band is named after or for Ha Ha Tonka State Park, located in Camdenton, MO at coord|37|59|19|N|92|46|6.16|W [cite web | url= http://www.hahatonkamusic.com/bio/index.htm | title= Ha Ha Tonka officcial bio page ]

References