Vanyo Martial Arts

By Mark | Published: December 21, 2015

Vanyo Martial Arts It’s been a minute since I’ve posted about photography, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy shooting. I’ve been doing a lot of corporate work as of late. Taking pictures for businesses that want to enhance their brand. One of my latest projects was for an old friend of mine Mark Vanyo the owner of Vanyo Martial Arts.

I met Mark at the gym back in 2006. Right around that time I saw the movie Ong Bak and wanted to start training Muay Thai immediately. It’s kind of strange to think that I wanted to train a martial art that I figured nobody in my neighborhood would be teaching but alas there was Master Vanyo. We quickly bonded over the love of weightlifting, martial arts, and 80’s action movies. He’s one of the few people I know on the planet that can also quote movies like The Barbarians.

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Crown Of Phantoms

By Mark | Published: December 11, 2015

chimaira-crown-of-phantoms-coverIf you’re new to this site and haven’t read any of the previous blogs, starting here is like starting at the end of the movie. Please head here and read parts 1-7! If you dislike long blogs, turn back now.
Crown of Phantoms! Wear the crown!

During the Age of Hell tour, we had time to figure out how we could fulfill all of the necessary touring requirements and still have it so Rob and Matt could make their exit at the Christmas show. It was up to me, Emil, Austin, and Z to find two replacements for a massive festival tour in Australia and a headlining European tour. We had about eight months if I recall correctly.

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Age Of Hell

By Mark | Published: November 25, 2015

Chimaira Age Of Hell Mark Hunter Blog Strangely the title “Resurrection” mirrored the journey of the band. We overcame adversity, solidified ourselves as a unit and climbed to new heights. The Infection, unfortunately, shared the same anomaly. By the time we got off the road, we had become “infected” and had fallen apart. Of course, it would only be appropriate for the Age Of Hell to follow suit.

How does a band go from playing arenas and huge festivals to almost breaking up within the span of a year?

After releasing The Infection, we went on a worldwide tour that I’ll more than likely remember as being the best time on tour I ever had. The vibe was, for me at least, a lot of fun. I started to open up more than ever and for an introvert like me it was a nice change of pace.

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Infection

By Mark | Published: October 28, 2015

mark hunter blog chimaira the infection

Resurrection was another high point in Chimaira’s career. The path toward The Infection cycle was pretty smooth and not as bumpy as other album cycles. The name Resurrection was appropriate for the era as we truly made a drastic comeback both in album success and intrapersonal life.

During the time we were touring for Res, we a well-known metal band. In just six years from the release of Pass Out, we went from opening small stages to playing the main stage of Download Fest in front of 60,000 plus. I couldn’t believe some of the shows we were booked to play.

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Resurrection

By Mark | Published: September 30, 2015

chimaira resurrectionWith the release of Self-Titled we hoped lightning would strike twice, and we’d have the same if not more success than Impossibility. The hype was there; we felt confident in the album, and we followed all the steps we thought necessary to have success. But the album never took off in the way we expected, and the touring cycle was one of the most turbulent.

I spent much of the cycle under the influence of anti-depressants as I started to develop social anxiety issues. I also drank a lot and slept more. I mainly remember feeling disappointed. Life in Chimaira wasn’t the same; the tours were lackluster. There were so many moments I wanted to throw in the towel. There was a deep sense of failure.

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Self-Titled

By Mark | Published: September 17, 2015

chimaira self-titledAfter releasing The Impossibility Of Reason, life started to get pretty awesome for Chimaira. But before we set foot in the recording studio to create the eponymous follow-up, we’d have to go through a series of career threatening challenges. In my opinion surviving these conundrums helped make Self-Titled an extremely dark and unforgettable album.

The touring cycle for Impossibility was epic. We had the opportunity to play Ozzfest, which was at a peak, and we continued to have the chance to tour with many our favorite bands. We traveled out of the country for the first time and were given the rock star treatment. Places like Australia, Mexico, Japan and the UK scratched off the bucket list. We went from playing small clubs to massive festivals playing with the likes of Megadeth. Life was surreal.

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Impossibility

By Mark | Published: September 3, 2015

Chimaira The Impossibility Of ReasonThe Impossibility Of Reason was without a doubt the pinnacle of Chimaira’s career. The ride up the mountain was far from easy and by the end of it, we would go through two lineup changes. The album sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and remains our highest-selling album to date.

This post is the 3rd entry regarding my journey with Chimaira, and the intent is to find a deeper appreciation and officially close this chapter of my life. If you haven’t had the chance, please check out part 1 and part 2 to catch up.

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Pass Out Of Existence

By Mark | Published: August 14, 2015

pass out of existence mark hunter blogHere we go – round 2 of the Chimaira Legacy files. I’d like to thank everyone that read and shared the last entry and for not ripping my head off too much.

Chimaira ended in September of 2014 and I’ve yet to take the time properly thank the fans. Things ended rather vague and one might postulate that after a 15+ year career you’d hear a little more about it. The truth is, I was too mentally exhausted last year to say anything. The band ended, it was a shitty feeling, so I took the necessary time to have a more optimistic look on our crazy yet awesome career.

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In This Present Darkness

By Mark | Published: July 29, 2015

Chimaira This Present DarknessRight around now is the sixteenth anniversary of when Chimaira formed. I remember sitting upstairs at my house playing guitar when I got a phone call from Jason Hager. He said that he wanted to start a new band and he wanted me to sing. I said something along the lines of “if we’re going to do this, we’re going all the way and we’re going to get signed.” I have no idea where this inner confidence / arrogance came from, but I think a lot of it might have had to do with the fact that my previous band, Skipline had recently disbanded and I was hungry. Jason was a former member of the well known Cleveland hardcore band Ascension. The 2 of us together could be cool we thought.

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Jaworski’s Meats Photoshoot

By Mark | Published: June 25, 2015

Jaworski's Meats Photoshoot photo by Mark Hunter Brunswick Ohio Hunter PhotoI spent over a week taking photos at one of my favorite places in the area, Jaworski’s Meats. I became friends with the staff over a year ago and my followers have more than likely seen me post from there. If you haven’t heard of them, they are a butcher that specializes in local grass-fed meat whose prices crush the competition. It’s also a family owned / operated spot that is about to celebrate their 80th year in business. A legendary name in the Cleveland area. The decor is full of butcher and sport’s memorabilia which made for fun visuals. But the food…the star of the show is always on point. I was extremely excited for the Jaworski’s Meats photoshoot.

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