Unbreakable Strings

STICKS AND STONES uses neither vocals nor bass to drive their point home. They are two guitarists who enjoy polyphony and finger gymnastics and a drummer with serious chops and a huge kick drum. Their name has the obvious association with the schoolyard retort, and the primal image evoked by the tools of antiquity is reflective of the music of this powerful, stripped-down trio. Sticks and Stones combines accessible riffs with ripping twin guitar lines, solid grooves with slamming drums. The result is music that is interesting, visceral, innovative, and shamelessly fun. Their ten-song debut album, Unbreakable Strings, contains traces of influences such as Jeff Beck, Van Halen, Steve Morse, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Joe Satriani. Guitarist Gretchen Menn, fresh out of Smith College's music department, made a move from the discipline of classical guitar to the swagger of rock as she donned a schoolboy uniform to step up as "Agnes Young" in AC/DSHE, which became the top-grossing Bay Area band during her three-year stint. She now also plays in ZEPPARELLA, the San Francisco Led Zeppelin powerhouse. Her classical background and expansive musical influences make for signature compositions and an original approach to rock music. Imported from France, guitarist Mickael Tremel brings with him huge riffs, soaring melodies, and the strut of pure rock. In France, he had played in DELIGHT SEASON, and he made his way to the US in 2001, recording his solo record, My Castle, My Flag, in 2005. Gretchen and Mickael met and started jamming in San Francisco in January of 2006. Having come from widely different musical backgrounds, they started exchanging knowledge-a trade of music theory for shred technique. Hours and weeks of geeking out later, they recognized that the inception phase of a band was already underway. Drummer Sam Adato expressed interest in the project, and Sticks and Stones was born. Sam's unmistakable attack, energy, and musicality has led him to become a veritable legend in the Bay Area music scene, having been the power behind numerous projects such as WREKKING MACHINE, THUNDERPUNCH, and currently THE BRIDGE. A well-tuned machine of pure rock bliss, Sticks and Stones has shared stages with the likes of JOHNNY WINTER, BLUE OYSTER CULT, THE DONNAS, FLOATER, and THE ANSWER. They clearly love every moment of the music they inhabit and deliver. They take no prisoners and leave no face unmelted.