Eskalators

The members of this Brooklyn-based pop collective have made a name for themselves by holding public performances on subway cars without the permission of the MTA. The band is also known for its long roster of members; 18 musicians create the sprawling ska sound of the band that features violin, saxophone, washboard and accordion along with the usual bass and electric guitar. "Future Fire" is frolicsome and expansive, the kind of playful song you could imagine being played impromptu on the 1 train.

http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/jan/05/sounds-ce-soir-eskalators/ - WNYC

...Almost immediately, the last car erupts into the Eskalators' unbridled ska-cophony it seems as though every third person is part of the band the car lurches forward and so do keyboards, horns, vibes, a guy holding a rainstick, but no one misses a beat. It's easily the most exciting 30 minutes of the entire day. So exhilarating, in fact, that my shaking hands dropped my camera (it broke!), which explains why the photos get blurrier and more camera-phony as the night progresses...

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2008/06/following_sleep.php - Village Voice

...Another band popular with the all-ages crowd has been making a name for itself by jamming on moving subway cars. This isn't a couple of guys banging on drums and asking for change. The Eskalators are a 13-piece pop orchestra that takes over a whole subway car, transforming it into an illicit subterranean stage on wheels. "It sucks when there are unnecessary rules associated with playing music," says Eskalator singer Eric Williams, 24. "I remember being younger than 18, and wanting to go to all these shows."

"When we showed up for our first subway show, the platform was full of 15-year-olds," says Williams. "We seem to get a lot of good responses from kids who haven't been beaten down by the system yet."

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/rock_of_all_ages_2wMJSoviA0aoPBxQgiMSyO - The New York Post

"The fifteen of them spread out through the whole car. You're just dancing next to the flute player, the violin player, or the trumpet player; people are crowd-surfing and having a total blast. The train's also full of normal people, who I would think are also having a blast. One guy on the 7 train asked a player for his trumpet. He did a solo during the song and then got off at the next stop." - New York Magazine

http://www.vimeo.com/4657372

The fourth installment of the Subway Shows organized by Joe Ahearn and the Eskalators. On the 18th of April, 2009 they took over the 1 train from it's origin at South Ferry to it's end at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. - Flipswitch Films