Abrams to Tour This Fall; Playing Desertfest NYC & Ripplefest Texas
Hey, have you heard the one about the band touring this Fall around appearances at Desertfest New York and Ripplefest Texas? Yes, likely you have. But that band wasn’t Abrams, and the Denver four-piece are among the acts I’m most looking forward to seeing at the aforementioned NYC three-dayer. Led by guitarist/vocalist Zach Amster, the band released their Kurt Ballou-helmed Blue City (review here) album earlier this year on Blues Funeral, and I expect it will be fun to watch people who haven’t heard them before stand in front of the stage and become fans. Yeah, Abrams have been around a bit, releasing through Small Stone and Sailor Records before linking up with their current label, and their records have always been cool, well-crafted, and so on. But I’m guessing that live it’s another level, and I’ll have those high hopes with me (hopefully; I should send an email about press accreditation, huh?) at the Knockdown Center as they roll through, and I anticipate having a better sense of what Abrams are all about when they’re done than I will have had going in. I’m a firm believer in precisely that kind of lifelong learning.
The PR wire brought the dates uniting the two fest appearances:
Denver heavy rockers ABRAMS announce fall US shows; new album “Blue City” available now on Blues Funeral Recordings.
Denver heavy rock goldsmiths ABRAMS announce a string of fall US shows (including appearances at Desertfest New York and Ripplefest Texas) in support of their new album “Blue City” released this spring on Blues Funeral Recordings.
About the tour, guitarist and vocalist Zach Amster says: “Abrams is so excited to hit the road again this September promoting our latest release ‘Blue City’ out on Blues Funeral Recordings. We have been thrilled by the response and support we have received about how much people have been digging the album. It’s been a couple of years since we have played out East, so touring around two of the coolest heavy underground festivals in the States (DesertFest and RippleFest) is going to be so great. We can’t wait to see you out there!”
Recorded and produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire) at the legendary GodCity Studio, their new album and Blues Funeral Recordings debut “Blue City” is where genre-defying heaviness and perfect melodic songcraft converge, best described as “a sound that’s cathartic, contemplative and would fit right in on a playlist full of Mastodon, Torche and Baroness tunes” by Metalsucks and “an upswell of positivity in the face of frustration that’s sure to shake you from your existential slumber” by Metal Hammer Magazine, while Distorted Sound Magazine praised ABRAMS as “one of the most musically diverse and emotionally impactful bands in the scene.”
Abrams fall shows 2024:
Sept 8 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
Sept 11 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
Sept 12 – Columbus, OH – Spacebar
Sept 13 – Queens, NY – Desertfest New York
Sept 14 – Toledo, OH – Ottawa Tavern
Sept 15 – Louisville, KY – Portal
Sept 16 – St Louis, MO – Platypus
Sept 17 – Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
Sept 21 – Austin, TX – Ripplefest Texas
Fusing melody and dissonance, ABRAMS blast forth a cathartic mix of catchy, driving rhythms, soaring vocals and ethereal ambiance into the heavy music landscape. Wielding elements of heavy rock, shoegaze, grunge and post-metal with ease and fluency, they create a crystalline heaviness that’s bittersweet and nostalgic yet also gazes forward.
Having shared the stage with Unsane, KEN mode, King Buffalo, Khemmis, Jaye Jayle or Emma Ruth Rundle, ABRAMS has always strived to deliver memorable live shows. A spearhead of the Denver rock scene, the foursome has recently joined the ranks of tastemaker label Blues Funeral Recordings (Acid King, Dead Meadow, Dozer…) for the spring 2024 release of their fifth album “Blue City”, recorded and produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio.
ABRAMS lineup:
Zachary Amster – guitar, vocals
Taylor Iversen – bass, vocals
Ryan DeWitt – drums
Graham Zander – guitar
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https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
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