HA HA TONKA LEAVES THE ALTAR AND BRINGS THEIR SULTRY SERMON TO THE SECOND CITY
by Mike Mering, Senior cbbfestival.com Correspondent, mikemering@gmail.com
When your backyard is nestled in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, you are officially in the Bible Belt. When you assemble a band there to record an album inside an old church, what would you imagine to be the end result?
If you guessed a collection of anthems fit for a Sarah Palin rally you are not only wrong, but also perhaps a little cynical this election year.
I’m actually referring to Ha Ha Tonka’s inspired debut album, Buckle in the Bible Belt, which is indeed a product of the band’s Missouri roots. However, the fellas from Springfield have crafted an assortment of thoughtful, often moody rockers which rail against blind flag-waving, the crippled state of health care, and the plague of methamphetamine in rural areas.
Their self-described “foot stompin’ indie rock” can be witnessed at this fall’s Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, where they share the main stage with The Avett Brothers, The David Grisman Quintet, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Majors Junction, Billy Childers, and Dollar Store.
In the meantime, salvation is just a click of the mouse away; Ha Ha Tonka’s video for St. Nick makes for worthy youtube viewing whenever you’re feeling like procrastinating at work
St. Nick’s haunting daydream begins, fittingly, in a churchyard. The four band members set the stage by chanting in unison before levying a dose of driving rock to usher in nightfall. As the bonfire rages, so does the party. The band’s harrowing chants on St. Nick make it known that it’s time to “get one thing straight from the get-go: this glimpse of brilliance is better than a long look at mediocrity.”
For a live and up-close glimpse of this brilliance strap on your boots and stomp over to the Congress Theater on 11/22.
AMEN.
