Stick to Your Guns is an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band from

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. Members of the band include Jesse Barnett (vocals), Andrew Rose (bass), George Schmitz (drums), Chris Rawson and Josh James (guitars). They are currently signed with Pure Noise Records.

History

Early years, ''For What It's Worth'', and ''Comes From the Heart'' (2003–2008)

Frontman Jesse Barnett formed the band by recruiting Casey Lagos (whom he knew from his days on the worship team for

Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America ...

) on drums. After composing a few songs together, the two enlisted Justin Rutherford and Curtis Pleshe on guitars and Noah Calvin on bass. Their style made an impression locally, leading to the release of their first EP, ''Compassion without Compromise'', in 2004. The band travelled to Oakland, California to debut their first studio album ''

For What It's Worth "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" (often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth") is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Reco ...

'', later released on This City Is Burning Records. The album includes one of their best known songs, "This Is More", and its release launched them to wider prominence, while the members were still in high school. Upon graduation, they went on tour throughout the United States. On 2007, Century Media Records signed the band and re-released their debut album with two bonus tracks. After several line-up changes, the band started recording their second full-length album with only two members, Jesse Barnett and Casey Lagos. Marking a significant change in Barnett's vocal style, ''

Comes from the Heart ''Comes from the Heart'' is the second release by American hardcore punk band Stick to Your Guns. The album peaked at #33 on ''Billboards Heatseekers chart. Critical reception AllMusic wrote that the album "never achieves greatness, but consid ...

'' was released in 2008 through Century Media. That year, the band was part of Warped Tour, Hell on Earth and numerous other tours. While they were supporting

Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wit ...

's tour in November 2008, Casey Lagos decided to quit the band to pursue his own musical career.

Signing with Sumerian Records and ''The Hope Division'' (2008–2011)

Ash Avildsen of

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.The Hope Division'' was released on June 1 meeting critical acclaim and leading them to mainstream success. On November 2011, Stick to Your Guns posted a picture on their Facebook of a 20-year-old Arizona fan, Samuel Perkins, after several of his friends got tattoos of the heart which features on the cover of ''The Hope Division'' as a tribute to their friend. Along with the tattoo are the words "At least he died a lion." This was due to his long and painful battle with a brain tumor that he fought against; his friends called him the best person they have ever met. Stick to Your Guns saw the unity in their actions and decided to pay tribute to him by performing as the headliner at Sam's memorial show.

''Diamond'' and ''Disobedient'' (2011–2016)

20150425 Oberhausen Impericon Festival Stick To Your Guns 0030

In 2011, a stand-alone single titled "Bringing You Down (A New World Overthrow)" and featuring guest vocals of Karl Schwartz from First Blood, was released in support of the

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...

movement. This song was an early version of a single from their fourth album, ''

Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

'', which was released in 2012 with Josh James (of

Evergreen Terrace Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece American metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street inhabited by the Simpsons. The band's sixth and latest studio album '' Dead Horses'' was released on Decembe ...

) replacing Reid Haymond on guitar. The genre-bending album debuted on the Billboard charts making it to #1 on the Heatseekers chart, #11 for Hard Rock Albums, #30 for Rock Albums and placed on the ''Billboard'' 200. Later that year, Josh James confirmed that he left Evergreen Terrace to become a permanent member of the band. The band released several single to promote the album. One of the singles, "We Still Believe", went on to gain consistent radio play. The album scored the band a spot on the 2013 Warped Tour. While on the Warped Tour, it was announced that "Diamond" won an Independent Music Award for best Hardcore/Metal Album of the year. In 2013,

Pure Noise Records Pure Noise Records is an American punk rock record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by Jake Round in 2009 while he was an editor at '' AMP''; the previous fall, friends of his in the band No Bragging Rights told him they were ...

released a split EP which contained two songs from the band and two from

The Story So Far The Story So Far may refer to: __NOTOC__ Books * ''The Story of Sar'' (book), a 2003 book by Bhawana Somaaya Films * ''The Story So Far'' (2001 film), a film about the band Sick of It All * ''The Story So Far'' (2002 film), a documentary about ...

. The EP featured their single "We Still Believe" and a cover of Inside Out's "Burning Fight". On 2014, they released ''Diamond: Decade Edition'', a vinyl re-release of ''Diamond'' which featured three bonus tracks. The band was also featured on ''Florence + The Sphinx: Sumerian Ceremonials'', a tribute album to

Florence + The Machine Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, covering "Dog Days Are Over". On February 5, 2014, the band entered the studio with producer

John Feldmann John Feldmann (born June 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He serves as the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. Early life Feldmann grew up in Saratoga, California. He started writing song ...

(

The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden S ...

Story of the Year Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri, Story of the Year at Allmusic.comAccessed May 17, 2007. in 1995 under the name 67 North. The band eventually changed their name to Big Blue Monkey in 1998, and then subs ...

) to record their fifth studio album. Throughout the recording, the band released studio updates, confirming several guests to record vocals on the record, including:

Scott Vogel Scott Vogel (born April 5, 1973) is an American vocalist. He is the lead singer and founding member of hardcore punk band Terror, and formerly of Buried Alive and World Be Free. Career Vogel was born in Buffalo, New York. In the early 1990s, ...

of Terror, Toby Morse of H₂O, Walter Delgado of

Rotting Out Rotting Out is an American hardcore punk band from the San Pedro community of Los Angeles in California. History Formation (2007–2011) Rotting Out began in 2007 after disbanding from their original band Dogpile. The following year they releas ...

, the members of

Motionless in White Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2004, the band consists of lead vocalist Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky "Horror" Olson, drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Ju ...

and producer

himself. Recording finished on March 12, 2014. On September 16, 2014, the band released a teaser video for their new album on their

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page, announcing the album's title as being '' Disobedient'', as well as the album's release date—February 10, 2015. The band then premiered a new track from the album on October 21, titled "Nobody" through ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

''.

''Better Ash Than Dust'' and ''True View'' (2016–present)

Stick to Your Guns - Rock am Ring 2022-5470

In July 2016 it was announced that Stick to Your Guns had left

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Pure Noise Records Pure Noise Records is an American punk rock record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by Jake Round in 2009 while he was an editor at '' AMP''; the previous fall, friends of his in the band No Bragging Rights told him they were ...

. The band released their first song after label change called ''Universal Language'' on July 16, 2016. It was announced that Stick to Your Guns would release an EP later that year. In August more information about the EP was published. The name is ''Better Ash Than Dust'' and was set for release on September 23, 2016, via Pure Noise Records and End Hits Records for a European release. Between September 8 and October 2, 2016, the band toured throughout North America alongside Hardcore punk acts Stray from the Path and

Knocked Loose Knocked Loose is an American metalcore band from Oldham County, Kentucky, formed in 2013 and currently signed to Pure Noise Records. The band released its first studio album, '' Laugh Tracks'', in September 2016 through Pure Noise Records. H ...

. Stick to Your Guns became the first American band to play a concert in East African country

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. Shortly after their performance in Kenya the band went on European tour with Australian metalcore band

Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2018, Parkway Drive have released six studio albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled ''Ten Years of Parkway Drive''. The ...

. In June 2017 the band started working on their sixth studio record with producer Derek Hoffman. The album, ''True View'', was released on October 13, 2017. In November and December 2017, Stick to Your Guns played another European tour which was supported by

Being as an Ocean Being as an Ocean is an American post-hardcore band from Alpine, California, formed in 2011. They have released five studio albums: ''Dear G-d...'', '' How We Both Wondrously Perish'', a self-titled album, ''Waiting for Morning to Come'', rele ...

and

Silent Planet Silent Planet is an American metalcore band formed in Azusa, California, in 2009. Their name is derived from C. S. Lewis' science fiction novel '' Out of the Silent Planet''. The group consists of vocalist Garrett Russell, guitarist Mitchell ...

. In the beginning of 2018 Stick to Your Guns toured North America with British band

Architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and Canadian hardcore band Counterparts. In the Spring of 2018, Stick to Your Guns supported Parkway Drive on their USA tour. Stick to Your Guns co-headlined a North American tour in the fall of 2018 with Emmure.

Wage War Wage War is an American metalcore band formed in Ocala, Florida in 2010 under the name Empires. The band consists of lead vocalist Briton Bond, lead guitarist Seth Blake, rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist Cody Quistad, bassist Chris Gaylord, a ...

and Sanction joined the lineup as support. Stick to Your Guns headlined the "Pure Noise Tour" in the Summer of 2019 in North America. Counterparts, Terror, Year of the Knife and Sanction all joined up as support for the tour. Stick to Your Guns also supported Knocked Loose on their Different Shade of Blue Tour. Rotting Out, Candy and SeeYouSpaceCowboy also joined up as support. On February 18, 2021, Stick to Your Guns released an EP titled ''The Meaning Remains''. It contained acoustic versions of Amber, Nobody, Forgiveness of Self, and a cover of

Take on Me "Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was p ...

Musical style and influences

Stick to Your Guns has been described as

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...

and metalcore. The mutual influences of its members include

Propagandhi Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitari ...

, Boysetsfire, Metallica,

Trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...

, and Inside Out. The band's lyrics address subjects ranging from self-reflection to political and social statements. Stick to Your Guns identifies with the straight edge subculture and George Schmitz once described it as "a secret straight edge band" because they have focused on several other topics throughout their career rather than only this movement.

Members

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz. Lineups 2010 2–4 July ...

2018" widths="180" heights="180"> Stick To Your Guns With Full Force 2018 12.jpg, Jesse Barnett Stick To Your Guns With Full Force 2018 04.jpg, Andrew Rose Stick To Your Guns With Full Force 2018 02.jpg, George Schmitz Stick To Your Guns With Full Force 2018 11.jpg, Chris Rawson Stick To Your Guns With Full Force 2018 08.jpg, Josh James Current * Jesse Barnett – lead vocals, additional guitars (2003–present), piano (2008–present), lead guitar (2010–2012) * Andrew Rose – bass, backing vocals (2008–present) * George Schmitz – drums (2008–present) * Chris Rawson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009–present) * Josh James – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–present) Former members * Curtis Pleshe – lead guitar, backing vocals (2003–2006) * Noah Calvin – bass, backing vocals (2003–2006) * Justin Rutherford – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–2006) * Ryan Nelson – lead guitar, backing vocals (2006–2008) * Darel McFayden – bass, backing vocals (2007–2008) * Casey Lagos – drums, piano, backing vocals (2003–2008), bass (2006–2007) * Alex Barnett – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2006–2009) * Reid Haymond – lead guitar, backing vocals (2008–2010) ; Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2005, This City Is Burning Records) * ''

'' (2008, Century Media Records) * '' The Hope Division'' (2010,

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

'' (2012, Sumerian Records) * '' Disobedient'' (2015, Sumerian Records) * ''True View'' (2017,

) * ''Spectre'' (2022, Pure Noise Records) Extended plays * ''Compassion without Compromise'' (2004, self-released) * ''

vs. Stick to Your Guns'' (split CD) (2013, Pure Noise Records) * '' Better Ash Than Dust'' (2016, Pure Noise Records/End Hits Records) *''The Meaning Remains'' (2021, Pure Noise Records) Other songs * "Laught Right Back" – 2008 version * "Bringing You Down (A New World Overthrow)" – 2011 single, later re-recorded for ''Diamond'' * "Dog Days Are Over" – from ''Florence + The Sphinx: Sumerian Ceremonials'' * "Hasta La Victoria (Demo)" - Released in honor of Victor Jara, via Bandcamp only

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stick To Your Guns Metalcore musical groups from California Century Media Records artists Hardcore punk groups from California Musical groups from Orange County, California Musical quintets Straight edge groups Sumerian Records artists End Hits Records artists