Band Interview: Stick To Your Guns

Orange County’s melodic-hardcore outfit Stick To Your Guns have always been one to let true emotion and raw aggression seep out of their music, but their latest endeavor is putting the spotlight on something entirely different. As they’ve grown, the realization set in that “their music was a better person than they were” which in turn is the biggest inspiration behind True View and wants to shift the focus from our own personal bubbles to the bigger picture. We got the chance to talk with vocalist Jesse Barnett in detail about the inspiration behind the record, what it means to him and much more.

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There’s more to the people who make up our favorite bands than what meets the eye, which is why we always like to start off getting to know them a bit better. If music wasn’t the avenue that you pursued, what do you imagine you’d be doing right now?

This is a question I get asked rather frequently and I never know how to answer it. Music was always the lane that I was going to to pursue. I never saw another option for myself. There was never a plan B. As far I was concerned it was music or death.

Prior to the official announcement of your new album True View, you guys released lyrics to each song on the record along with individual artwork. This caused quite a fervor among fans and was a unique way to unveil a new record. What made you decide to take this approach?

We are always looking for unique ways to start releasing content. A lot of bands do similar things and we just wanted to try anything that might be a departure from the normal unveiling of a record. We thought releasing the lyrics would give people a way to connect with the song on a different level before hearing any actual music. I thought this idea was interesting and I think it worked well. To know that the lyrics first without hearing a note of music seemed super weird to me.

Everything that’s been discussed about the album so far feels very raw and personal. Can you talk about some of the key inspirations that drove the writing process as well as some of the emotions that you experienced while recording?

This record was written during a very difficult time in my life and the songs were inspired by phone conversations that I have had with my mother over the last 2 years of my life. She has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. We haven’t always gotten along or seen eye to eye on a lot of things but I am tremendously grateful for what our relationship has become.

One of the more striking takeaways from the statements that came along with the album announcement was that it came to a point where it felt like you guys may not have been true to yourselves and the past years have seen the foundation of who you were crack. Can you expand on this a bit more and do you feel that True View is a new launching point for not only the band, but who you are as people?

Personally I felt like I was saying a lot of things but not living up to them. I have always said “My music is a better person than I am” which is a quote by Sage Francis that I have always loved, however I reached a point where I just gave up and stopped striving to be a better person altogether. I got mentally and emotionally lazy and I became and incredibly selfish person. I let certain people and things take me off track and I lost sight of the person that I was. I hit a wall. Hard. And it fucked me up. This record was me taking a look at myself and owning my pain and the pain I caused others.

Stick To Your Guns “Married To The Noise” Official Music Video

CD/Vinyl/Merch: http://smarturl.it/STYG iTunes: http://geni.us/STYGTV?app=itunes Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3AfjbURvBkpQBpFrucEV9h Hardcore/ Punk playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/purenoiserecords/playlist/7mCzIltN0jFQ54GH02HMsY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STYGoc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stygoc “Married To The Noise” Lyrics I found a place to belong so I went all in. I walked right in the mouth of it and never looked back again.

Your music is one that I would say that helps others to understand from different perspectives. How do you hope this new album will impact your listeners?

If someone can relate to our music in any way I always think thats very special. Having said that, with this record, I haven’t concerned myself with what people are going to think or say about it. This record isn’t just a another record that needed to come out just because it was time for us to do a record. This record was necessary for me.

Is there any particular track that you favor, or one that you’re most excited for your fans to hear?

Hopefully you can expect something that you haven’t heard before. I would say 3 feet from peace is one of my favorite tracks. Also Delinelle.

You guys have also had quite a busy year with touring as right before hitting the road for the summer, you were touring Europe during the spring on the “Unbreakable Tour” in support of Parkway Drive. With being on the road most of 2017, I’m sure you guys have gotten to know quite a few of your fans. What would you say is your favorite thing about your fan-base?

I love how much our music means to them. I feel like they hear the words and feel them exactly how I intended for them to be heard and felt. That to me is a huge relief and shows me that people are actually listening to what we have to say.

After the “Unbreakable Tour”, you then hit the road all summer on Vans Warped Tour. How was your experience on Warped and are there any stories that you’d like to fill us in on?

Its a big tour. It can be pretty rough on your mind and body but overall I had a really good time with a lot of my friends.

Vans Warped Tour is one that almost band dreams of touring, but it can also be pretty harsh. Can you share with us some pros and cons of touring on Warped, as well as some tips for other bands/musicians who have never toured on Vans Warped Tour before?

Sun screen, sleep and water. You’ll be fine.

Continuing in true hectic fashion, you’ll also be heading back to Europe and the UK this Fall with Being As An Ocean and Silence Planet. What are you looking forward to most about this upcoming tour?

I’m simply just looking forward to playing new songs and being back in Europe in the Fall. We love Europe. A lot.

Before we go, we always like to offer our platform to the artists who create the content we share with the world, so this is your open floor to speak your mind and thanks for taking the time out of your day to do this.

Hey everyone. I hope you’re doing well. I know being young in this world we are all living in is hard enough as it is. It can be pretty confusing to know what the right thing to do is. You can’t trust your government. You can’t trust police. You can’t even trust the generation before you because they spend most of their time criticizing us ‘millenials’ for simply trying to navigate this fucked up society that we inherited from them. Pretty infuriating, I know. Look. You’re doing great. And even if you aren’t thats okay too. Just try to be patient with each other because on a planet that does nothing but hates itself, loving each other is an incredibly brave and radical act of protest. Let’s use those brains that are fucked up from the chemicals our parents forced down our fucking throats, lets keep those middle fingers up towards the teachers and police who don’t like when we ask questions and lets treat each other and ALL LIVING BEINGS with respect because in the end we all know what its like to get fucked. Unless your a bigot. Smash those fuckers into the ground.