Stick To Your Guns Give Five Diamond Performance in Pittsburgh

“I’m starting a petition to banish black licorice,” states Jesse Barnett (lead singer of Stick To Your Guns) to the packed Altar Bar crowd in the historic Strip District of Pittsburgh. Myself, along with the crowd, and guitarist Josh James, was not quite sure where this was going. But if you’ve seen STYG before, you knew Jesse was going to take you on a positive journey somewhere with a message good for your soul, so you put your trust in him and listen. What followed was one of the most entertaining, if not genius, analogies of how ridiculous it is for our country to decide who it is one can love. It was a special moment in what was truly an awe inspiring performance. Among a stellar list of bands performing that evening (The Ghost Inside, Stray from the Path, and Rotting Out) STYG put forth a set that was pure raw energy. Going to see punk godfathers Green Day two nights later was a complete let down compared to these guys- what STYG is able to do with a few lights and a small stage makes big budget bands look like imitators and wanna be’s and pale in comparison to STYG. As always, Jesse and crew (Josh, Chris, George, and Andrew) had the audience not only singing every word of songs like, “Diamond”, “Such Pain”, “This is More”, “We Still Believe”, “We’re What Separates the Heart From the Heartless”, D(I am) ond, and “Against Them All” but had them singing them from the stage on mic… and then they would promptly jump back into the crowd. The other bands fed off the energy so much they not only jumped in to sing but also jumped into the crowd, much to everyone’s delight. It was an amazing time on a gorgeous day in the ‘Burgh. If you missed this performance then (like the guy passing us in the interview…see below) then make sure you check with them on the Vans Warped Tour this Summer- they will hit Pittsburgh at First Niagara Pavilion in Burgettstown on July 17.

Listen below for a very in depth interview with Jesse and Josh of STYG where they discuss their Independent Music Award nomination, the success of Diamond, new recordings for Sumerian, and the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court talks regarding Gay Marriage…STYG Interview 2013 (click here and then click SMALL text of STYG interview)