When John and James Abrams were kids, their parents offered them a choice: they could either have a backyard pool or a tour bus for the family band.
Growing up around Kingston, Ont., there’s not much you can do with a pool for 12 months of the year, so the choice was obvious. They chose a tour bus and went on to grow up on the road, living a life full of exciting adventures.
The Abrams played concerts all over Canada and the U.S. In an interview with the Charlatan, John said tour life gave the Abrams family the chance to gain experience musically, but it also brought them closer together.
“Being that close together, playing all kinds of old time music festivals, bluegrass music festivals, country festivals—growing up was an amazing thing,” he said.
John said the “watershed” moment of his teenage years on the road was when they pulled up to the front steps of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
John was 15-years-old when he and his family performed there for the first time, making John and James the youngest Canadians to take the stage at country music’s most prestigious and historic venue.
“It was an absolutely magical moment in our career where we both looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, this family thing really could be a career for us,’” he said. “With the Grand Ole Opry, we always knew that was a Mecca of a place to play.”
Music runs in the Abrams’ blood. John and James’ great-grandparents played in a “post-vaudeville” act, delivering vaudeville-style performances even after the genre’s popularity had largely died out. As fourth-generation touring performers, the brothers take pride in their family history.
“That’s how it all started, way back in the 1930s with them,” John said. “It was passed down the generations through our grandparents and our dad playing with our grandparents, and then James and I on the road with the whole family band.”
The Abrams brothers are both in their late 20s now and they perform as a contemporary country duo. They don’t tour with the older generations of their family anymore, but still hold on to their musical upbringing.
They also still jam with their family when they’re not on the road.
“We have something to do with our family outside of a typical thing where we just get together and we have dinner… Afterward, we get to sit together and jam, and play on these old time songs,” he said. “There’s something about it that really bridges any gaps between the generations in our family, and I think that’s really special.”
The Abrams also still travel in an old school tour bus, which serves as homage to their musical upbringing. They don’t use the same bus their parents bought when they were kids, but the brothers’ current Eagle tour bus is a throwback to the 1970s. It has also become a symbol of their new music.
This past month, The Abrams released their new EP, Reminder. The Eagle bus makes an appearance on the album cover.
John described the EP as a very “nostalgic” record, because it includes several aspects of their musical upbringing, such as songs about living in the moment and lots of fiddle playing from his brother.
“We love writing songs about appreciating the moments we’re in, not letting life slip by—songs that hopefully create a sense of hope and optimism in the listener,” he said. “That’s kind of in a nutshell what Reminder is.”
Along with the record, The Abrams released a music video for the single “Good Old Days,” which was filmed on the outskirts of Ottawa in North Gower. Throughout the video, you see John and James driving on the highway in their bus, picking up strangers and playing their instruments.
John described the video as “autobiographical” as it was inspired by their upbringing.
“In sort of a modern context, this video does that: it shows versions of our lives where we had like a cast of characters on the bus,” he said. “It’s pretty accurate to how it is on the road with us.”
The Abrams are excited to be playing a small Ontario tour. They’ll be in Ottawa on Nov. 13 at the Overflow Brewing Company in Heron Park.
John said he’s looking forward to being back at Overflow, but also to be playing new songs for The Abrams’ loyal fans across Ontario.
“It’s amazing to see the country music community and sort of greater country music family in Ontario and how strong it is,” he said. “It’s really special to be able to play in our home province—we try to do it as much as we can.”
Feature image courtesy of Warner Music Canada.
