Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
US hardcore band Stick To Your Guns comes to Korea
Stick To Your Guns / Courtesy of Stick To Your Guns
By Jon Dunbar
Jesse Barnett, hardcore frontman, has already performed in Korea once before, but that honor doesn't belong to the Orange County-based hardcore band Stick To Your Guns — that honor belongs to an obscure band named Down for the Sound, which only played one show ever back in 2019.
"This will be STYG’s first time in Korea but I actually have a funny story about the last time I was in Seoul," Barnett told The Korea Times.
Following STYG's Japan tour that year with LA hardcore band Terror, Barnett flew to Seoul for a visit with his friend Thomas from Montréal.
During his stay, Seo Ki-seok (known in scenes around the world simply as "Ki") from the Seoul hardcore band the Geeks reached out and offered to show them around.
"We later randomly ran into Dennis from (Australian hardcore band) Speed who's also been a friend for quite some time. It was pretty amazing," Barnett recounted.
Later that night while they were all having dinner together, Seo mentioned there was a hardcore show coming up in Seoul in a couple days.
"We joked about starting a band with the four of us and going and playing," Barnett said. "Next thing I know I’m in a practice space in Seoul, a city I’ve never been to, playing drums in a band with a guy from Sydney, a guy from Seoul and a guy from Montréal. We wrote three songs and played two Agnostic Front covers and it was one of the most special experiences I’ve had in my life. I will remember it forever."
A collage of the short-lived career of DFTS in Seoul / Courtesy of Seo Ki-seok
When STYG had an offer to tour Japan again, Barnett thought back to his DFTS experience in Seoul, and sent Seo a message.
"Ki is a wonderful human being who I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years now and when we got an offer to come to Japan, I messaged him almost immediately to ask if he would bring us to Korea and he agreed," Barnett said. "I really appreciate him and his team and all their hard work. It’s not an easy thing to do to bring international bands so I am incredibly grateful."
Seo resumed his tour promotion agency, Open Your Eyes Booking, which had brought several hardcore bands to Korea in the past including Champion, Outbreak, Terror, Sick of It All, Down to Nothing, Have Heart, No Turning Back and Bane. His band the Geeks also featured Barnett in the 2019 video for their song "More Than Ever."
Barnett has led STYG for 21 years now, having started the band at age 15. During that time, he's seen a lot of the world. STYG was the first U.S. hardcore band to tour Kenya.
"Kenya was a super special experience and one for me that existed outside of my band life and made it into one of my favorite experiences of my entire life," Barnett said of the experience. I love going places that most people don’t go and experiencing things most people don’t. It makes me feel like my life means something because I get to go to special places and meet special people and connect not just through music but on a human level. It’s my favorite thing in the world."
But through it all, he's been through a lot, and now remains the band's only original member.
"Being in a touring band is an incredibly difficult thing to do with your life. It’s very very demanding and I think some people want to do it and some people find out after doing it for a couple of years that it’s not the life for them. That’s all it really is."
Last year, the band marked its 20th anniversary with an extensive tour and a 10-minute documentary.
"Twenty years seems like a long time and also like no time at all. It’s a strange feeling but first and foremost I feel like the luckiest person alive," Barnett said. "It’s also definitely not the same band as it was in 2003. All things grow. All things change. It’s only natural that after 20 years of being a band we are not what we started as. I say this with pride and love."
Barnett says he's proud of STYG's place in the annals of hardcore history.
"Our sound has always kind of been a controversial one within hardcore because we aren’t a straightforward hardcore band and we sing and all that kind of stuff which can sometimes be frowned upon by purists but we stuck to our guns!" he said. "We played what we wanted to play and we tried to offer the beautiful tapestry of hardcore something with a different flavor. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do."
These days, their U.S. shows average between 500 and 600 audience members, and sometimes draw closer to 1,000. When they tour Europe, they draw in 1,000 to 1,500 on average with a couple places where this can go as high as 2,500.
"There are festivals we play sometimes that have so many people that its super bizarre for me to realize that this band that started in my Mom’s garage got so far," Barnett said, "but yeah I’ll always prefer a club show to a giant festival."
STYG will play at Rolling Hall near western Seoul's Hongik University this Sunday. They'll be supported by fellow California hardcore band Twist of Cain as well as local acts the Geeks, End These Days, Turn For Our and No Shelter. The doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets cost 65,000 won in advance or 75,000 won at the door.
Visit sticktoyourguns.net for more information about the band, or follow @openyoureyesbooking on Instagram for more about the show.
Jon Dunbar