See Casey Abrams and his friends Dylan Chambers (top right) and Hunter (above right) on Oct. 21 in Carmel. (Photos provided)
Casey Abrams & Friends coming to Feinstein’s Oct. 21
By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael, 1 Carmichael Square, Carmel, has a dinner series called Afterglow, and on Oct. 21 it will feature Casey Abrams and Friends. You may know Abrams from his American Idol duet with Jack Black, for his work with Postmodern Jukebox (which reworks modern hits in styles from the early 20th century), or from his solo albums. The Reporter spoke with Abrams about his musical influences, what you can expect from the show coming up next week, and about an upcoming song he chose to reveal in our pages first.
The “friends” in Casey Abram and Friends are Dylan Chambers and Hunter.
“I’ve been friends with these guys for a while,” Abrams said. “Hunter’s a really great singer and she plays the cajón, which is like the box drum. Dylan is a great singer as well and plays the guitar, so we can do some really fun three-part harmonies together.”
Abrams told The Reporter this show will have hints of jazz, funk, Motown, and R&B.
“No one in the audience is safe,” Abrams said. “We might have to sing a song about them. There’s gonna be a lot of improvisation. You never know what song will play or what we might mash up.”
At one show when Abrams was a bit parched on stage and needed a beverage, someone named Frankie gave him a bottle of water. Abrams immediately broke into a “Karma Chameleon” cover, singing, “Frankie, Frankie, Frankie, Frankie, Frankie is really cool. He’s really cool …”
Abrams’ musical influences are diverse, to say the least.
“Jack Black is a huge musical influence,” Abrams said. “I would say that my style is Frank Sinatra meets Jack Black. I love Jack Black, obviously. I was on American Idol in 2011, and I got to do a duet with him. Me and Jack Black did ‘Fat Bottom Girls,’ which was insane, and I’m so very lucky to have done that.”
Abrams just released a song entitled “Sober” in celebration of “Sober October.”
“It’s about my journey,” Abrams said. “I had a pretty big surgery. I had ulcerative colitis. I had to have my whole colon removed and so after that I decided to stop drinking. It’s been great ever since, so I just wrote a song about it.”
Perhaps by accident, Abrams dropped a small Reporter exclusive piece of information.
“I have music coming out next year as well, and some Christmas stuff. There’s a song called “Coming Out” – I actually haven’t told anyone this – but there’s a song coming out called ‘The Best Part of Christmastime is the Jazz.’ It’s obviously a jazz song with a big band, and that’s coming out this year.”
Abrams has a habit of handing out CDs to people in the audience he catches singing along with his own songs, so buff up on your favorite Casey Abrams tunes and maybe you can walk out with a keepsake and a story to tell.
This special evening will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21. Get tickets to this unique evening at tinyurl.com/CaseyAbramsAtFeinsteins.
