the story

The heart and lungs of Escalator Hill belong to singer-songwriter Antony Benedetti, whose subtle twang and frenzied strums make Escalator Hill an American anachronism. The band could be from anywhere, or any time; they would be at home playing beside Waylon Jennings or Willie Nelson, Neutral Milk Hotel or the Arcade Fire. This timeless sound springs from Benedetti's soul-on-his-sleeve spirit that pushes Escalator Hill past the superficiality of faux folk nostalgia acts.

Benedetti's songs are stories and warnings that explore those dark places at the bottom of the bottle or the fight outside the bar. If his powerful voice rings loud and strong, it's because these tales he tells are the truth. "I was at a threshold," Benedetti says of his life before Escalator Hill, "I didn’t just want a beer, I wanted a bottle. I was blacking out, missing work. I broke up with my girlfriend, and my band too. So, I was stripped of my identity, I had no girl, no band. I was alone and depressed."
For years, Benedetti played drums for You, Me and Iowa, a peripatetic indie band that fractured apart on the precipice of critical success. Now, as his life seemed to crumble apart, Benedetti decided to tear it all down and rebuild. He dusted off his guitar, sat on the edge of his bed, and began to play the pain away.

"With no thought of anything, I had all this time to fill," Benedetti says. "I was in my room and picked up the guitar and wrote some songs for me." Benedetti turned away from drinking and spent his time writing songs that would keep him focused. Yet, he kept these songs to himself, cautious of his evolution from a drummer to a songwriter. Then he met violinist Nancy Kuo and let her into his world. "I sung her some of my songs, showing her the outlines for these ideas, and she was interested in playing along too. I told her that I was looking for someone to sing them, and she said to me, 'if you want to sing your songs, then sing your songs.'"

With that provocation, Escalator Hill was born, as a duo, with Kuo on violin and Benedetti singing, playing guitar, and stomping a kick-drum all at the same time. Kuo's classical training counter balanced Benedetti's lung-busting, soul-bearing confessionals and Escalator Hill leapt headfirst into shows and a tour up the California coast with Benedetti’s former bandmate Ryan Ross on keys, learning the ropes as they went along. "I was a glutton for punishment," Benedetti says about the learning curve from drummer to front man, "I was hating shows, but I'd just get up there onstage and do it. I just had do it, putting my soul out there, ‘cause I had to. Then little by little I got better."

When they got back, the band grew, adding guitarist Andrew Schneider from Silver Lake Western band, the Lonely Wild. With the expanded lineup, the tide began to change for Escalator Hill, and Benedetti decided to step out from behind the set, and stand at the front of the stage. When drummer Ryan Selan took over percussion duties, Benedetti was free to focus entirely on Escalator Hill's raucous bar stomps and airy folk fugues. "It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders," Benedetti says, "and it brought us more power. From being a singer-songwriter band, we were now a folk-rock group."

The new Escalator Hill then went into the studios of producer David Newton (the Little Ones, Henry Clay People, the Happy Hollows), and recorded their debut album, Poplar Avenue. The record pulses with the lush string arrangements of Nancy Kuo wafting over Selan's drums, and Benedetti's Devil-may-care vocals interweave sense of urgency with a homegrown beauty. “Most of the album is me, talking to me telling myself that I needed to get myself together.”

When bassist Sandro Cobeleanschi Gavidia joined the mix, Escalator Hill’s live lineup was finalized, which earned them gigs at the storied Silver Lake Lounge and a residency at west Los Angeles’ Central Social Aid and Pleasure Club. Escalator Hill offer up honest songs of hope and turning the page when it seems your story has already been written. It's a long way up from the bottom. But Escalator Hill has been there, and they make the journey well worth it.