Found in the Inbox: Sick Puppies Start Again and “Stick to Your Guns

In fall 2014, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin parted ways with Sick Puppies’ guitarist and vocalist. The gold-selling, chart-topping hard rock band, bred in Australia and based in Los Angeles, could have stopped there. The Rive Video Promotion campaign for “Stick to Your Guns” explains why it did not.

“We are not done”

“There was no question,” Emma says. “We love this band and our fans, and we have put so much into it, and we are not done and want to take it further.” The right member found them. Within days of the announcement, Texas-born singer and guitarist Bryan Scott reached out to Emma on Facebook with a video. “Both Mark and I knew he was the guy right away,” Emma said. “I had a feeling that I needed to reach out,” Bryan recalls. “We clicked right off the bat.”

An anthem about believing

“Stick to Your Guns” opens with a muscular riff and booming percussion and builds to an arena-size refrain. “You have to push regardless of what anyone tells you,” Emma says. “You can pray, hope, or wish for something to happen, but at the end of the day, you have to ‘stick to your guns’, go out there, and believe. The song is meant to empower.” The video arrived on May 16, 2016, from the album Fury, alongside the HardDrive Live Tour and festival dates including Rockfest, Welcome to Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock on the Range.

Why it was in the inbox

Few songs are this literal about their own story. “Stick to Your Guns” is a band refusing to end.

Watch the official video

Quotes and release details from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Stick to Your Guns.” This feature updates Exposed Vocals’ original May 2016 post.