Ha Ha Tonka

A state park in Camdenton, Missouri gave Ha Ha Tonka its name, and the American band was formed in West Plains, Missouri, before settling with Bloodshot Records in Chicago, Illinois. Their own website describes a dark view of socio-economic hardship, backwoods prejudice and drug abuse, softened by wry humour and a deep respect for regional storytelling traditions. That mix of bleakness and dry wit is what sets their songs apart.

Following their signing to Bloodshot, ‘Buckle in the Bible Belt’ arrived on 11 September 2007, with ‘St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor’ issued as its first single. Lead singer Brian Roberts, a cancer survivor, takes aim at the American health care system in ‘This Is Not a Cure for the Common Cold’. A reviewer in 2008 heard roots rock that suited the national mood that summer: restless, edgy and increasingly willing to face the darker side of ‘This Land’.