In less than two weeks, Missouri hard rockers Shaman’s Harvest will be making it across the ocean, with co-headliners Blacktop Mojo, for their first-ever UK and Ireland tour. MetalTalk sat down with Josh Hamler, Shaman’s Harvest’s guitarist and co-founding member, to discuss their long-awaited upcoming tour, the “Shaman’s Harvest experience”, and everything in between (AI, soccer and the importance of sweat included).
Shaman’s Harvest’s latest single, Rock N Roll Queen, was released just under a month ago, and the super catchy, super sexy track has slithered its way out of our speakers almost daily in anticipation of finally being able to see the band live on UK shores.
“It is an anthem to the rock ‘n’ roll queen out there,” Josh said on the meaning behind the single, “the badass chick in the front row who doesn’t care and is just there to have a good time.” We couldn’t resist asking if the Rock N Roll Queen was based on someone in particular, to which Josh laughed and admitted: “I think all of our women think that it’s about them, but we are gonna leave that one vague.”
We told Josh how much we loved the single’s accompanying visualiser video – which, if you haven’t already checked out, you must do so immediately. He praised the talented Lauren at Mascot Label Group for putting it together and the perks of AI for helping to create it. “AI is gonna AI; we wanted to spend our money elsewhere, employing humans to do more important things for us.”
Keep your friends close, but AI closer, is becoming a more and more popular mindset of many, especially in creative industries like the music industry. With statistics like 60% of musicians are using AI tools in their music projects, according to ArtSmart AI, we asked for Shaman’s Harvest’s thoughts on the technology. Josh said: “Any time humanity has created something for the good, we find a way to use it for the bad. I really hope, in this case, we can figure out ways to use it for the betterment of humankind.”
Josh explained that following the release of Rock N Roll Queen, they discovered another song, an AI version of Rock N Roll Queen, that someone had distorted into a Shaman’s Harvest theme song. “I was kind of offended but kind of flattered at the same time. It’s a new experience and emotion for me, and I haven’t quite got my grip around it yet.”
What Josh and the rest of Shaman’s Harvest certainly have got their grip on, however, is their UK fanbase. The About Time tour has been a long time coming. And by long, we mean 25 years. “We have had plenty of opportunity to come over and perform as an opening act for band A, B or C,” Josh said, “but for whatever reason, the tour always fell through, and it wasn’t any of our doing.”
This time around, they realised if they wanted something done, they had to do it themselves, on Shaman’s Harvest’s terms. Following a like-minded conversation with their good friends in Blacktop Mojo, they devised a plan, and this time, if it failed, at least it was on them. So far, not only have they had to add six extra dates to the UK and Ireland tour, but there are multiple shows with very few tickets left, including VIP options. “We can’t wait to fully dive into the heritage of rock ‘n’ roll in the United Kingdom and meet our fans over there who have been wishing we would come over for so long, and now we finally are.”
“If we’re not sweating on stage, we’re not working hard enough for people to pay good money to come watch us.”
The UK fans have been hearing about the ‘Shaman’s Harvest experience’ for decades, and with the imminent promise of getting to experience it ourselves, we wanted to know what we had to look forward to. “You can expect every song not to sound the same,” Josh said. “An ebb and flow throughout the set with a crescendo ending.
“Most importantly for us is when we’re on stage, that’s when we are our full selves. We sweat, and we rock hard. If we’re not sweating on stage, we’re not working hard enough for people to pay good money to come watch us.” Whether it is a show of 10 or 10,000 people, it doesn’t matter to Shaman’s Harvest; it is the same show.
Shaman’s Harvest haven’t let the powers that be limit their musical explorations. “We kind of let every song be its own thing, its own being,” Josh said, “each song is like our kid, and however they were made to be is how they’re made to be.” While you can expect a feast of musical variation in their set, including slow acoustic ballads, bluesy tracks, Metal tracks, guttural screams and five-part harmonies, they maintain a Shaman’s Harvest quality at every song’s core. “We have this texture of sound and emotion that I think sets Shaman’s Harvest apart from many acts.”
On sharing the bill with Blacktop Mojo, Josh said: “We bring a lot of energy, a lot of charisma and a lot of soul on tour with us, and so do the guys in Blacktop Mojo.” Despite expressing that the two heavy-hitting bands from the US could easily be bankrupt after this tour, Josh was adamant that it was worth it. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and we’re gonna do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
“Things can only get this tough if they’re about to be really great.”
Although known for their slaying of stages and smouldering blend of Alternative Metal and southern hard rock, you cannot research Shaman’s Harvest without discovering the onslaught of misfortune they have suffered. We asked Josh if he wished the media’s focus would steer away from their tragic past. “Honestly, it’s like, can we just stop talking about all this? But I get it. It’s part of our story, and it gives us a tenacity that I don’t know we would have if we hadn’t overcome these obstacles.”
With a tenacity they didn’t ask for but won’t waste, Shaman’s Harvest feel like they have a new fervour and energy. “All the stars are aligning for us, and the rock gods are like, yeah, let’s go! Things can only get this tough if they’re about to be really great,” said Josh. All these years later, they have added a new song to Shaman’s Harvest’s repertoire and are about to kick off a tour they have been dreaming about forever. “It’s really exciting times to be in Shaman’s office right now.”
When Josh Hamler isn’t hard at work in the Shaman’s Harvest office, he works as a soccer coach, passing on his love for the game to the next generation of athletes. He has coached close to 80 kids through high school onto a collegiate team, including his three sons. When asked if he gets any time on tour to play some soccer, Josh said: “Well, part of my exercise routine is juggling a soccer ball for 30 minutes a day.” If anyone fancies testing Josh at one of the Shaman’s Harvest shows, he is fairly confident he could kick a ball thrown at him with extreme skill. But no promises. 
Hearing that Josh was a keen sports fan, we wanted to know if Shaman’s Harvest’s musical involvement with WWE had led him to try out any wrestling. Josh listed Hulk Hogan, André the Giant and Koko B. Ware as some of the wrestlers he had been a fan of when he was a kid, but beyond that, he was not massively into it. Initially, the band also weren’t into the idea of attaching their name to WWE. Josh said: “We didn’t quite understand the scope of the WWE and how much exposure they had.”
Josh recalled sitting in his living room with his young kids when out walked Drew McIntyre to his new theme song by rock band Shaman’s Harvest. “It was right then that I was like, oh, 30 million people now know the name of our band. So that was the payoff.” Maybe Drew will even make the upcoming Shaman’s Harvest Glasgow show. “Come on, Drew,” Josh encouraged.
We asked Josh to describe Shaman’s Harvest in three words. He looked me straight in the eye and said without hesitation: “Hard-headed band. You don’t do something for as long as we’ve done it and not be really hard-headed.” Josh reminisced on how incredibly blessed they have been, from starting the band with Drake (Nathan ‘Drake’ Hunt, singer) in late 1996 with other high school classmates to creating music and touring North America. “But man,” he said, “we’ve had to be incredibly hard-headed to continue this dream.”
Josh Hamler had one final message for Shaman’s Harvest’s fans: “To our old fans: thanks for being our fans. To our new fans: thanks for hopping on board. We salute all you rockers around the world because without you we wouldn’t be doing what we get to do. Mad respect to each of you.”
Shaman’s Harvest is vocalist Nathan ‘Drake’ Hunt, guitarists Josh Hamler and Derrick Shipp, and drummer Adam Zemanek.
The About Time Tour will see Shaman’s Harvest joined by Blacktop Mojo from 5-29 March 2025. Tickets are available from here.
