Ha Ha Tonka will bring southern comfort

September 3rd, 2010 | By Benjamin Zeledon | Section: Arts

Born from the doom and gloom of the Ozarks, a little band from Springfield, Missouri comes to Gardner tonight.

Get ready for Ha Ha Tonka to invade with their old-school southern rock sounds. A touch of Skynyrd and a dash of grit in their music make them rising stars in the revitalized southern rock scene. With contemporaries such as Cage the Elephant making noise in the modern rock scene, this band seems ripe for stardom.

Like their popular contemporaries, they mix together a soulful lyrical base with tangy guitar licks and heavy drum beats. It is one part soul, one part rock, and all the melody one can handle.

Their sound is heavily influenced by their roots in the Missouri lowlands and those Sunday School lessons—and you can hear it echo in their songs.

Their sophomore album “Buckle in the Bible Belt”—named for the divide of the Ozark States—is leading them towards a bright future, with a blend of rock, country and folk lending their music a fresh new sound.

Ha Ha Tonka’s country influences were a major reason Nic Wilson ’12, this year’s concert chair, booked the band. Students asked for more country in the lineup, and Wilson thought students would appreciate Ha Ha Tonka’s unique blend of southern rock with country and folk. .

The concert starts tonight at 8 p.m. with Unicycle Loves You, another band with country roots, opening for Ha Ha Tonka.