Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Aidan Dolan - Guitar, Vocals  /  Max Yassky - Drums, Piano, Vocals  /  Nick Katz - Bass, Vocals

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Upright Man? How long has the band been around?

Max: Upright Man has probably been Upright Man for two years, give or take a few months. Are we going back to highschool with this question cause there was that ska band and then the afro-cuban indie rock duo.  Once I got to New York there was Hipcatisdeadman with our friend Andrew Lederman, some funk here and there, and a lot of subbing for a lot of folks and a couple anti-folk folks. I'll attach my CV. 

Aidan: While i was in a college I was in a band called Hipcatisdeadman and recruited Max as the drummer. Otherwise, we were in school for classical composition, so we all had our own projects with different musicians and ensembles as well. We've been Upright Man for about two years.

Nick: I was in a band called Caverns for quite some time with a couple of guys I went to high school with. 

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Aidan: Upright Man means a lot of things to us. Interpreting the various meanings of it were a big part of the process of writing the lyrics in our song, "Upright Man". We have never changed the band's name, though we spent a lot of hours brainstorming different names before stumbling upon the name Upright Man through the writing of the song. It has stuck since.

Nick: are you suggesting that we change it? 

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Max: Our songs are written by gnomes, they're mostly about pining for the love of tall people, and they'll probably get more frustrated over time, as tall people tend not to notice gnomes. 

Nick: Gnome is a derogatory term for dwarf, Max. The dwarfs don't appreciate having their helmets mixed up with pointy red hats. They often grumble about how stupid we must be to think an iron helmet looks like a felt cap, that is, when they're not busy singing things involving the words "hi-ho hi-ho" and "gold gold gold gold."

Aidan: We all write them together. The longer we have been a band, the more we have been able to refine a three way writing process, where we don't have to bring in super fleshed out ideas. In the beginning of the band, we had songs that we had written individually and some songs that were co-writes between just two of us. Nowadays we tend to start more from scratch when we get in a room. The topics will always be changing. It keeps it interesting for us.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Nick: I think everything you hear inspires the music you make. It can't be helped. 

Aidan: I agree with Nick on that point. I'm inspired by whatever I've been listening to recently, though it doesn't have to be music that sounds anything like our band. Radiohead is a huge inspiration. Los Lobos are as well. My brother has a band called TAUK that is a huge inspiration to me personally, seeing them grow into a successful band. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Nick: Not really, or rather, lots. 

Aidan: As cliche as it sounds, watching the full box set of "The Beatles Anthology" when I was 12 changed my life. That was the first band I heard  that really made me want to be in a band. But many countless others followed as I started to play guitar and broaden the music that I listen to.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …

Max: Metronome at 120BPM: single strokes, then the paradiddle pyramid, then double strokes, then flam triplets, then Swiss Army Triplets, then I run around in front of the drumkit long enough to blow off the primary layer of steam but not long enough to make myself dizzy. 

Nick: I tend to just take a dump and get on with it. 

Aidan: If i have somewhere to go to before the show where I can make a lot of noise without bothering anyone, I will definitely warm up my voice.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Max: On our way to Savannah, Georgia (which could also be the highlight) we had breakfast at a diner in Greensboro, South Carolina. Maybe it was the purple-orange-grey pea coats and green RayBan shades or just our boisterous rapport but the waitress asked if we were in a band. She had been asked to do so by this particular diner's most regular customers, Sharleen and Mac. In a diner in Greensboro, hosting a band is a reason to celebrate. So we got sucked into a North-meets-South roundtable conversation with the waitresses, diner patrons and of course, Sharleen and Mac. We got the merch out of the car, handed out pins and stickers, talked about music, then about the government and atheism, and then promptly left. 

Nick: on a less personal level, getting cancelled on by Tim Schmidt was a thrilling brush with fame.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Max: The Who. I would love to see what a cherry bomb does to a hotel toilet without getting banned from The Hilton myself. 

Nick: Franz Liszt. We'd blow minds.

Aidan: I'd like open for Gentle Giant, though I'm not sure we could hang musically. They are beasts.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Max: That's sweet of you to ask, no, i'm sure you've had enough of my snark.

Aidan: Our self-titled debut album, Upright Man by Upright Man, featuring the song, "Upright Man" will be out on August 18th with some pre-release tracks along the way. Stay in touch with us at http://uprightman.band/.

Nick: Yah, shut the fuck up Max.