The Abrams

The Abrams emerged as a Canadian family folk-rock ensemble whose fusion of bluegrass, country, folk, and indie rock yields a sound at once rural and urban. Fourth-generation musicians John and James Abrams conceived the project. Influences ranging from the Louvin Brothers and the Beach Boys to Canadian figures such as Neil Young, the Band, Gordon Lightfoot, Ian Tyson, and Joni Mitchell led the brothers, who had played together since childhood, to launch their careers as a strictly bluegrass duo. Performing under the name the Abrams Brothers, they became the youngest Canadians ever to take the Grand Ole Opry stage. Three albums appeared between 2004 and 2008—Carrying On, Iron Sharpens Iron, and Blue on Brown, the last a tribute to Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie—before the first collection of original songs, Northern Redemption, arrived in 2011. A 2015 contract with Warner Music Canada prompted the adoption of the Abrams moniker, and the self-titled debut followed the next year, prompting comparisons to fellow acoustic genre-blenders the Lumineers, the Avett Brothers, and Mumford & Sons.