Ha Ha Tonka was in town last week and we had a chance to catch up with them. Word by C=T, photos by photographer extraordinaire, Todd Roeth.

Ha Ha Tonka – Close Every Valve of Your Bleeding Heart

C=T :: Your name doesn’t derive from either a toy or Native Americans, but from a park. Please explain.
HHT :: Well, Ha Ha Tonka is a gorgeous state park located on the Lake of the Ozarks, which is sort of in our backyard so to speak.  We wanted to have a name that was a little loud, somewhat different and represented our native Ozarks….so we went with it.   The highlight of the park itself would likely be the ruins of a turn-of-the-century castle, which was destroyed by fire in the 1940’s.  It’s a very interesting place to visit.

C=T :: Is Missouri considered the “South” and why not?
HHT :: Yes and no. Geographically speaking, it is the very definition of a border state. During the Civil War it was ravaged by both sides. I think the southern half of the state, the Ozark region in particular, aligns itself closer with southern culture, or at least a slightly skewed Ozarkian take on it. I think the closest comparison to the Ozarks would be Appalachia.

C=T :: Your follow-up to Buckle in the Bible Belt, came a short 2 years after. Were most of the songs already written, or did new inspiration coagulate in the blood of the band?
HHT :: I think only one melody that was used on Novel Sounds pre-dates Buckle in the Bible Belt. Inspiration can be a fickle thing to rely on and seems to strike with great inconsistency. Rather, I think the writing process is more of a constant effort with “inspiration” arriving intermittently. I definitely wouldn’t consider us prolific in the speed of our output either, quite the contrary actually. We usually tear apart song ideas, reform them, tear them apart again, attach them to other ideas and then scrap them altogether sometimes.

C=T:: Do any of you guys have a background in Southern Baptist or Pentecostal upbringing that would have attributed to the making of your music?
HHT:: We all grew up singing in our respective churches, I think only one member (Luke) would identify himself as having grown up in a Southern Baptist church, maybe Lennon would as well. I was raised up in the more conservative cousin to Southern Baptists, the Church of Christ. We weren’t allowed to have instruments of any kind in church, thus all singing was done acappella. Brett grew up in the Catholic faith so he knows a whole different set of songs. I think we’re all influenced by our background(s) to a certain extent.

C=T :: Hank or Johnny?
HHT :: Johnny.