In the ever-evolving world of rock music, Shaman’s Harvest has consistently pushed boundaries with their powerful sound, soulful lyrics, and undeniable energy. At the heart of the band’s creative journey is guitarist Josh Hamler, whose distinctive playing and songwriting have helped define their signature style. In this exclusive interview, Josh opens up about the band’s latest projects, the inspirations behind their music, and what it takes to stay authentic in a rapidly changing industry. Join us as we dive into the stories and insights of one of rock’s most passionate creators.
Antihero Magazine: Good evening Josh, I hope you are keeping well. You recently announced your debut UK Tour with Blacktop Mojo, which sounds like a great combination of bands.
Josh Hamler: We both have the same outlook on our sound, on our tone and on our style. So it’s really a heavy rock, southern rock blend of blues and metal all at the same time. So we couldn’t be more excited to be coming over to the UK to bring the “About Time” tour to you guys. And on top of that, getting to do it with our homies in Blacktop Mojo makes it even better.
Antihero Magazine: I also understand that extra dates have already been added, which is pretty good for two bands that have never played in the UK before.
Josh Hamler: Yeah, yeah. We were really blown away with the response we’ve got with ticket sales and we ended up adding six extra shows just because the sales were so strong and it just goes to show you that people around the world are listening to rock and roll music and we’re glad to be a part of it.
Antihero Magazine: What about a set list? I’m sure that’s going to cause some headaches because you’ve got your entire back catalogue now. You’ll be playing songs people have never heard live before in the UK.
Josh Hamler: Yeah, it’s pretty interesting trying to pick our set list for this event. We do have seven records of music to go through to pick from, but I will say we have seven or eight songs that have been top 20 hits here in the US. I imagine we’ll be playing all of those songs and we have a cover of a Dirty Diana, a Michael Jackson cover that we did years ago that no matter where we go, it seems to be a hit. And then we have our new record that came out two years ago, Revelator with Bird Dog Voices or Under Your Skin, or even the song Lilith that we might get into. So it’s going to be a wide array of Shaman’s Harvest songs from a bunch of different records and it’s going to ebb and flow just like all of our music does.
Antihero Magazine: Does that album still feel new to you or have you got new songs actually written already for the next one?
Josh Hamler: Yeah, we’re in the process of making our eighth record right now. We have seven new tunes. A few of them might be performed in the UK for the first time anywhere, so we’re not opposed to that. Our new record that we’re making, it’s really as great as all the rest of ’em, and in my eyes and right now being in the studio and in that process and getting to be that artist, it’s our favourite part. Don’t get us strong on the tour otherwise, we wouldn’t still be doing this 27 years later. But being in the studio, creating and being creative, and making sounds or making colours out of sounds is my personal joy in it all.
Antihero Magazine: Obviously, the band has been around for a while. Major success in the States. Do you play big venues over in the States?
Josh Hamler: Yeah, when we’re doing a headline run, I mean we’ll play two to 5,000-person venues, theatres kind of mid-level, but we’ve done major tours with bands like Nickelback or Cheap Trick and stuff like that, or AC/DC, even where we played arenas in front of 30 to 50,000 people. So we’re not afraid to hop up in a local pub and play so loud, everybody leaves or we’re fine to step on a big stage with all the gadgets behind us to make the big show.
Antihero Magazine: You mentioned a few minutes ago about the new album. Will that see a change in direction? Because obviously on the album before Rebelator – Red Hands Black Deeds – you changed direction and did it totally different from your previous releases.
Josh Hamler: Right now we’re writing and recording independently of a producer. With our last record we had, Kyle O’Dell was the producer of that record, and every time we get a producer, we kind of want them to become a sixth member of the band and really take us in a direction that we haven’t been thinking of, and trying to get through that escape room. And so Kyle definitely had a different approach and a different stylistically, a different palette for his producing for Red Hands, Black Deeds. On Rebelator we had Keith Armstrong who was completely different in his approach.
Antihero Magazine: One, it was a bit of a departure both musically and I think sonically as well from previous releases.
Josh Hamler: Yeah, Kyle was definitely more modern and digital and I think we used a 5150 plus three other amps on every guitar tone with Kyle using Keith Armstrong. He’s definitely a lot more analogue. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve as far as how to get you to make the sounds that he’s looking for. So it’s just, like I said, trying to make that producer be the sixth member. So the songs that we’ve, for this new record, it’ll be interesting once we get a producer to make the actual record where he takes us with these new tunes. So that’s kind of our approach and every record has been that way. Two records, our Shine record, and our Smokin’ Hearts & Broken Guns, both were recorded and produced by Richie Kum in St. Louis, Missouri. And so they have a very similar sound as far as the song, the way they sound, the way the songs are structured, the textures, and whatnot. So I think you can hear on every record what that producer brought because you can hear the Shaman’s Harvest all, but the difference is kind of what the producer brought to the plate.
Antihero Magazine: You seem to be a constant touring machine. I just wonder if you get any time outside music and when you’re not touring or recording have any interests or hobbies?
Josh Hamler: Yeah, honestly, the last couple of years we haven’t been touring all that often. Nathan, our singer and his wife, had a young daughter, so she’s two now. And so Nate’s spending some family time with them. I personally have three sons and they’re all footballers and they all play college soccer or are getting ready to play soccer. And so that takes up a lot of my time. I’ve also coached soccer over here in the States for about 20 years, and I think I have 80 players that I’ve coached on the collegiate level. So when I haven’t been rocking out on stages and on tour, that’s been football or soccer has been my main focus in life with my kids and my family and we just really enjoy it. But when you say touring all the time, starting around 2008 to about 2018, we were touring the United States 300 days a year. So it’s definitely a lot of miles on these tires.
Antihero Magazine: You said the band had been going for over 25 years. I just wonder what the major changes are. I mean, being a professional musician now and back when you started, I’m sure you’ve seen quite a few changes over the years in terms of the business.
Josh Hamler: Yeah, we started before there was streaming, so Napster was the first thing that happened to us as a band, and it seemed like every time that we finally got it figured out and we were just about to break, it changed again. And that happened probably seven times between then and now. And in today’s world, we still find it changing some more. So I think the moral of the story is don’t get comfortable because it’s going to change and there’s a lot of things about now that makes it a lot easier and makes it more accessible, but it also takes away from the Pristine, this of it all. It used to be that a very select number of people could do it. Now it’s like anybody can do it. Do you need a record label? I mean, they’re awesome to have and to give you that support, but anymore, if you write the right song, you don’t really need it. You can just put it out on Distro kit or some independent release network and take your chance. So we’ve seen it all we’ve endured throughout the ages and outside of a few personnel changes, me and Nathan are going strong.
Antihero Magazine: Yeah. Just a final one, if the roles were reversed, do you have any sort of personal heroes or inspirations that you would like to sit down and chat with? Sorry, maybe not even a musician?
Josh Hamler: That’s a good question. Thin Lizzy is one of my favourite bands. I would love to sit down with any and all of those guys and have a chat about music or life. So throughout the years, there’s a lot of those folks and heroes of mine, guitar Heroes like Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn or there’s so many of ’em out there. One cool thing for me growing up, and I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the band, Little River Band from the seventies from Australia, but my uncle was a founding member of that group. And so I’ve been surrounded by music my entire life and Little River Band isn’t the heaviest group by any means, but they’re great songwriters and the way they craft songs and where the vocal harmonies blend and my Uncle B was really my biggest influence in life. Yeah.
Antihero Magazine: You mentioned your sons are all into sports. Have you passed on that musical gene? Have any of them shown any signs of maybe picking up an instrument, joining a band, or forming a band?
Josh Hamler: All three of ’em are very inclined to do it. I’ve tried to keep ’em out of the industry just because I’ve seen how ugly it can be and there’s a lot of life. There’s so many paths up the mountain, but the view from the top is the same. So I don’t know that I wish on them what I’ve endured, but I still wouldn’t change it for me. I think it’s been my road that I’ve walked down and I just keep checking off the bucket list.
Antihero Magazine: That’s great. Josh, thank you very much. I’m actually, I’m definitely attending the Manchester show and possibly one or two others, so I look forward to seeing you finally in the UK on tour.
Josh Hamler: Yeah, I appreciate it, Mark. Man, I can’t wait to meet you in person, and thanks for taking the time to have a chat.
With A Mammoth 400+ Million Streams And A Decade of Pent-Up Anticipation
US Rockers Shaman’s Harvest Embark On Their First Ever Tour of UK & Ireland in March 2025!
The ‘About Time’ Tour will see them joined by Blacktop Mojo from 5-21 March.
Watch the best of Shaman’s Harvest:
In Chains | Dangerous | The Come Up | Voices | Here it Comes | Under Your Skin
