The family and I head to Lake of the Ozarks each year and that time has come. Not too far from my parents’ lake house is a Missouri State Park called Ha Ha Tonka, which inspired the name of the band Ha Ha Tonka.
The fellas recently released a new video for “Usual Suspects.” Seemed appropriate to share while I go offline for a bit. Warning for our younger readers: Don’t drink booze on railroad tracks. There’s very little upside.
Ha Ha Tonka’s latest effort, Death of a Decade, is another stunner from a band that routinely pushes all the right sonic buttons. The new album finds the boys summoning all the floorboard-rattling power of a backwoods church to impart a sense of urgency to every track. And still the songs manage to have a familiar, timeless quality to them, perhaps due to the 200 year old barn the album was recorded in.
Death of a Decade plays like the work of a more united, more mature cast of characters. Contributions from each member seem more welcome than ever. To be sure, the band leans less on Brett Anderson’s wailing guitar riffs and more on his melodic mandolin arpeggios. But fear not intrepid listeners, the songs still have plenty of damnit-all-to-hellness thanks to Lennon Bone’s pounding rhythms and Luke Long’s chugging bass lines. Both provide the perfect ballast to the mandolin’s litheness. I get a sense that Ha Ha Tonka are more comfortable in their collective skin than ever.
The new album spurns the sweeping tableaus of youth from previous albums, opting instead for tales of moving on and the possibilities of “what’s next.” Brian Roberts’ lyrics paint layered stories of optimistic nomads (Westward Bound: “Hard times we left ‘em back east and the future moves under our feet”), vexing women (Problem Solver: “The girl is a problem solver/ There ain’t nothing else I think you can call her”) and even, himself (The Humorist: “Never thought I was all that funny”). And, as expected, Roberts’ phrasing and delivery are as infectious as ever.
Like all their works, Death of a Decade is best consumed in totality. The album definitely rewards you the more you listen to it. And, I can only imagine, takes on a life of its own in concert. It’s an album that takes its rightful place alongside Buckle in the Bible Belt and Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South in the Ha Ha Tonka canon.
Our 50th live session! I remember the day in Austin at South By Southwest when Oz and Shirk hatched this plan. And I remember my skepticism. What band is going to stop by the studio for a brand new blog? We invited a few bands to the studio, Shirk worked his magic and we slowly learned a few things. Ha Ha Tonka came in for Live Session #8 and knocked our socks off. I glanced over at Shirk afterward and we both seemed to have the same thought – “Hell, this might really work.”
Things have taken a life of their own since then and it’s fitting that our 50th session is a repeat visit from one of our favorite bands, Ha Ha Tonka. Not only do I love their music, but I also now consider Brian, Brett, Lennon and Luke friends. On their recent visit to Chicago they had a night off, so the scene in the studio was easy going and relaxed. I headed down with my 5 year old, Teddy, picked up a couple of beers and settled in for a good evening of music.
The band worked through a couple of takes before nailing “Close Every Valve Of Your Bleeding Heart,” one of my favorite tunes of the year off of this year’s album Novel Sounds Of The Nouveau South. As the night wore on, Teddy had the chance to sit in with the band for a little jam session. Lennon and Luke kept the beat as Teddy pounded away on the kit. Brian and Brett soon joined and I thought my son’s smile was going to explode off his face. The only thing that would have excited him more was if Luke Skywalker was on the bass instead of Luke Long.
As we drove home listening to Ha Ha, I thought how cool it was that my son just played with one of the best young bands in America. I expected Teddy to be asleep the minute I pulled away, but he was abuzz with excitement. After years of telling me he was going to be a construction worker when he grows up, he’s now decided to be a rock and roll guitarist. Teddy took a real shine to Brett (lead guitar) and wanted to listen to only Brett’s songs on the way home.
It’s difficult to express how much I enjoy Ha Ha Tonka. The band continues to grow and challenge themselves and their warm personalities accent their music like barbecue sauce on a slab of ribs. If you haven’t yet, catch them on tour and make sure to introduce yourself. You’ll see what I mean.
Ha Ha Tonka’s Buckle In The Bible Belt is one of the best albums I’ve come across in quite some time. I’ve spun that disc and seen the boys live countless times and have been looking forward to their sophomore follow up like very few before. When I finally got my hands on Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South, I was half expecting it to fix our economy and cure cancer just by pressing play.
Obviously Ha Ha Tonka didn’t consult me when writing the album, so its sound didn’t match my preconceptions. I gave it a few more spins before heading to Austin for SXSW, where I ran into Ha Ha bass guitarist Luke Long at The Bloodshot Records BBQ. We started talking about the new album and I gave him my honest opinion – it was growing on me and I wished they rocked a few of the songs longer (most songs never pass the three minute mark). Luke said that on Novel Sounds Ha Ha had set out to make a challenging record and wanted keep moving their sound forward. As artists, they didn’t want to rehash Buckle again. It would be boring.
Well I don’t know if it was that talk with Luke or seeing Ha Ha Tonka jam out their new tunes at SXSW, but something clicked that day in Austin. Since my return, I’ve had Novel Sounds of the Noveau South on repeat, enjoying the 3 and 4 piece harmonies that made Buckle one of my favorites. While our economy still remains in turmoil, the album has turned out to be every bit the worthy successor to their debut that I’d hoped and I now fully appreciate the band’s direction. Is it better than Buckle In The Bible Belt? Not quite yet. But the lines are about to cross.
“Close Every Valve To Your Bleeding Heart” is my current favorite. Lead Singer, Brian Roberts’ voice is so true and genuine that it stops you in your tracks. Other standouts are “Walkin on the Devil’s Backbone” and the closer, “Thoreau In The Woods.”
Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South will be released on June 16th and the band is on tour.
HearYa favs and friends, Ha Ha Tonka, will be releasing their sophomore album, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South on July 16th via Bloodshot Records. The gentleman from the Ozarks were nice enough to offer up a couple new tracks in advance of the release. Side note: I’ll be at Lake of the Ozarks over [...]
The artwork above was found at Colorcubic, an ultra-hip design firm that handles multimedia, print, branding, etc. This poster will be made available in their online store. We may say good riddance to 2008 as a nation, but as we posted our top 50 albums of 2008, it was easy to reflect on an amazing [...]
We’re finally ready to give away a few pairs of tickets to the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at the Congress Theater on November 22nd featuring Ha Ha Tonka, David Grisman and The Avett Brothers (each pair is a $67.50 value). It’s real easy to get ‘em.‚ All you have to do is submit a [...]
You may have noticed the little banner ad on our site featuring the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival taking place in Chicago in late November. Wait a second. A music festival in winter? In Chicago? Yes and yes, but the format will be a bit different than most festivals. It’s taking place indoors at the [...]
If you’re in Chicago tonight, do yourself a favor and get to the Metro. Three HearYa live session alums are going to share the stage for an incredible night of music. Ha Ha Tonka, Joe Pug and Backyard Tire Fire (in the studio today) will all be in attendance. Here’s what the night will sound [...]
