University student’s band performs at The Bitter End

On Sept. 22 Walking Upright took the stage at The Bitter End, a renowned NYC venue that has hosted such greats as Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Norah Jones, Miles Davis and many more.

The show opened up with the surprisingly wonderful acoustic sound of Alfa, a Philippine-born singer-songwriter. Alfa played acoustic guitar, accompanied by an upright base, drums, violin, a vocalist and even a melodica. She even switched to a couple of solo songs on a grand piano.

The music of Walking Upright is an ingenious blend of rock and soul, often dabbling in funk and other genres.  Most of the songs were written and composed by Bryan and Patrick Logan, the brothers who started the band back in 2003.

They collaborated with electric guitarist Al Domingo, drummer Cliff Ribiero and bassist Yvans Jean-Michel. Jessica Hamaker joined the family in 2009 as lead female vocalist and is currently a musical theatre major at the University.

Since then, Walking Upright has been rocking various venues around the city such as the Westside Theatre, Sullivan Hall and Arlene's Grocery.

The crowd shifted from Alfa fans to Walking Upright fans. Hamake explained, "At this point we're in the networking phase. Most of the people that come to the shows to specifically see us are friends of friends of friends, plus there are a few loyal fans that we've picked up along the way.

“These people are either close friends or have become close friends. At The Bitter End, we had a lot of University students, some family and some other musicians and then there were the regulars at The Bitter End or just people stopping in for some NYC music.”
Those who stuck around were in for a treat. The songs ranged from the sweet and catchy "Lila Dhara" to the intense soulful song "Fire." They even pulled a Paul Simon song.  Bryan Logan and Hamaker's harmonies wonderfully melded together on songs like "Shadow of Doubt."

Hamaker's smooth and sultry vocals made "Walking Papers" seep into the soul.  Her facial expressions made you feel the depth of the words she sang.  Her versatility lends a softer tone for the newer song, "The Fall." Adam Zirkin of Carver joined Walking Upright on the keyboard for a couple of songs, adding some musical flair.

Not only were the musicians experienced and talented, they also loved to play.  The interaction of the band members made it a joy to watch them perform.  The music often let loose and Hamaker danced her heart out in excitement as the guys rocked out on their instruments. She confessed that they were all a little nervous since they had not rehearsed in about a week.  Despite this fact, their performance didn’t show it. The infectious way they enjoyed playing their music spurred the audience to applaud.

When asked about how the show went, Hamaker said, "I felt very good about it. We hadn't rehearsed in about a week, so the whole band was a little nervous about how things would go. However, we're a very close group and these musicians don't mess around.

So, the set came together beautifully and we were able to play a solid show and have a really good time. Plus, we had such a wonderful crowd.

We're always so thankful to have people to play to. Did I mention that we were playing on a stage where Stevie Wonder once sang his songs? That is enough to make any show special!"