"We all met in a composition class at NYU and we wound up writing a couple of tunes together and that's where it all started," says bassist Nick Katz of the New York based band Upright Man as they prepare for their November 19 show at The Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ.
A cornucopia of influences makes up the group and they credit various genres, musicians and family members for their development as a unit. "The Beatles are the reason that I started playing guitar," says guitarist Aidan Dolan. "I had to play, "Here Comes The Sun" in the sixth grade talent show and from there I started playing more and more. I started getting into Pink Floyd, Radiohead and then mostly trying weird ways to work on different country tunes and see where that took me (Laughs)."
"My dad is a bass player," explained Katz. "As a bass player I like McCartney, Roger Waters, some of the newer British guys and thanks to my father; Little Feat is my favorite rhythm section." "For me," adds drummer Max Yassky, "Ben Folds. I used to cut class and teach myself his songs on the piano but also bands like Radiohead and Wilco."
The band formed in, "Late 2014 or early 2015," and recently put out a 10 track self-titled CD, their first, which according to the band was rather easily accomplished. "We had so many songs written that an EP wasn't an option and that was even after we cut the ones that didn't meet our final approval. We had like 20 songs written and a producer came to my home out on Long Island and we put it all together," recounted Katz.
The band's sound has been called, "Psychedelic" and they've been compared to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the aforementioned Little Feat; something they embrace but do not rest on. "We try not to be political with our music," says Yassky. "But as individuals we're all opinionated and we skirt around the issues of today." "We don't want to be provocative but we are human beings and we're not going to shy away from things going on around us," added Katz.
Individually the trio all shares the common goal of success by creating a product that reaches a vast audience with longevity and resonance and not, "A flash in the pan" type. "All I want to do is make my livelihood off of this band," stated a confident Dolan. "I want to show up for every show with pyrotechnics shooting off of my boots (laughs) and to be at a level of really trying to be a musician, the best musician that I can be."
Katz echoed those statements, saying that he and the band are, "Striving to be renowned artists with staying power" and for him personally he says, "I want to be the best musician and songwriter that I can be and that should translate into the band."
Yassky seemingly views things a bit more traditionally perhaps than his other two band mates but none the less has the same focus. "In terms of success for this band? If we can generate interest, go outside our comfort zone and branch out into different areas and get people curious about our music, getting people we don't know to like our music and want us to come back to their home towns; I think that's successful. We need to build and continue to grow our fan base and that's how we'll grow as a band."
Katz may have summed it up perfectly when he surmised, "I don't think I or we can expect anything from anything. By doing this we are putting ourselves out there, we're vulnerable. This is the only thing that matters to us though."
Upright Man takes their name from a line in the song of the same name and promises that their show in Stanhope will be one for the ages. "Oh it's gonna be a good one," laughed Dolan. "We're not using any acoustic guitar so it will be more electrified so more rock 'n' roll for sure!."
To discover more about Upright Man, please visit www.uprightman.band.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
