Ha Ha Tonka is a lot like the Mexican burrowing toad; it can swell up to appear - or in this case, sound - bigger than it is. Senor Toad does this to prevent being eaten, while this Ozark foursome does it somewhat unintentionally. It combines lush, four-part harmonies (almost choral-sounding in spots), rock 'n' roll, and a dash of earthy fiddle 'n' twang for a sonic mixture that swells up big and beautiful.

Zoology and hyperbole aside, Ha Ha Tonka - Brett Anderson (keyboard, guitar, and vocals), Lennon Bone (drums & vocals), Lucas Long (bass & vocals), and Brian Roberts (vocals & guitar) - is a roots-rock band, but one that stretches beyond the genre's themes and limits. There's plenty of faded denim and big-sky vistas, but Ha Ha Tonka isn't fenced in. Think Wilco, just not as extrapolated, or maybe even early REM. The band delivers its message, hook, groove, and sinker in tight little episodes and anthemic opuses, like the ones all over its Bloodshot Records debut, "Buckle On The Bible Belt."

This is a band that is unencumbered by its mission, and fortunate enough to mix what it knows and loves into something fresh that works. There is just as much comfort as there is curiosity in its Americana. Ha Ha Tonka has toured with acts like The Old 97s and the Meat Puppets, and has played Lollapalooza and the Sundance Film Festival. So people know; now it's your turn.

The band's mouthpiece, Brian Roberts, got on the blower to discuss his band, Wilco, Aqua, playing center stage instead of centerfield, and if the band is even necessary. An edited transcript of the interview follows.

CITY: Ha Ha Tonka stands alone. What gap do you think the band fills?

BRIAN ROBERTS: It's hard to answer that without sounding pompous.

Go for it.

Well, I'm sure there are other acts out there that were filling whatever void we were filling - and are filling - I honestly don't know that there was a need for a band like us.

So you're not necessary?

We are definitely not necessary.

I tell people Ha Ha Tonka is a mishmash of spiritual and rock.

I like where you're going with this.

How'd you arrive at that blend?

I think it's us trying to be a rock band, but we're from the Ozarks. There was no conscious effort to say, "We gotta have this, we gotta have that." We all like to sing, that helps the energy level on stage. And we also like to rock out. Brett [Anderson, keyboard/guitar/vocals], you know, he loves to play the electric guitar, so we let him cut loose.

Are you trying to sound a certain way, or do you just let it happen?

We try to make things interesting. We don't like falling back on verse-chorus-verse-chorus. We definitely want the listener to want to listen to the song again. If you've heard "Barbie Girl" once, you've heard it a million times, and I'm not trying to denigrate "Barbie Girl."

Me neither. Your music is sparkly and happy, yet it still cloaks a serious lyrical tone.

Well, I think we kind of borrow from the Wilco formula in that regard. Jeff Tweedy has so many great lines and twists of phrase that make you want to listen to the song again that are separate and apart from the melody. And it's just, "Aw, I love the way these words sound together." 

So do your twists of phrase lead to the music, or do they come from the music?

It can be either way.

How close do you stay to the recorded arrangements live?

Pretty close. We wanted the records to sound pretty live so we could replicate them on stage night in and night out. 

Where's Ha Ha Tonka headed after "Buckle On The Bible Belt" has run its course?

It's hard to describe where we're going next. I'd like to think we're going to make our best record. I would like to feel we're progressing. We have a lot more touring to do with this record, so we're not fully engaged with the next record. But we're definitely in the writing progress. It'll still have a lot of electric guitar, but I think the next record will be mandolin driven.

So Ha Ha Tonka is finally catching on. What did it?

Time, persistence, and a little bit of luck - that seems to be the key ingredient.

Livin' the dream, huh?

Well, Dream No. 1 for me was to play centerfield for the St. Louis Cardinals, but that didn't work out. This is the fallback plan.

Ha Ha Tonka

Opening for Cross Canadian Ragweed

Friday, December 4

Water Street Music Hall, 204 N Water St.

8 p.m. | $18-$23 | 325-5600, hahatonkamusic.com