Versatile, the upcoming album by A Stick And A Stone, marks a turning point for transgender vocalist/composer Elliott Miskovicz.
Versatile, the upcoming album by A Stick And A Stone, marks a turning point for transgender vocalist/composer Elliott Miskovicz. Diverging from the heavy doom-shaded opus of their previous release, Versatile is a vivid experimental album of haunting love songs intimately home-recorded in remote forested hideouts.
While the thread of A Stick And A Stone's lush, ethereal vocals and minor-key fervency endures, off-kilter compositions of harp, layered strings, pump organ, found sounds, and crystal glass breathe new organic life into the band's distinctive sound.
Written after Miskovicz's relocation to living off-grid in the woods after a lifetime in the dense Philadelphia area, these 11 songs follow the journey of the sacrifices we make in the name of solace. Through this re-rooting process, Miskovicz's songwriting evolved from a tool for coping with chaos into an expression of reverence for the resilient ecosystems surrounding him.
Mastered by Kris Force of Amber Asylum, with evocative cover art by renowned queer metal artist Stephen Wilson, Versatile will be out January 15th on cassette and digitally via Anima Recordings. Blast First Petite (UK) will issue the vinyls when the peak of the plague passes, and everything becomes viable again.
The opening track, "Husband of Wind," is available on all digital platforms.
Elliott Miskovicz on the track "Husband of Wind":
"As a song about the element of air, I really wanted to record 'Husband of Wind' on the pump organ, an instrument that really breathes with its whole body. After searching for almost a year, I finally found a church that would let me record on theirs with no one around. I wrote this song during a time when I was dealing with relentless panic attacks, and when becoming more conscious of breathing was a constant process. This song is one of the most challenging to play on tour, because I play organ with one hand and bass drum with the other while singing harmonies with Billy Ray. Meanwhile, Billy Ray sings the vocal harmony while simultaneously playing their viola part which harmonizes with Myles and Stelleaux's string parts. In this recorded version, I appreciate how much fuller David's drumming sounds, along with the deep undertones of the pump organ."
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