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Los Angeles based Signal Hill Transmission was formed in 2001 by singer/guitarist Scott Warren and drummer Scott Schoen in the basement of Warren’s Hermosa Beach apartment. The band was originally conceived as a lo-fi alt-country pop outfit, with Schoen adding a backbeat and the occasional background vocal to Warren’s acoustic-based material. Before long, they began playing the local club circuit and in 2001 traveled to Warren’s hometown of St. Louis, MO to record their first release, “Home.”
By the beginning of 2002, though, Warren and Schoen were looking to fill out their sound. At the same time, bassist Duane Rakestraw had just left indie band Robot and attended an SHT gig on the recommendation of a friend. Within days of the show, Rakestraw became the third member of the band and when they brought in former Robot guitarist Mon Agranat a few weeks later, SHT’s transformation from a no-frills two-piece into a bonafide rock outfit was complete. Together they recorded two self-produced albums- “Tomorrow, The Stars” in 2005 and “An Empty Space” in 2007. Both were well-received by the critics and college radio alike and showcased a knack for pithy, catchy songwriting that has become the band’s hallmark.
In January of 2008, SHT won $25,000 in a competition for unsigned bands sponsored by a local radio station. This allowed the band to focus exclusively on songwriting and in May, the band went into the studio with producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Pete Yorn). They emerged with a four song EP, "Starting Gun," their first release with ATO records. Rolling Stone Contributing Editor David Wild writes, “’Starting Gun’ is not the beginning of the race, but an altogether winning start for Signal Hill Transmission – a new melodic rock band that promises to be around for the long run.”
“Starting Gun” is available now on iTunes.
Visit SHT’s website for upcoming gig info, audio, discography and news.
www.signalhilltransmission.com
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