Ozark rockers Ha Ha Tonka to play Albert Taylor Hall

Courtesy of Ha Ha Tonka

Some compare being in a band to a marriage or a family, and Ozarks indie rockers Ha Ha Tonka can attest to that.

“We've been through a lot together,” Anderson said. “Especially early on, when we were all extremely poor versus just kind of poor now. Those early stages were the hardest part of being in this band.”

With all their highs and lows, Ha Ha Tonka are constantly progressing and have built quite a fan base.

“We lived together, worked together, and traveled together. We got sick of each other real fast back then, but looking back at it now, all of that made us so close. It's a brotherhood now. We are family. We know each other inside and out. In fact, we rarely ever fight anymore. I think we got passed all that.”

After all the foursome have endured, the band still look to each other for motivation.

“We keep each other moving forward,” Anderson said. “I think the hardest part about starting a band and forwarding it is finding a group of people that are willing to actually do it for real. We wanted so badly to do it for real.”

Ha Ha Tonka will be returning to Emporia on Wednesday to play a show with Emporia State’s improv comedy troupe Zoiks! Expect to hear a couple new songs as the band is preparing to record their follow up to their first album “Buckle in the Bible Belt.”

“For the last few months we've been working on a lot of new material,” Anderson said. “We hope to be in the studio in the Fall, and release a new record Spring of next year.”

The band has been touring constantly since the release of their Bloodshot records debut which has left little time to write new material.

“We don't write on the road really,” Anderson said. “I would say ideas for songs come randomly, but structure and other things typically are written in our practice space, my roommates' basement.”

The band is also awaiting the completion of the video for their song “Caney Mountain.” The video is going to consist mostly of computer animation and Ha Ha Tonka expects it to be out by the beginning of summer. There is also a ‘making of’ preview video on YouTube.

“The video is being done by an Advertising company called Barkley based out of Kansas City,” Anderson said. “These guys blew us away with their ideas, so we just let them go.”

The band was fortunate enough to play this year’s South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. This is the second time they’ve gotten

“South By Southwest is always a real treat for us,” Anderson said. “We've looked forward to it the last two years, and it has yet to disappoint.”

The band played three shows at the festival

“Minus the three great shows we played, we all kind of split up and did our own things,” Anderson said. “My highlights were [getting to see] REM, Vampire Weekend, and Dr. Dog.”

Anderson has three songs on the MySpace for his side project Walk On Your Tiptoes, you can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/walkonyourtiptoesmusic. When asked about his non-musical influences Anderson responded, “A few of mine are Kurt Vonnegut, Wes Anderson, and friends and family.”

Although Albert Taylor Hall may not be the typical venue for Ha Ha Tonka, according to Anderson it doesn’t matter where they play.

“We approach every show the same,” Anderson said. “We have a good time and try not to mess up.”

Ha Ha Tonka and Zoiks! are scheduled to play Albert Taylor Hall, located inside Plumb Hall, on Wednesday at 7 p.m.