Upright Man

New York City-based rock band Upright Man have released their debut, self-titled album today. The band features Aidan Dolan (guitar/vocals,) Nick Katz (bass/vocals,) and Max Yassky (drums/percussion/background vocals.)

The album boasts some wonderful technical credits, too, featuring the production talents of Marc Copely (Roseanne Cash, B.B. King, Billy Squire) and Zev Katz (Jeff Beck, Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin) and engineered by Bruce Sugar (Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh.) Is it any surprise that such a team came together to make a rock album that shines by showing its esteem for rock’s finest?

Upright Man are quite literally rock scholars — they met while studying classical music composition at New York University. Their careful and meticulous study of the genre has given them an edge, and the ability to masterfully meld genres into one surreal experience.



“Can we learn to love enough?” the band asks on ‘Agoragnostic,’ a retro psychedelic track, featuring a mellow instrumental that sounds like 90’s No Doubt. Throught the entire album, Upright Man have a talent for making music that sounds like it’s from another era of music — one that features a lot less autotune and thumping synths.

It’s a more organic approach, with the track ‘Say What You Mean’ feeling like a well polished, one-take live recording. The bridge on this track is particularly lively, and (for lack of a better pun,) it rocks. There’s a careful level of attention to detail throughout Upright Man that shows the band’s dedication to their craft.

The eponymous album’s title track is another stomper, with the band managing once again to sound like great rock bands before them. The band’s influences, namely Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Led Zeppelin are apparent. Fans of those bands will be particularly entranced with Upright Man’s music, appreciating the band’s similar sound that still feels authentic and unique. Their subtle homages are a well done tribute to their idols.

The band’s slower songs, like ‘Esctasy’ and ‘Three Easy Pieces’ don’t quite have the same energy that other songs on Upright Man enjoy, teetering between gloomy and wistful. ‘Alaska,’ on the other hand, also features a slowed pace, but the song’s production and lyrics manage to keep it a still light-hearted and upbeat affair.

“Got myself a tattoo, says Alaska, but I’ve never been,” is a remarkable lyric for its ability to be both unrelatable and entirely relatable. You may not have a tattoo of a place you’ve never been, but there’s surely something imprinted on your soul of a place you want to go, or a goal you want to accomplish. ‘Alaska’ both celebrates and laughs at our plans in life.

Upright Man continues with ‘Animals,’ a wild track that lives up to its name. The band’s indie influences come into play here, making for a track that sounds delightfully underground but also at home with the mainstream. The album comes to a close with ‘Checked Out’ hailing the band’s more traditional rock influences once more for a last hurrah, and the track is entrancing and toe-tapping.

When it comes to Upright Man, the band have released an album worthy of their name. Fans of classic rock will be ecstatic to hear the way the best of the best have influenced Upright Man, as the band manages to show respect to their legends and put their own stamp on the rock genre. - Poparazzi

Upright Man is a New York City-based rock band who released their debut self-titled album yesterday August 18, 2017. And after just one listen through of Upright Man, I must unequivocally state that it’s magnificent. Poetic lyrics are paired with bold instrumentals and soaring harmonic vocals to create ten stellar tracks that elicit strong feelings for the listener (they certainly did for me). The album was flawlessly produced by Marc Copely (Roseanne Cash, B.B. King, Billy Squire) and Zev Katz (Jeff Beck, Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin), and engineered by Bruce Sugar (Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh) at Avatar Studios and Sear Sound in NYC, and at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

But the creative minds and musical talent behind all this fantastic music are Aidan Dolan (guitar/vocals), Nick Katz (bass/vocals), and Max Yassky (drums/percussion/backing vocals). The guys met while studying classical music composition at New York University, where they played together on various projects ranging from classical ensembles to rock bands. Their strong chemistry ultimately led them to form Upright Man. Influenced by some of their favorite bands like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Crowded House, Little Feat, Led Zeppelin and XTC, they combine elements of alternative, psychedelic, roots rock and classic rock with complex harmonies and melodies to create their own unique sound.

Aidan explains, “Our different musical backgrounds make for an explosive chemical reaction that creates something none of us would have alone.” Nick adds, “We have an intense compulsion to write songs together, and do so constantly.” “Our goal is to write great songs, play genuine music and share it with the world,” says Max.

We’re introduced to Upright Man with the sweeping opening track “Elysia.” The song is melodic rock candy, with layered jangly guitars, sharp percussion, brilliant keyboards and captivating vocals. In fact, their colorful instrumentation and harmonic vocals are a defining element of the band’s wonderful sound, also beautifully demonstrated on the next track “Agorognostic.”

“Say What You Mean” really shows what these guys can do, with complex rhythmic change-ups that go from calm, strummed guitar one minute to fierce guitar riffs accompanied by a cascade of crashing cymbals the next. Aidan snarls: “Is it what you really want? Was it what you really want? Is it everything you want?/ Everybody cares what you think. But nobody cares what you think.”

The title track “Upright Man” is a terrific post-grunge rock song with a hypnotic beat, fantastic gritty riffs and Nick’s assertive buzzing bass. The guys’ vocals are in perfect harmony as they sing: “Cities built on soot and ash. Follow the fate of those who’ve past. It was the dream of an upright man to be loved. I fell down from the sky to become up on high. Then Aidan wails: “So tell me why won’t you stand with me. Baby tell me you love me. I don’t need the truth. I just need you.” The down-tempo “Ecstasy” offers up moody synths and mellow vocals, punctuated by flourishes of electric guitar and crashing cymbals that reach a crescendo before ending in a reverb-heavy haze.

Keyboards take center stage on the stunning “Three Easy Pieces,” a standout track and my favorite on the album. The combination of lush piano, delicate synths, electric guitar, gentle percussion and the guys’ lovely harmonizing vocals are positively gorgeous, creating a dreamy soundscape. Aidan’s vocals are sublime as he sings: “The TV said I need a life. Ain’t I livin’ life? You can’t live on porcelain and wine. When you’re hungry you’ll find what you need.”

Another favorite is “Alaska,” a languid, rather melancholy song about searching for one’s place in the world, but not quite getting there: “Got a tattoo says ‘Alaska’ but I’ve never been. 20 questions I could ask you but I’ll never win. Oh I just get so cold. Hold me darling, deliver me from shivering.” As to now be an accepted fact, the instrumentals and vocals are mesmerizing.

The guys dial up the energy on “Designer Mind” and “Animals.” Both are great rock tracks with assertive percussion, strong, gravelly bass and dynamic, multi-textured guitar work. Album closer “Checked Out” delivers a captivating melody and incredible layered instrumentals, including keys, intricate guitars, crisp percussion, sweeping synths and Aidan’s smooth vocals. This is another standout track that proves without doubt that Upright Man is an exceptionally talented collective. They’ve got a brilliant debut album on their hands, and it should be in yours. - Eclectic Music Lover

This is only my second time listening to Upright Man's self-titled album and I am going to blitz through this because if I listen more I will bog myself down in a quicksand of words and we all know that a picture (or a song) is worth a thousand words. First time through, it took a bit to accustom myself to the direction of the music but by the time I finished, I got it. I got it so well that parts of the album, self-titled, had already ingrained themselves in the brain. Just moments, because this album is packed full of them. Indeed, in places I found myself wondering if there was rhyme or reason, the time changes and chord progressions changing faster than I could keep up. But that's the magic of this band. On certain songs, they lay down four or five movements and tie them all up at the end and I am captivated by it. By the fact that they are so good they can lay out four bar riffs in such a fashion and bring it all together, making it seem not only whole but magnificently so.

I guess you would call what they do semi-prog, but that not only might scare people away who would love the music but might be oversimplification. I mean, these guys have backgrounds. Classical backgrounds. And they have studied music. These are not off-the-cuff tunes here. Folks. These are well thought out songs and even movements, at times.

Case in point, a beautifully paced track titled “Say What You Mean” starts off a beautiful acoustic number, the verses flowing over a powerful chorus and turning into a crunching but smooth bridge and then returns to the chorus seamlessly. You have to hear it to understand, so... - No Depression

New York City rockers, Upright Man, just released their self-titled debut album. The album consists of ten genre-bending songs, nodding to the band’s wide variety of influences.

The album’s opening track, “Elysia,” bursts out of the gate with a riff reminiscent of material from Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy and Stone Temple Pilots’ 1994 self-titled album. The song sets the perfect tone for what’s to come, mixing hard-rock riffs with psychedelic, swirling chords, with a thundering rhythm track, provided by bassist Nick Katz and drummer Max Yassky.

Upright Man continues on with a down-tempo second track with “Agorognostic, “allowing the band to channel their inner Pink Floyd, both musically and lyrically, as vocalist Aidan Dolan asks, “Am I touch? Do I matter Much? Have you been away from Home?” The album shifts from smooth, spacey psychedelia on tracks like “Say What You Mean,” and “Ecstasy,” to bombastic, thumping hard rock on “Upright Man” and “Animals.”

The members of the band met as classical music students at New York University, each with a range of rock n’ roll influences, leading to the birth of Upright Man, melting into the sea of hooks and haunting melodies. - Monkey Goose Magazine

The best lineups are the ones that you would least expect. They take musicians that are complete opposites and have them play a show together. The result is a confluence of different genres, styles, and backgrounds.

From the psychedelic indie sounds of Upright Man to the jam-band funk nature of The Jauntee and finally the hip-hop fusion that is Viva La Hop, there is a lot going on at this show.

Upright Man are an alternative psychedelic band with some grunge and roots-rock influences. They kick off the night with “Animals,” which sets the tone for their entire set. The song features hard-hitting percussion skills paired with dynamic bass and keys and multi-textured guitar work.

I’ve only ever listened to their recordings, but seeing them on stage, carefully piecing together each layer of their songs is an experience on its own. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud.

“It’s time for a trip to space,” says bassist Nick Katz between songs. “I don’t know about you guys, but I really fuck with space. I mean, we all fuck with space, but…”

“He fucks with space the most,” drummer Max Yassky chimes in. “I”ve walked in on him fucking with space,” he says as they begin playing “Ecstasy.”

They play a cover of The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun,” and add in their own melodic guitar introduction, giving it that Upright Man flair. If I wasn’t already familiar with the song, I might not be able to tell that it is a cover. In this case, the band made it their own with the addition of their floaty vocals and airy rhythm section.

There are two types of musicians: the ones that sound better on their recordings, and the ones that sound better live. Upright Man fall into the latter group. Although their debut album was amazing, it is nothing compared to the full experience of seeing them perform it in person. Upright Man are a band you just have to see live to fully understand what they are capable of. - Thats Why We Musyc

New York City-based rock band Upright Man got down at the Bowery Electric on Wednesday night, August 23rd. In support of their self-titled album which was released earlier this month, bandmates Aidan Dolan (guitar/vocals), Nick Katz (bass/vocals) and Max Yassky (drums/percussion/background vocals) brought some timeless, old school charm to their set. With singles like the haunting “Checked Out” or the glittery Beatles-esque “Three Easy Pieces”, this trio possesses some great songwriting skills and creates some wonderful arrangements that are soothing to the ear.

In support of Upright Man was San Francisco based, Royal Jelly Jive. With an already huge following on the West coast, RJJ dazzled the audience at Bowery Electric on Wednesday night. Their style of gypsy jazz is light, contagious and makes you want to get up and dance. Vocalist, Lauren Bjelde’s tantalizing, soulful pipes and infectious smile just lights up the stage. We look forward to seeing more of them on this coast. - NYC Music

New York based Indie rock band Upright Man is set to release their self-titled album this Friday, August 18th and it is absolutely worth hearing! The album is mellow, easy listening. The band captures laid back, psychedelic-like essence with use of deliberate vocals, roots-rock style guitar rhythms, and finessed percussion. Aidan Dolan (vocals, guitar), Nick Katz (bass, vocals) and Max Yassky (drums, backing vocals) have combined talents that mesh from the opening track to the end. Their musicality sounds effortless although a combination of hard work, practice and shared creativity have led to their album debut. The band makes excellent use of lyricism and each track has river-like momentum, flowing without a hitch from the first to last note.

Tracks such as “Say What You Mean”, the band’s namesake song, “Upright Man”, and “Ecstasy” utilize all members’ vocal talents. There is nothing harsh about Aidan Dolan’s nor anyone else’s voices. Their vocal ranges blend into instrumental lines seamlessly. The band uses chromaticism with purpose. It seems to create a feeling of tension which is resolved just as delicately as it was introduced. The piano featured in “Three Easy Pieces” is simply beautiful and I must admit, my favorite track on the album. It us the ending piano in “Three Easy Pieces” that is especially melodic and wonderfully fragile. Upright Man takes on a singer-songwriter feel and what sounds like ¾ time can be heard in the enchanting track “Alaska”. The debut album rounds out strongly with “Animals”, the heaviest track on the album, and “Checked Out” with it’s hypnotic, continuous bass and brief use of pentatonics.

Upright Man is an ideal turntable companion but can be just as appreciated in your digital music library. Brew your favorite coffee blend and spend some time with Upright Man. The album will be available through iTunes and in MP3 format on Amazon. The band is currently performing through August 31. You can check out their show list here. - Music Matters Magazine

The New York band Upright Man, released its self-titled debut album on Aug. 18th 2017. It seems they have been labeled as part of the Indie-Rock genre but there is no genre that truly fits this band. With the harmony of the Eagles, the psychedelic style of Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead and sounds of Zeppelin, the Beatles, and maybe just of touch of Alice In Chains puts this threesome to the talented side of the eclectic, music spectrum. This cocktail of genres, lets you easily tell who the Upright Man’s music influences are.

I always like to start a review with the song on the album that I like best. Track #4 “Upright Man” is a bluesy, bass driven sound and harmonious vocals of all three band mates, making this a good ol’ fashion rock n roll song. At the other end of the album’s continuum, the song, “Three Easy Pieces” gives a sad, lost feeling about a man in turmoil. Add the soft piano that is the focal point of this heartbreaking song, that makes you want to lay on your sofa, close your eyes and just feel.

Upright Man is Aidan Dolan (guitar/vocals), Nick Katz (bass/vocals) and Max Yassky (drums/percussion/background vocals, are extremely talented musicians, with impressive vocals and music harmonies that make this band stand out. The MP3 of this album is available now on, Amazon, Spotify and ITunes. I have purchased my copy on Amazon and listen to it in the mornings with my coffee, and I love it! If you are old school, as I am, you can reserve the CD format that is soon to be released for purchase, and as I prefer to have a CD in my car, I will be making that purchase too. You will find those available on the same sites listed. Upright Man is in the last leg of their tour and will be seen in a couple more cities in New York http://uprightman.band/shows/, and I hope they will venture closer to the Midwest area, preferably Omaha and in my opinion, is the Indie music capital of the world!

You can find this amazing band on the Upright Band site: www.uprightman.band, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UprightManBand/ and also Twitter: https://twitter.com/uprightmanmusic and many more. Check out Upright Man and enjoy this artistic band.

This is Penny Pepperstein signing off. If you see me, I am there to see you. - Buzzpony Journal

Upright Man, following suit with the change its name implies, constantly evolves. The group — officially comprised of NYU Music Composition alumni Aidan Dolan, Nick Katz and Max Yassky and unofficially including Adam November — has been changing its sound throughout its entire career. Only three days after their debut record “Upright Man” was released, they spoke easily with WSN about having already recruited November to play guitar for live shows despite his not being a part of the album recording process. In fact, November has already been adding in his own sonic influence to the point where the songs no longer sound like the album version.

They began the recording process in early 2015. They had 17 songs already, but by the time 2017 came around, the band and the world had changed so much that the music was quickly outdated. Yassky, the group’s drummer, spoke about the contrast between Upright Man’s recording process and their usual lifestyle of playing gigs and writing songs.

“So much time has passed between the time we recorded — which is in itself this certain amount of time where you’re just hyper-focused and it feels like you’re in a different space,” Yassky said. “And then after that, you’re just back to play- ing shows. So the album being released kinda feels like, ‘oh yeah, that thing that we did.’”


Upright Man was born when Dolan, the group’s lead vocalist and guitarist, asked during a Music Composition Program meeting if anyone was interested in playing drums in a group. Through mutual friends, he was connected with Yassky and Katz. November came along more recently when Katz was looking for a pedal specialist and was pointed toward November, who is also a Music Technology alumnus. Four years and a few graduation ceremonies later, the group had a debut album.

The members each have varying opinions on what they learned during their time at NYU, and particularly what of that learning was useful.

“So much of the stuff that I learned at NYU was not stuff that they set out to have taught you or was not something they could have ever functionally planned to do,” Yassky said. “But it’s stuff you just learn by being around them. Dealing with NYU has taught me so much. But particularly it was learning to be disingenuous about what you want to do if you’re being a musician.”

Judging by the band’s album release show at Bowery Electric on Aug. 23, Dolan and his bandmates have still had trouble narrowing down what they want to do. Their performed music spoke to a vast range of musical influences. Jazzed-up chords filled out unusual time signatures and guitar solos shredded alongside softer vocal moments. At times heavy metal vibes played out, and at others the songs echoed The Beatles. All that is not even to mention the ambient visuals projected on the walls beside them — b-roll of lightning flashes, CGI-ed images of spaceships and eerie graphic designs added an ethereal layer to the performance.

Between all the sounds and visuals happening on stage, however, Upright Man’s set was more than just an impressive display of musicianship. The sonic influences and lyrical content were unarguably a product of life in 2017 — an echo of uncertainty, of questioning, but of resolution to keep on singing and do so beautifully. - Washington Square News