{"id":2647,"date":"2016-09-17T10:57:56","date_gmt":"2016-09-17T17:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/?p=2647"},"modified":"2016-09-28T19:42:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T02:42:00","slug":"tour-blog-in-the-lair-of-the-huntress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/2016\/09\/17\/tour-blog-in-the-lair-of-the-huntress\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour Blog: In The Lair Of The Huntress"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-09-17-at-1-11-00-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Whenever you’re presented with a potentially life-altering decision, you might give it time and thought, and rightly so, but every once in a while, these decisions are so easy that it all it takes is an instant to make the right choice. For me, going on a nationwide 7-week tour with Los Angeles-based metal band Huntress certainly falls under the latter. After my short West Coast run with Gygax last June, bassist\/vocalist Eric Harris contacted me to reveal that he was rejoining Huntress, and said the band needed someone to sling merch on their next tour. I made myself available right away, and sure enough, it was confirmed within a few days. I’ve known the main members of Huntress since 2009, which is about as long as I’ve known any other musicians in LA, and I’ve seen the band play shows in all kinds of venues, some of which don’t exist anymore and LA folks may not even have heard of, such as The Blvd and Three of Clubs. Of course, they went on to do much bigger things and got themselves on several high-profile tours both in the US and Europe, and even though I honestly lost track of their progress somewhere along the way, I always remained cordial with them and they were nice to me whenever and wherever I did run into them. Touring with them was an absolute no-brainer, and not only a chance to work for a bunch of familiar and friendly folks, but also an extended opportunity to rediscover my appreciation for a band that made a great first impression seven years ago.<\/p>\n

For starters, Huntress is on this tour as opening act for Trivium and Sabaton, with a few headline dates to lead in to the first show in Columbus, Ohio and to fill in some of the off-days. Huntress’ 2016 lineup features Holy Grail guitarist Eli Santana and drummer Tyler Meahl, who’ve both been full-time members of this band for more than two years now, with bassist Eric Harris returning to Huntress for the first time since 2012, and of course, the two core founding members, guitarist Blake Meahl and singer Jill Janus. It would perhaps be fair to say that this quintet is nothing short of a dream team for Huntress, and the Holy Grail\/Gypsyhawk\/Gygax connection made it an even more exciting prospect for me than it already was. Besides yours truly as merch slinger extraordinaire, the band is traveling with their own sound guy Luis Cardenas, who has been working at the Whisky-A-Go-Go for the past six years. A BandWagon tour bus was booked as the vehicle of choice for our travels and a driver was hired, but the bus pickup was in Indiana and the driver is based in Ohio, so the seven of us set out for the first few dates in Huntress’ own van and trailer, starting our journey from Los Angeles at 6 AM on Friday September 9th.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Dream Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Days 1-6 (9\/9 to 9\/14):\u00a0Dive Bars & Time Travelers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first run of dates were all headline gigs on our way to the first show of the Trivium\/Sabaton tour, with LA-based September Mourning as support. After a 10-hour drive we arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona for the first show at Orpheum Theatre. It was a smooth first outing for the band in every sense, and we moved onto the next destination, Las Vegas. This is already my least favorite city in all of America, and going to a terrible venue like Dive Bar makes it even worse. I did a show at this bar last December and was hoping I\u2019d never have to visit it ever again, but sadly that wasn\u2019t the case. If I ever choose to write a super-fictional version of my own nightmare, the Dive Bar in Las Vegas would most likely be the scene for it and a lot of what I observed and experienced at this show would be part of the story.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The sign says it all<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was zero promotion behind the event and no such thing as a flyer whatsoever. The in-house sound guy wasn\u2019t by any means pleasant to work with, and there was hardly a crowd for the show, because a $15 cover charge is ridiculous for a place of this standard and I would not blame folks for not wanting to pay that much to get into the Dive Bar. In addition to all the difficulties the band and crew endured just to be able to put on a show for the handful of diehard fans (one of whom got kicked out even before Huntress\u2019 set for being too drunk), a shirt was stolen from the merch display while I was away for what couldn\u2019t have been more than 5 seconds. In 200+ shows I\u2019ve worked, this never happened to me before, and it just about summed up this Vegas visit perfectly, as I sure as hell hope whatever happens i`n Vegas stays in Vegas and doesn\u2019t happen anywhere else.<\/p>\n

\"Jill's<\/a>
Jill’s fancy dressing room at the Dive Bar in Las Vegas (a.k.a the shitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next was the Mesa Theater in Grand Junction, Colorado, a much more positive outcome for all involved, even though it seemed like a bizarre ghost town where it was extremely hard to find any kind of food (or people) at 6 PM on a Sunday and the entire sidewalk was decorated with strange statues and art pieces. But the metalheads came out to attend the show and it was a good time. I wasn\u2019t all that busy at the merch table and this one dude claiming to be a time traveler was easily the most entertaining moment of my evening and soothed the pain of mistakenly drinking Bud Light\/Clamato Chelada a little while earlier. From this town to Springfield, Missouri was a 14-hour drive and thankfully we had a day off to cover it. The dudes took turns to drive in short shifts and we arrived at the Outland Ballroom in Springfield on the 13th, an hour before the 5 PM load-in. Our show was in the Front-Of-House Lounge downstairs, and after setting up the merch table I noticed that the entire ceiling was shaking in an up-and-down motion. I was questioning my own sanity as I wondered whether it was actually happening or I was tripping. I was told it wasn\u2019t the latter, and the shaking was due to an all-day hardcore show taking place in the upstairs room. This was the first time I was actually in a position to see and hear the entire Huntress set, and I was quite happy with how the band was sounding, and was specially impressed by how much Jill\u2019s vocal delivery was in shape. I watched her warm up before soundcheck at all of these shows and she later told me she also warms up before the set. After the show is done and the meet-n-greet with fans is over, she also takes vocal rest wherein she doesn\u2019t talk to anyone for several hours. There are many other little things she pays attention to. Jill\u2019s clear focus and routine is living proof that it takes a lot to be a consistently good metal vocalist show after show on a long tour.<\/p>\n

Read more on Page 2<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jill<\/a>
Jill likes pickles, you guys<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Besides the vocal performance, of course I\u2019ve come to learn a few other aspects of touring with a band fronted by Jill Janus. She ensures that the touring vehicle is clean at all times, and a week in, this is already the cleanest tour I\u2019ve ever done in that sense. Wth the makeup she has to spend time on before every show, the availability of a dressing room\/green room is much more imperative than it is for most all-male bands, but Jill is versatile and makes do even when there isn\u2019t such a room at the venue. But the one thing I commend her most for is her interaction with fans. Jill and everyone else in the band is more than willing to meet fans, specially after the show, but Huntress definitely brings out some folks that wouldn\u2019t leave Jill alone. The way she handles them and the amount of patience she has is incredible. The best example is the 18-year old kid after the gig in Springfield, Missouri starting a conversation with Jill by saying his favorite band is \u201cvintage Avenged Sevenfold\u201d. It was just Jill and I in the van at the time, I ducked down and pretended to be asleep as soon as I heard the words \u2018M. Shadows\u201d, but Jill talked to this dude for several minutes and took a picture with him. In other instances, Tyler and Eli in particular have shown tremendous patience with endlessly talkative folks too. I am fascinated at the prospect of coming across more such fanboys and seeing how Huntress handles them. Moving on from Springfield and before arriving at the hotel just out of town, we stopped at a Taco Bell and raked in a bill of nearly $50, which is no mean feat in itself, and there were no leftovers.<\/p>\n

\"No<\/a>
No leftovers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last show of this headline run was at Fubar in St. Louis, Missouri. Upon reaching the destination, the first question that came to mind was, \u201cWhy have I been here five times in the past two years?\u201d Again, zero promotion behind the event and no posters or flyers at all. The venue is totally fine in terms of layout, stage, lights and sound system, but based on my past tours through here with bands both big and small, it seems like nobody attends shows at Fubar, which is a pity. That said, there were some really dedicated Huntress fans at this one, and it wasn\u2019t their fault that the place wasn\u2019t packed, so of course Huntress gave them the full headline set. I\u2019ve seen quite a few bands on tour that cut their set short for smaller crowds and half-ass it, but Huntress is not the kind to do that. Fubar is also notorious for bands\u2019 touring vehicles getting broken into, but thankfully none of that sort happened to us. As soon as he stepped off the stage, Eric came to the merch table with a piece of Tyler\u2019s broken cymbal. \u201c10 bucks, we\u2019ll all sign it\u201d, he said to the dude hanging around the table, and sure enough, it was sold instantly. That\u2019s just an example of what Eric Harris brings to the table, pure rock n\u2019 roll spontaneity.<\/p>\n

\"Huntress<\/a>
Huntress & September Mourning end-of-tour photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Day 7 (9\/15): Jumping On The BandWagon<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the show in St. Louis, it was goodbye to September Mourning and an overnight drive to Bowling Green, Indiana where we would pick up the BandWagon bus. A Waffle House family dinner later, Tyler drove us through the night, and at 8 AM, the BandWagon office opened. While their staff transferred our trailer from the van to the back of the bus, we were asked to sit in a room full of comfortable reclining couches, and a two-hour BandWagon tutorial video was played on the TV screen. Three seconds in and I was asleep. This was the fastest I\u2019ve ever fallen asleep, and I am glad to finally discover an instant sleeping pill. Jill was kind enough to send me a YouTube link to said tutorial for future reference (and insomnia remedies). At 11 AM, all was in readiness for us to move to the bus, and we left the van in this BandWagon compound, from where we\u2019ll pick it up on our way back to California at the end of the tour. Touring in a bus is a luxury I\u2019d never experienced prior to this, and I\u2019m more than chuffed to call this thing home for the next six weeks.<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/a>
Family time at Waffle House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blake drove the bus to our first stop of the Trivium tour at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Due to all the formalities and wait time involved with getting the bus in the morning, we were a couple of hours behind schedule, but still had plenty of time to load in, set up and soundcheck. Ohio has been very kind and warm to all the bands I\u2019ve come with, and Huntress was no different as people not only arrived early to see them but clearly loved the set and spent good money at the merch table. The standout feature of Huntress in this lineup is their use of real amps and cabs, as opposed to the direct input methods, computers and pre-recorded samples\/backing tracks applied by both Sabaton and Trivium. Attendees would certainly appreciate and recognize Huntress for this everywhere the tour goes, or at least that\u2019s what I hope. Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with D.I., and to each their own. The full headline set is obviously better, but I thought Huntress are nailing the song selection for the 30-minute set they\u2019re getting on this run, representing all three albums in the set list and in the process compelling people to buy all of them at the merch table. Plus, the importance and luxury of traveling with your own sound guy cannot be stressed enough, and Luis is bringing the best out of Huntress every night. There were a lot of people at this show, more than what I\u2019ve been used to seeing, and it was in every sense a successful first night of this big tour. Eric blasted \u2018True Survivor\u2019 from the Kung Fury soundtrack at maximum volume in the bus after the show, and listening to this song together signaled the real start of what\u2019s going to be a fun-filled tour, as the Huntress bus is sure to be a full-on after-party zone.<\/p>\n

\"Home\"<\/a>
Home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Day 8 (9\/16): Wally World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next was Baltimore, Maryland, at the famous Baltimore Soundstage, another packed house and a great response to Huntress. Sabaton has had a bigger draw than Trivium so far, and they\u2019ve undoubtedly had the busiest merch table as well, but it\u2019ll be interesting to see whether that changes as we go along the tour. It was really great seeing my old tour mate of nine weeks Mr. John Gallagher of Raven in attendance here in Baltimore. After the show we went to a WalMart and I realized that doing so in a stoned state is both the best and worst idea ever. Now we\u2019re on our way to Spartanburg, South Carolina for an off-date headline show of our own. Seeing a band night after night on a tour can go one of two ways, as in I may become a much bigger fan than I previously was (for example, my tours with Raven and Skull Fist), or I may end up hating the band completely (Anvil). Based on the first week of this tour, I can safely say I already love Huntress far more than I ever did, and my rekindled respect and appreciation for them will most likely grow further as the tour progresses. As for Trivium and Sabaton, I’ll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned for many more stories from the lair of the Huntress!<\/p>\n

Update: Read Part 2 here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Tyler<\/a>
Tyler – blazed and blazing through WalMart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dates Completed:<\/strong>
\n09\/09\/2016 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater ^
\n09\/10\/2016 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Dive Bar ^
\n09\/11\/2016 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater ^
\n09\/13\/2016 – Springfield, MO @ Front Of House Lounge ^
\n09\/14\/2016 – St. Louis, MO @ Fubar ^
\n09\/15\/2016 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall $
\n09\/16\/2016 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage $<\/p>\n

Remaining Dates:<\/strong>
\n09\/17\/2016 – Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero ^
\n09\/19\/2016 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade $
\n09\/20\/2016 – Little Rock, AR @ Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center $
\n09\/22\/2016 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall $
\n09\/23\/2016 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater $
\n09\/24\/2016 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater (Ozzfest) #
\n09\/27\/2016 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex $
\n09\/29\/2016 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium $
\n09\/30\/2016 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights $
\n10\/01\/2016 – Braidwood, IL @ Top Fuel Saloon ^
\n10\/03\/2016 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live $
\n10\/07\/2016 – Houston, TX @ Scout Bar $
\n10\/08\/2016 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain\u2019s Ballroom $
\n10\/10\/2016 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE $
\n10\/11\/2016 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza $
\n10\/14\/2016 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium & DCU Center (Rock & Shock Festival) %
\n10\/15\/2016 – Binghamton, NY @ Magic City Music Hall $
\n10\/17\/2016 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm $
\n10\/18\/2016 – Tampa, FL @ State Theater $
\n10\/19\/2016 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live $
\n10\/21\/2016 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues $<\/p>\n

^ = Huntress headlining dates
\n$ = Trivium, Sabaton & Huntress
\n# = Huntress festival appearance
\n% = Trivium + Huntress festival appearance<\/p>\n

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By Andrew Bansal Whenever you’re presented with a potentially life-altering decision, you might give it time and thought, and rightly so, but every once in a while, these decisions are so easy that it all it takes is an instant to make the right choice. For me, going on a nationwide 7-week tour with Los … <\/p>\n

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