Album Notes

*BIO*
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.”

*QUOTES*
COMES WITH A SMILE
“The SHT derive their name from one of the pioneering moments in the history of telecommunication – the successful transmission of the first transatlantic radio signal, sent via Morse code from England to Newfoundland in 1901…The Signal Hill Transmission draw on folk, pop and alt country influences and there are detectable traces of Scud Mountain Boys, Elliott Smith, and early Wilco amongst the songs. Scott Warren has a warm, involving and expressive voice and an intriguing and mostly somber inclination to his lyrics.”

AMERICANA UK
“An engaging collection of beautifully played and exquisitely produced songs...Warren has a real gift for understated but memorable hooks. Still it’s the melancholy feel to the tracks that really pull you in.”

PASADENA WEEKLY
“In a region populated more by transplants and transients than natives, the hummable songs of pop-rock band Signal Hill Transmission are easy to relate to, with themes of departures, arrivals and hopes for something better…with snappy hooks and flowing harmonies…road-trip anthems.”

FUFKIN
“Smart arrangements laced with bouncing drums, strumming guitars, and raspy vocals tinged with late night desperation and early-morning reflection.”

NASHVILLE SCENE
“This L.A.-based four-piece trade in the same sort of hooky, roots-leaning rock that galvanized the Amerindie heyday of the late-‘80’s. The harmonies of guitarist Scott Warren and drummer Scott Schoen recall those of the early Silos and Jayhawks, as do the band’s searching meditations on falling in and out of love.” Nashville Scene, Nashville, TN