Myspace has been a great medium of communication between music artists and fans. When I discovered Shaman's Harvest last year on the popular social networking site, I knew I had to interview them for Music's Rising Stars. Their heavy melodies and hard-hitting lyrics, along with a playlist of very well produced songs and a bevy of YouTube videos, were evidence they met my criteria for potential interviewees.
I was fortunate enough to have Shaman's Harvest guitarist Josh Hamler answer my questions over a Myspace message exchange. Their video producer David Probst responded to additional questions via e-mail. As a result, here is what I learned about this amazing band...

Shaman's Harvest, based out of Jefferson City, Missouri, is a rock group that's getting more and more airplay every week on American radio stations. Their latest single "Dragonfly" is one of the top-requested indie songs throughout the nation and a popular video watched on YouTube.

According to Hamler, the video represents "the day-in/day-out challenge of being a pawn in the music industry."

Shaman's Harvest is comprised of Hamler, vocalist Nathan Hunt, guitarist Ryan Tomlinson, bassist Matt Fisher and drummer Craig Wingate. The band formed in 1996 but didn't truly get serious about their music careers until 2001. The majority of the current lineup has been together for nearly ten years, with the only change being the addition of Tomlinson who came on board when the previous guitarist left the band a month after the May 2009 release of their Shine album.

"Dragonfly" is the latest single from Shine, their second album recorded on indie label Tribal Music. The video for "Dragonfly" portrays the band members in blue jumpsuits struggling to push and pull heavy equipment throughout an abandoned building. There is even a scene where an exasperated and sweaty Hunt falls to his knees in prayer as if begging for mercy.

"Dragonfly" video director and band photographer David Probst has been involved with Shaman's Harvest for the past five years. For the "Dragonfly" video, Probst met repeatedly with Hunt, "picking his brain about the meaning behind the song," Probst said. He "then started chipping away at conceptual ideas for the video."

Once Probst had some visual concepts to draw from, he conducted a lengthy conference call with all of the band members and their management to run his ideas passed them and explain what preparation would be required. The video was to be shot in a single day.

"They came prepared and ready to go without a hitch," Probst reflected. "I knew this would be a long day and only having one day to shoot, we couldn't afford to have any slowdowns."

For the location of the video, Probst chose the old, vacant Lemp Brewery building in St. Louis.

"It is a massive building with many rooms and multiple floors," he said. "Moving from the varied basement settings to the third floor and back down again was time consuming and tiring. Knowing that I had one day only to shoot, there was a lot of pressure on all involved knowing that we had to finish all shooting in that one day. The band didn't have to 'act' their part too much because the fatigue and strain of what they were doing was real and did a fine job of beating them up. Let's just say I don't think anyone had a problem going to sleep that night."

Shine follows on the heels of 2006's March of the Bastards CD. Shaman's Harvest has two other independent albums - Last Call for Goose Creek and Synergy, which are currently out of print.

When it comes to writing music and lyrics for their songs, Hamler claims the guys don't follow a particular method.

"It’s something that just happens," Hamler says. "Every song has a different approach." Hunt writes most of the lyrics. According to Hamler, the words are molded by "personal experiences, beliefs, and attitudes."

As for the name "Shaman's Harvest," Hamler says it was inspired by each of the members' heritage.

"We all have a Native American background, and music brought us together," he notes. "It is our shaman and we are the harvest."

Their influences include a cornucopia of sources, but Hamler claims some of the most prominent have been Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Pearl Jam and Clutch.

"We are a very diverse group, which shows in our musical style," he notes. Tribal Music was quick to pick up the band's uniqueness. One night when representatives from the music label attended a Shaman's Harvest show, the relationship sparked, and it's been a positive experience ever since.

"Tribal is definitely the unseen member of the band - often times the glue that held it all together for so long," Hamler asserts. "It has been great knowing we have someone behind us that believes in us 110 percent."

Having such a high level of confidence from their label is important to the success of the band, especially since they aspire to take their music as far as their hard work and dedication to the craft will let them.

"If you don’t want to be the best, you never will!" Hamler insists.

To date, Shaman's Harvest has shared the stage with such big names as Alice in Chains, Godsmack, and Shine Down. Although they have played to audiences throughout the United States, the guys in Shaman's Harvest are still proud of the local music scene back home. "[The local scene is] getting better and better," Hamler comments. "When we started out years ago there wasn’t much going on. Now, Missouri has introduced artists like Nelly, The Urge, Cavo, and Story of the Year as well as many upcoming rock, rap, country acts." Hamler credits the fans as being the real key to the band's success.

"We are very much a grass roots group," he notes. "It’s the fans' word of mouth that has helped us endure and continue to find inspiration, even in times of frustration with the music industry. THANK YOU!"

Probst is one of their biggest fans. His experience with the guys has left him impressed at their dedication and humbleness.

"The members are down to earth and have always focused on the task at hand," he claims. "You can have a great band and never get noticed or you can have a 'just ok' band that 'gets the break.' Of course it's brutally tough to break through. With that said I feel that the band's current CD release Shine is so strong that it will be very hard to ignore. From the feedback I've heard regarding their radio play and the YouTube viral buzz going on, it appears that people are extremely passionate about their first single 'Dragonfly.' They are picking up more stations every week. Requests are very high in many of the radio markets by listeners and there seems to be a vibrant buzz going on for this song and much curiosity about the band."

Probst believes the boys in Shaman's Harvest have what it takes to succeed. "Do I think they are qualified and worthy to break through? Absolutely YES," he contends. "Do I think they will? From what I see and feel happening around the single 'Dragonfly' the answer is yes, but some luck in still involved. If they do get to a more elevated status or maybe signed to a solid deal, would it surprise me? No... it would just make sense!"

To learn more about Shaman's Harvest, visit www.myspace.com/shamansharvest. The site includes uploaded songs, videos, a calendar of upcoming shows, and contact information.