The Walkup

Emerging from New York City during 2005, the Walkup fused power pop with British rock inflections drawn from the Smiths. Guitarist and vocalist Alex Koch, drummer Michael Petrucelly, and guitarist Sean Finnigan first crossed paths inside a Lower East Side bar, where their mutual enthusiasm for music and Scotch quickly created a bond. An EP appeared from the trio that same year, after which they began performing at area clubs and earned slots at the noted CMJ Music Marathon in both 2006 and 2007. Bassist Christopher Ayoub joined soon afterward, enabling the band to issue its first full-length album, Down on Pacific, in 2008.