Last month Denver’s heavy rock trio Abrams released their sophomore album Morning and it was an immediate hit here at Nine Circles. We covered the album in full here and more recently it made Chris’s mid 2017 list. The band’s combination of rock, doom and well-rounded songwriting not only shows how much they’ve matured in a short amount of time but that they are truly in it to win it. And based on the positive feedback they’ve been getting from around the horn we’d say that’s an accurate statement. We recently got a chance to ask Taylor Iversen (bass/vocals) and Zach Amster (guitars/vocals) our set of Profile questions so read on to see what they had to say.
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How did you first get into playing music and have you achieved the level of success that you always hoped to achieve?
TI: I wanted to be a rock star since I was a little kid. Along with being an astronaut, I’d always thought it was just a distant fantasy. I picked up a bass when I was in high school after realizing if I spent half as much time focusing on that as I did trying to top my high score in Guitar Hero, I might actually get somewhere. I guess I got somewhere. I may not be a rock star, there’s no rock stars no more, just people who think they are. I still can’t believe where I’m at. I’m still fulfilling my childhood dreams. Little fucker would be stoked.ZA: Since my earliest memories I have always been into playing music. I remember air guitaring on a tennis racket with my dad to Neil Young‘s “Live Rust.” Since then I’ve always sought to perform music. Musically, we consider Abrams a success. We are all very proud of our new record “Morning.” Success, with respect to audience and finances can always improve. That’s the dream anyway. All we can control is to keep writing kick ass records and putting on good live shows and then the latter should pick up as well.
What’s the most you have ever debased yourself to get your band onto a show, into a magazine or otherwise promoted, covered, debased and praised? If you don’t have a story please tell us any embarrassing story.
ZA: After a show in Philadelphia our bass player Taylor was having some stomach issues after gorging on some cheese whiz steaks. What he thought was just a fart was not.TI: It got messy, and I actually thought I was dying. I’m still here though, and so are those undies.
What do you see as some of the great things happening in metal and what are some of the worst things happening inside the scene right now?
ZA: There seems to be an audience for heavy rock right now. With an ease of accessibility these days there are a ton of great bands and even more to be discovered. With that being said, there is a lot of stagnation going on. We love to see bands pushing boundaries and artists who are creating something unique.
It seems that now everyone has a passion for some cause and that those people are very open about displaying their passions. This is probably a very, very good (and progressive) thing socially. What are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you and how do you insert those issues into your music?
ZA & TI: We are passionate about the church of god damn rock n’ roll.
What, or who, got you into metal and how old were you? How did your family take the news?
ZA: I have always been a huge Soundgarden fan. Their entire catalogue inspired me to seek out all types of music. But their b-sides “Cold Bitch” and “Birth Ritual” were on an entirely different level of heavy and forced me to seek out the heavy.TI: I started out with Korn and Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and St. Anger and all that shit all back in 2004 when I was in middle school and didn’t know any better. My parents weren’t too stoked. Eye liner, nail polish worn to family events. Eventually I found my way to Sabbath, and the whole thing opened up. Everything else good came from there. I thought I knew what “heavy” was, but I had no idea until then. Pot.
What advice do you have for aspiring music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?
ZA: If you believe it say it. Don’t hold back if you hate it and don’t be afraid to push for something that might not be traditional to a specific genre. Get the word out on bands you truly believe in.
What’s your goal? You guys thinking world domination? Maybe saving a continent? Maybe invading one? Any interest in starting a cult? Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share? Whatever it is, please let us know.
TI: We’re gonna work on US domination first, no easy feat, but we’ll invade Europe someday soon. We come in peace. Really we just want to write good records and tour as much as possible. Thats what we all feel like we’re here to do. I write stories and am working on a book, but even that’s rooted in touring. It’s our purpose, it’s what we’re best at.
When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?
16 Horsepower – CloggerSoundgarden – Down On The UpsideCall Of The Void – Are You Fucking Kidding MeAfghan Whigs – In SpadesMark Lanegan – Gargoyle
Summarize your band in exactly one word. (Disclosure: If you include additional words, we will select our favorite for the final publication.)
Fuckable.
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Many thanks to Taylor and Zach for their time!
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Catch Abrams upcoming tour on any/all of the following dates:
August 3 – Wichita, KS – Elbow Room
August 4 – Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom
August 5 – Madison, WI – The Wisco
August 6 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverwest Public House
August 7 – Hamtramck, MI – New Dodge Lounge
August 8 – Pittsburgh, PA – Black Forge Coffee House*
August 9 – Philadelphia PA – The Fire*
August 10 – Wallingford CT – Cherry Street Station*
August 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Lucky 13 Saloon*
August 12 – Dover, NH – The Dover Brickhouse*
August 13 – Boston, MA – O’Brien’s Pub*
August 14 – Washington D.C. – DC9
August 15 – Columbus, OH – Hamptons Underground
August 16 – Cincinatti, OH – Junker’s Tavern
August 18 – Lawrence, KS – Frank’s North Star
August 19 – Denver, CO – Streets of London Pub
* = with InAeona
Morning is available now on Sailor Records. For more information on Abrams visit their Facebook page.
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